Pornography and Heroin
Of all the subjects I research, write, and speak about, pornography is the most damaging yet the least addressed. A Barna research study revealed that 57% of pastors and 64% of youth pastors “admit they have struggled with porn, either currently or in the past,” which could partly explain why pastors dislike discussing this issue.
In the old days, to access pornography, one had to take a chance by going into a store and purchasing a magazine such as Playboy or Hustler. The magazines were usually covered in brown wrappers, but the risk of being seen was still high because everyone knew what that wrapper meant. Some men subscribed to these magazines and had them delivered by snail mail, but while that practice did provide a measure of privacy, there was still the risk of someone finding the magazine lying around the house. Those risks did not prevent the spread of pornography, but in some ways, they did slow the pace of proliferation. But, of course, all of that changed with the speed and privacy of the Internet.
So did the acceleration of chemical addiction to pornography.
In an article titled “Senate Subcommittee Hears Experts on Pornography Toxicity,” Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, Psychiatrist and Professor at Princeton University, testified:
It may seem surprising that, at this juncture, I should speak of ‘chemicals,’ when one might be thinking instead of ‘sex.’ But, in fact, modern science allows us to understand that the underlying nature of an addiction to pornography is chemically nearly identical to a heroin addiction: Only the delivery system is different, and the sequence of steps. That is why heroin addicts in particular give up sex and routinely compare their ‘rushes’ to ‘orgasms.’
The Bible speaks of pornography, and never in a good light. There’s a difference between porn and God-created sexual intimacy. The former is a satanic perversion of sex, and the latter is beautiful and deeply satisfying.
The Greek word porneia is found 25 times in the New Testament1 and includes any form of sexual immorality. Following are just three instances:
The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality (porneia) but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
1 Corinthians 6:13 (NIV)Flee from sexual immorality (porneia). All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
1 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV)But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality (porneia), or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
Ephesians 5:3 (NIV)
God-created sexual intimacy is a metaphor for our relationship with Jesus. Pornography distorts that and turns what is pure into something that ultimately leads to shame, guilt, and destruction.
Pornography is all about the eyes. So, Jesus, wanting us to remain pure, issued a severe warning about what we allow ourselves to see.
If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:29 (NIV)
If you are struggling with porn in any amount, Jesus is calling you to turn around and run toward Him right away. That is called repentance.
If you need help, I invite you to check out my video series Porneia: A Global Tragedy
1 https://www.gotquestions.org/porneia-in-the-Bible.html
