Pornography And Lds: 25 Years From Now...

[Bernard Gui]

I am aware of the non-hilarity of the situation, I have had MANY friends who have been addicted to a variety of things and/or quit the Church over chastity. BUT you can't just solve someone's addiction with one or two simple questions, it takes time, digging deeper into their past. I was just saying the gateway questions could be why are you look at this and then go from there

Digging into the past may help with counseling the addict on the way to recovery, but if the addict continues to

put blame for his/her addiction on some other person or event, recovery won't happen. It's a long and painful process.

It can't be done alone, but it is possible. That's the good news.

Bernard

[OUmd]

Once it reaches an addictive stage, it may have nothing at all to do with desire.

Why are you trying to pick a fight?

Bernard

I could ask the same of you. You were the one who put words in my mouth. I did not say that pornography addiction is ever "right". You said I did. This is false and offensive. Your only comment about my post was an incorrect passive-aggressive question. If you didn't agree with my post, so be it. Just say you don't agree.

My comment was in response to how the church addresses the issue of pornography (and sex) and how I feel it could improve in the future. Seems like right on topic of thread title, if you ask me. If you didn't feel it was related to the topic than ignore it.

[Bernard Gui]

I could ask the same of you. You were the one who put words in my mouth. I did not say that pornography addiction is ever "right". You said I did. This is false and offensive. Your only comment about my post was an incorrect passive-aggressive question. If you didn't agree with my post, so be it. Just say you don't agree.

My comment was in response to how the church addresses the issue of pornography (and sex) and how I feel it could improve in the future. Seems like right on topic of thread title, if you ask me. If you didn't feel it was related to the topic than ignore it.

Chill out, bro. Perhaps you missed this comment:

Perhaps I misunderstood, or you can explain more fully.

Bernard

[Questing Beast]

As in all addictions, the answer to the question "Why are you addicted?" is irrelevant to recovery, in my opinion.

That question usually cannot be answered until sobriety is achieved. Even then, it really doesn't matter in the long run.

Bernard

You equate sexuality and "our reproductive organs being hardwired to the pleasure centers of our brains by a high voltage cable", with substance addiction? Talk about non sequitur!

To call pornography addicting in the same way that drinking alcohol or abusing drugs are addicting, is completely fallacious. Sex is a natural function of the body. So is eating. So is sleeping. All of them can become harmful if taken to in excess. But they are NATURAL to our physical well being. All that pornography is, is an artificial (artful) stimulus to the sexual organs and the pleasure center of the brain. That some forms of pornography are degraded, depraved, even disgusting, are in the eyes of the beholder: various forms of pornography do not de facto lead to certain types of behavior.

I too am weary of the "evils of pornography", or the "pornography is addicting", sermons in church. I too sat through a lesson last Sunday on the subject. No useful, up to date counsel was given. It was all fear-mongering and outmoded throw-away assertions that are at least 20 years old (hey, about how long the Internet has been gearing up).

An example: "If you took the money out of the equation, pornography on the internet would dry up and blow away overnight." Ah, I see, pornography is the biggest use of the Internet because the perps want to make money. Nothing could be further from the truth: the vast burgeoning of pornography on the Net is free, shared, voyeuristic and voluntary. With the apparent anonymity (important to many/most, at least at first), people are encouraged and enticed by the ease with which they can view other people being sexual; and share themselves being sexual. But will we hear this reality discussed in church anytime soon? I doubt it.

Here's my view on why pornography is sometimes destructive to individuals and families (and it is): the consumer of pornography is in trouble if s/he is any of these things: lazy, dishonest, cowardly, selfish. Just having a pathological problem with ONE of these vices would cause enough trouble to threaten or actually destroy a marriage (or invalidate a person as marriage worthy in the first place). And a porn "addict" probably has trouble with all of them to some degree. In other words: pornography is what they turn to because they are too lazy to put into their relationship the time, effort and caring concern necessary to communicate. They lack the honesty to admit their desires and discuss them; their lack of honesty with themselves even denies that they have a problem: they play the "blame game" and it is thus impossible to admit that they have a problem in the first place. Lacking integrity, they are afraid of the consequences of being caught, so they slither out of danger by lying and concealing, etc. Finally, being consummately selfish (Narcissistic), they do not care about anyone but themselves. And that, Brothers and Sisters, is the addiction: selfishness, not pornography.

Cure these spiritual ills, and pornography, I assert, will fade to its proper place: a medium that is facial, infantile, uninspiring, boring and invasive. If there is any place at all for it, it will be openly admitted between husband and wife, and used accordingly. No secrets. And, if husband and wife are a religious (or otherwise moral) couple, they will not share their sexuality, individually or as a couple, with anyone. In other words, there is no place for "swingers" in the Church and never will be - not even "virtual" ones via cellphones, sexting, forums or otherwise any audio-visual media. So pornography, just like anything else, has bounds. And I would not pry into anyone else's married life to determine if they never look or listen to pornography as part of their sexual relationship. That is nobody's business....

