Pornography addicts will often tell themselves that there is nothing really wrong with the practice. Everybody does it. What are you, some sort of religious fundamentalist? Men watch pornography. We should all get over it. We should stop imposing our morals upon people who just want to have a good time. They are alone, in the privacy of their own homes, peeking into somebody else’s bedroom. If all parties consent, what’s the problem? Well, there are several reasons why even non-Christians need to quit watching pornography. If you are one of my atheist critics, you need to quit as well. Pornography has the capacity for and a history of ruining the life of the casual watcher, as the habit and hobby will eventually degrade into an addiction. Further, it destroys the lives of those who are involved in the production of the video and creates a culture with a low view of human value.
You Are Supporting Human Trafficking
Where do you think these pornography videos are coming from? Many of them are published on anonymous sites on the Internet. These websites are likely littered with paid advertisements because these website owners know that they will get a lot of traffic from which they can generate revenue. But where do the videos come from? Some may be published by an angry ex who is sharing videos out of spite. Others may be created by a professional production team, replete with a director, actors and actresses. However, there will be some videos that were created with women who were abducted in human trafficking. These girls would probably not have any distinguishing features that make it obvious that they are slaves. They could be Americans. They could be European. They could have an accent indicating that they are from a western country. It does not matter.
There have been over 14,000 reported cases of sex trafficking in the United States since 2007. The industry is booming, generating over 290 million dollars in Atlanta alone. There is no reason for you to think that the video that you are watching is not a product of sex trafficking here in the United States. This means that there were men who stalked women who were having a drink in a bar by themselves. They waited until she went to her car and then kidnapped her. They will also target women who are living alone, especially those who went to war or recently escaped from an abusive situation. They will kidnap women and force them to have sex on camera for your viewing pleasure. How do you reply? You reply with gratitude. You contribute to that 290 million dollar profit that they have made. That is why even non-Christians need to quit watching pornography. Anybody with a semblance of a conscious will do everything that they can to boycott that industry.
A Warped View of Sexuality
Your little hobby will quickly become an addiction. People who enjoy pornography will often begin to watch it every night. Every time they feel a sexual urge, they will open their laptop and peek into the bedroom of strangers. But if you are addicting to pornography, how are you going to view the world? When you go out to the store and you see an attractive woman, you will begin to indulge in perverse thoughts about her. You are training your brain to think sexually. Your brain will evolve based on what you ask it to do.
This creates a society in which sex with strangers becomes normalized. The outrageous fantasies in which you meet random people and have sex with them form your beliefs about the world. Of course, what pornography movies will not tell you is that if you are sleeping with strangers on a regular basis, you are likely to expose yourself to STDs and unwanted pregnancies. If you are having sex with strangers, then you are far more likely to view a baby as a burden rather than as a gift. This has led many people to kill their young. This is why even non-Christians need to quit watching pornography. It will warp your view of sexual behavior, creating a culture in which infanticide is thought to be morally acceptable.
Your View of Women
What do you see when you look at a woman? Many men will begin to assess her and think about how she would be in the bedroom (even if she is a stranger). You will be particularly prone to this behavior if you occasionally peek into the bedroom of strangers. The only thing that you see in these women is their sexual function. They could be intelligent women who have accomplished a lot in their lives, who have creative capabilities intellectual fortitude and were kidnapped. Now, you are looking at them and seeing only what they can offer sexually. You have reduced the value of women down to their sexual function.
Feminists will often say that women should not be restricted based on how men will look at them. But this reasoning seems warped for several reasons. It is not only about how men will see you. It is about you see yourself. Are you nothing more than an object? Are you an end to the means of other people, to be used as they wish? Are you a sexual instrument? Are you not something more? While many who identify as feminists will employ this reasoning, they are not true feminists. They advocate for reducing the value of women under the guise of feminism. All true feminists will radically and fundamentally oppose pornography because of how it degrades the people who are involved in it. That is why even non-Christians need to quit watching pornography.
