X is for XXX, in other words, pornography. For more Blogging From A to Z posts, click here.
Pornography is not just a topic for the ol’ boys clubs. Research indicates that pornography viewing among women is spreading widely; this study here suggests that one in three porn-watchers is now a woman. I recently read an intriguing piece in the Huffington Post titled What I Wished I Known Before Watching Porn by Lauren Dubinsky. She writes:
“I simply wish someone would have told me why it was so harmful, instead of simply putting it on a list of things we don’t talk about. We all know our rights and wrongs, but seldom do we know what makes them so. Had I known how much it would have harmed me, I would have left it alone.
If you’re a woman who has watched pornography, or is watching pornography, studies are now showing that we make up more than one-third of pornography viewers. It’s no longer a taboo topic, and I would personally like to give you permission to speak openly about it. I guarantee you that you have friends who watch it, and are desperate to talk. Even in your church. Especially in your church.” Read full post here.
Why should Lauren, the Church, or I care about what you do in the privacy of your own home? I care because of the image Saint Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 12:26, “If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it…” When a person is caught up in a sexual addiction of some kind, the impact on family members and others is devastating.
Pornography viewing triggers the brain into releasing a flood of it’s own endorphins and neurochemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. These internal chemicals produce a powerful rush or high very similar to street drugs. These chemicals that fire when watching porn cause the brain to increasingly crave it until eventually it can feel almost impossible to break free. Pornography has become a pandemic and “drug of choice” for many across the globe.
If you are struggling, suffering, or desperate to talk about an addiction to pornography (or know one who is), help is available. At the request of Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay, Bruce and Jeannie Hannemann, founders of Elizabeth Ministry International, have created a holistic program called Reclaim for the pornography-addicted. Its services can be used on an individual basis but are also very effective at the parish level, too.
To reiterate what Lauren Dubinsky writes in her HuffPo piece, porn-addiction is no longer a taboo topic. Let’s pray for wisdom, insight, and openness to be a friend to our fellow sisters and brothers who may be desperate to talk about this topic.
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