[Bernard Gui]

On a Saturday afternoon/evening in Sept/Oct. 2001 I sat in a stake priesthood leadership meeting in the St. Louis South Stake when the visiting authority, Elder White from Canada, said something like this--"There are men in this room who have a problem with pornography. In the name of Jesus Christ I tell you that the sun won't set on Tuesday night before you confess your sins to the proper priesthood authority."

No joke... It was one of the most startling things I have ever experienced in a church meeting.

That's one way to shake the tree. Hopefully things have changed over the past 10 years.

It is very difficult for a person to admit an addiction such as this.

Bernard

[Messenger]

Is there ever a month that goes by where ward/stake/HQ doesnt talk about Pornography? To me it does get a little old listening to it all the time. I am a pro-internet person. There are lots of G.A.s that are too. But, I cant ever talk about the church website, doing missionary work on-line, creating your own website and promoting the church without someone jumping in talking about the evils of the internet. I mean, is that productive? I hear more about porn from church people than anywhere else! LOL

ITS THE WORLD!!!

Yep, its just like the world and its just what you make of it. The fact is, more people would give up thier telephone than their home internet. We pay bills, communicate, write letters, research LDS topics, go to school, and more, all because of the EVIL internet. And as far as porn is concerned, the act itself is wired into us. Probably a lot like we are wired for food. When I am hungry, if you shove a bunch of food near me, I'm gonna be tempted. What people need to realize that you have to understand the appetite to know how to diet.

And brother, the world needs to go on a diet!

[Duncan]

Digging into the past may help with counseling the addict on the way to recovery, but if the addict continues to

put blame for his/her addiction on some other person or event, recovery won't happen. It's a long and painful process.

It can't be done alone, but it is possible. That's the good news.

Bernard

well, that is where counselling comes in, rather then blaming yourself for whatever and continue to feel like huck deal with why you do what you do and address the cause.

[Ariarates]

Or are you saying there are no porn addicts where you live?

No, I'm saying there aren't as many as the church claims. I have not seen any scientific data from a non "religious right" source that confirms that pornography is as big a problem as churches claim. It is also not my experience. I have many non-LDS friends and co-workers and pornography is neither a problem, nor an issue with any of them. Most people outgrow it when they reach adolescense. They may view the occasional porn but it doesn't destroy them, it does't wreck their marriage, it doesn't ruin them financially, it doesn't make them rape their children, etc. That, I repeat, is plain fear mongering.

Jews do not eat babies, people. Oops, wrong scare - same tactics though.

[Jeff K.]

I think it's an artificial problem created mostly by churches. Most scientific research shows that pornography is not the societal scourge that many churches make it out to be. Elder Faust claimed it is as addictive as cocaine; Elder Wirthlin called it a "plague" that "is swirling about us as never before" and brings "immorality, broken homes, and broken lives" and "will sap spiritual strength". President Monson believes it leads to incest, rape and crime.

These things are not true. The primary users of porn are teenage boys (who used to look at swim suit catalogues or TV guides or whatever medium shows some skin and curves). Those who buy porn, do so for about 15 to 25 dollars a month. They view it 7.7 times a month for 11.6 minutes per time. Hardly the downfall of society or the ruin of families.

It's only an issue for the religious right (that's where most of the scaremongering "research" comes from). It's a means to manipulate believers by inducing fear and guilt about sexuality. Sorry I'm a bit blunt but I am sick and tired of having to sit through talks about this non-issue time and again and then be asked by my 7-year old daughter about "photogramy" which topic would never ever be raised in our home if it weren't for the church.

So, to anwer the OP: I sincerely hope with all my heart that our leaders will be over this obsession by the time I listen to GC with my grandchildren. I have nothing against preaching morals, chastity, modesty, respect, etc. but this incessant talk about porn has to stop. I want to be able to go to church without being confronted with talk about porn and I want the same for my wife and kids. If individual members have a problem with worthiness, there are established ways for the local leadership to deal with that.

Glad to have gotten that off my chest :-)

Pornography's Relationship to Rape and Sexual Violence

According to one study, early exposure (under fourteen years of age) to pornography is related to greater involvement in deviant sexual practice, particularly rape. Slightly more than one-third of the child molesters and rapists in this study claimed to have at least occasionally been incited to commit an offense by exposure to pornography. Among the child molesters incited, the study reported that 53 percent of them deliberately used the stimuli of pornography as they prepared to offend. i

The habitual consumption of pornography can result in a diminished satisfaction with mild forms of pornography and a correspondingly strong desire for more deviant and violent material.ii

Pornography's Relationship to Child Molestation

In a study of convicted child molesters, 77 percent of those who molested boys and 87 percent of those who molested girls admitted to the habitual use of pornography in the commission of their crimes.iii Besides stimulating the perpetrator, pornography facilitates child molestation in several ways. For example, pedophiles use pornographic photos to demonstrate to their victims what they want them to do. They also use them to arouse a child or to lower a child's inhibitions and communicate to the unsuspecting child that a particular sexual activity is okay: "This person is enjoying it; so will you."