Lose The Respect of Your Peers
Many of your peers will probably have children of their own. Some may have teenagers. If you are constantly exposing yourself to pornographic images, always thinking sexually, then you will have trouble avoiding thinking about your friend’s daughter in that way as well. And your friend will probably know. If he knows that you regularly indulge in pornography, then he is going to be suspicious of you. He is going to wonder what you are looking at. Even if you personally would never look at his daughter like that, he will think about it. Your friends will lose their respect for you.
You might suggest that they do not know about your addiction to pornography. But the thing about addictions is that they will eventually come out. If it is something that you are doing all of the time, it can be difficult to conceal, especially from people who you see on a regular basis. Beyond that, they will not necessarily need to know about your addiction to to see the effects of it. People who are addicted to pornography tend to have wandering eyes. If your eyes are on his daughter, they will notice. Fathers take note of how people look at their children. Fathers are on guard from predators, and that is what you are. That is what you have become in the eyes of your neighbor. If you want to retain the respect and friendships of your neighbors, then that is why even non-Christians need to quit watching pornography.
You Will Compromise Your Relationship
While you may tell yourself constantly, like some sort of mantra, that pornography is just something that men do, your wife is likely not going to be very sympathetic with that explanation. Women do not typically like their husbands looking at images of other women. It will lead to questions about whether they are going to be unfaithful. After all, if you are spending time looking at these women, what is going to stop you from being unfaithful when that temptation arises?
Further, many wives will rightly regard your addiction to pornography as an act of infidelity. She will begin to feel insecure about herself. She will come to the conclusion that she is not enough for you and begin to reflect poorly on her image. Even if she is in shape, she might begin trying to shed pounds, hoping desperately to gain your approval. She might go out and buy expensive updates to her wardrobe or her adornments all in an effort to win your affection. She will feel unloved. From that, more problems will begin to emerge. If your marriage is important to you, then that is a reason that even non-Christians need to quit watching pornography.
Why Did God Create Sex?
Sex is not inherently evil. It is not something that needs to be avoided at all costs. We do not have to prevent ourselves from thinking about sex or reasoning about sex. Sex is not a curse word. In fact, it is something that we need to reason about. We need a proper biblical understanding of what sex is. Sex is what joins a man and a woman together. God created it as a bond of unity wherein the two will become one flesh (Mark 10:18). Marriage is not a legal contract before the government. It is a covenant that two people have made with one another before God. Sex is the consummation of that process. When you have sex with someone for the first time, you are declaring that you are one and you will be together until death.
Accordingly, sex is a gift that God has given to mankind. When we have sex outside of the context that God has ordained, then we are abusing that gift and will inevitably have negative consequences (some of which I have outlined in this article). But we have abused the gift that God has given us. It is as though you gave your son a hammer because he told you that he wanted to learn about craftsmanship, and he used it to break into the neighbor’s vehicle. He abused that gift. Similarly, we have abused the gift that God has given us. You have abused it by watching pornography.
Now, you might be thinking that this is the old bait-and-switch. I promised to tell you why a non-Christian should stop watching pornography. Well, even non-Christians live in a world governed by God. You cannot hide from the truth of God’s existence, even if you do not identify as a follower of Christ. The reason that your view of sex is so warped is not only that you struggle with pornography. It is that you do not regard sex as a gift from God that must be practiced exclusively in the context of marriage.
Look at all of the consequences of your sin. Women are abducted, stripped, raped on camera for your viewing pleasure. You may ask how God could allow such a thing. He cannot. His wrath is coming. The wrath of God abides on all of those who practice unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). How can pardon us? A good God could never allow wicked sinners who support human trafficking into his presence. But the good news is that God has reached out even to the vilest of sinners. The Son of God became a man and was murdered. When he died, all of God’s wrath that we deserve was poured out on him (Romans 3:21-25). Three days later, he rose from the dead, triumphing over death. Now anyone who puts their faith in the Son will likewise triumph over death. It is a free gift (Romans 6:23), despite all that you have done. Repent (change your mind about sin) and believe the gospel. He will make you new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment to share your opinion!