Protect kids

Pornography is a visual representation of sexuality which distorts an individual's concept of the nature of conjugal relations. This, in turn, alters both sexual attitudes and behavior. It is a major threat to marriage, to family, to children and to individual happiness. In undermining marriage it is one of the factors in undermining social stability.

The Family and Pornography

Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives. Wives notice and are upset by the difference.

Pornography use is a pathway to infidelity and divorce, and is frequently a major factor in these family disasters.

Among couples affected by one spouse's addiction, two-thirds experience a loss of interest in sexual intercourse.

Both spouses perceive pornography viewing as tantamount to infidelity.

Pornography viewing leads to a loss of interest in good family relations.

The Individual and Pornography

Pornography is addictive, and neuroscientists are beginning to map the biological substrate of this addiction.

Users tend to become desensitized to the type of pornorgraphy they use, become bored with it, and then seek more perverse forms of pornography.

Men who view pornography regularly have a higher tolerance for abnormal sexuality, including rape, sexual aggression, and sexual promiscuity.

Prolonged consumption of pornography by men produces stronger notions of women as commodities or as "sex objects."

Pornography engenders greater sexual permissiveness, which in turn leads to a greater risk of out-of-wedlock births and STDs. These, in turn, lead to still more weaknesses and debilities.

Child-sex offenders are more likely to view pornography regularly or to be involved in its distribution.

Other Effects of Pornography

Many adolescents who view pornography initially feel shame, diminished self-confidence, and sexual uncertainty, but these feelings quickly shift to unadulterated enjoyment with regular viewing.

The presence of sexually oriented businesses significantly harms the surrounding community, leading to increases in crime and decreases in property values.

The main defenses against pornography are close family life, a good marriage and good relations between parents and children, coupled with deliberate parental monitoring of Internet use. Traditionally, government has kept a tight lid on sexual traffic and businesses, but in matters of pornography that has waned almost completely, except where child pornography is concerned. Given the massive, deleterious individual, marital, family, and social effects of pornography, it is time for citizens, communities, and government to reconsider their laissez-faire approach.

The effects of pornography on family, marriage and the community

Only teenagers huh? No real problem? You might stick your head in the sand, but I won't.

I had a brother in law addicted to pornography. He could never break the habit. It ruined two marriages and drove his son away from him. They weren't members, or prudes, it just changed his outlook on women and did change the family dynamic in many ways.

Testimony of Jill C. Manning

Before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rightsand Property Rights Commitee on Judiciary

United States Senate

November 9, 2005

Thank you Senator Brownback, Senator Feingold and distinguished members of the Sub-Committee;

I appreciate this opportunity to address you.

Since the advent of the Internet, the pornography industry has profited from an unprecedented proximity to the home, work and school environments. Consequently, couples, families, and individuals of all ages are being impacted by pornography in new and often devastating ways.

Although many parents work diligently to protect their family from sexually explicit material, research funded by Congress has shown Internet pornography to be "very intrusive."[1] Additionally, we know that a variety of fraudulent, illegal and unethical practices are used to attract new customers and eroticize attitudes that undermine public health and safety. This profit-driven assault jeopardizes the well-being of our youth and violates the privacy of those who wish not to be exposed.

Leading experts in the field of sexual addictions contend on-line sexual activity is "a hidden public health hazard exploding, in part because very few are recognizing it as such or taking it seriously."[2]

Research reveals many systemic effects of Internet pornography that are undermining an already vulnerable culture of marriage and family. Even more disturbing is the fact that the first Internet generations have not reached full-maturity, so the upper-limits of this impact have yet to be realized. Furthermore, the numerous negative effects research point to are extremely difficult, if not impossible, for individual citizens or families to combat on their own.

This testimony is not rooted in anecdotal accounts or personal views, but rather in findings from studies published in peer-reviewed research journals. I have submitted a review of this research to the Committee, and request that it be included in the record.

The marital relationship is a logical point of impact to examine because it is the foundational family unit and a sexual union easily destabilized by sexual influences outside the marital contract. Moreover, research indicates the majority of Internet users are married and the majority seeking help for problematic sexual behaviour online are married, heterosexual males. The research indicates pornography consumption is associated with the following six trends, among others:

Increased marital distress, and risk of separation and divorce,

Decreased marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction,

Infidelity

Increased appetite for more graphic types of pornography and sexual activity associated with abusive, illegal or unsafe practices,

Devaluation of monogamy, marriage and child rearing,

An increasing number of people struggling with compulsive and addictive sexual behaviour.

These trends reflect a cluster of symptoms that undermine the foundation upon which successful marriages and families are established.

While the marital bond may be the most vulnerable relationship to Internet pornography, children and adolescents are the most vulnerable audience.

When a child lives in a home where an adult is consuming pornography, he or she encounters the following four risks:

Decreased parental time and attention

Increased risk of encountering pornographic material

Increased risk of parental separation and divorce and

Increased risk of parental job loss and financial strain

When a child or adolescent is directly exposed the following effects have been documented:

Lasting negative or traumatic emotional responses,

Earlier onset of first sexual intercourse, thereby increasing the risk of STD's over the lifespan,

The belief that superior sexual satisfaction is attainable without having affection for one's partner, thereby reinforcing the commoditization of sex and the objectification of humans.

The belief that being married or having a family are unattractive prospects;

Increased risk for developing sexual compulsions and addictive behavior,

Increased risk of exposure to incorrect information about human sexuality long before a minor is able to contextualize this information in ways an adult brain could.And, overestimating the prevalence of less common practices (e.g., group sex, bestiality, or sadomasochistic activity).

Because the United States is ranked among the top producers and consumers of pornography globally, the federal government has a unique opportunity to take a lead in addressing this issue and the related harm.

This leadership could unfold in a variety of ways. For example, through:

Educating the public about the risks of pornography consumption,

Supporting research that examines aspects of Internet pornography currently unknown,

Allocating resources to enforce laws already in place, and lastly,

Legally implement technological solutions that separate Internet content, allowing consumers to choose the type of legal content they wish to have access to.

In closing, I am convinced Internet pornography is grooming young generations of Americans in such a way that their chances of enjoying healthy and enduring relationships are handicapped. I hope this committee will carefully consider measures to reduce the harm associated with Internet pornography.

I thank the Committee for this opportunity to testify and welcome your questions at this time.

Jill C Manning

How anyone can say it isn't a problem is beyond me.

[Ariarates]

Which does not explain the following:

Does it have to? I don't see any reference to porn in the research you quote? Anyway, you merely confirm what I've been saying all along, which is that this "problem" is created by churches (i.c. the LDS church). Do you have any mainstream scientific data that confirms that pornography is as rampant and destructive a problem as churches claim?My data tells me that the average percentage of US people who regularly buy porn online varies between 0.15 and 0.35% of all internet users with a broadband connection. In all, 36% of all internet users occasionally visits a porn site.

Where's the epidemic? Where's the downfal of civilization? How come all those Mormon males allegedly addicted to porn haven't raped their children yet? Remember President Monson said in 2001 that pornography leads to incest, rape and crime. Shouldn't this be a problem in church if porn were as ubiquitous among male members as is being said?

The facts just don't bear out what is said to scare the people.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Ariarates

[Duncan]

Protect kids

The effects of pornography on family, marriage and the community

Only teenagers huh? No real problem? You might stick your head in the sand, but I won't.

I had a brother in law addicted to pornography. He could never break the habit. It ruined two marriages and drove his son away from him. They weren't members, or prudes, it just changed his outlook on women and did change the family dynamic in many ways.

Jill C Manning

How anyone can say it isn't a problem is beyond me.

it is a problem but so are the causes of it, of which our Church can do a better job

[Jeff K.]

Bernard Gui, on 01 August 2011 - 07:54 PM, said:

We're not talking about sexual desire. The topic, in case you didn't notice, is pornography addiction. Your statement seemed to indicate that dealing with

pornography isn't as simple as right or wrong. Could you address the topic?

Thanks.

Bernard

So pornography addiction has nothing to do with sexual desire? Gotcha. My bad. Carry on.

Pornography takes sexual desire and twists it, making what is unacceptable plainly acceptable. It objectify's women, making them less than the individuals we respect and love.

I won't go into what the porn industry does to women so that men can objectify them.

[Jeff K.]

it is a problem but so are the causes of it, of which our Church can do a better job

Our church is doing a good job, for instance, the strongest weapon against pornography is a strong family. Think about it.

[Jeff K.]

Just so people know it isn't merely a right wing issue or concern...

Pornography and the end of masculiinity

Nearly 20 years ago I started working in the feminist movement to end violence against women, with

a focus on the analysis of sexist depictions in mass media, especially pornography. In those 20

years, progressive forces have lost ground, as the pornographers have been successful at making

increasingly misogynistic and racist "adult entertainment" a more widely accepted part of

mainstream pop culture. I wrote this book to try to make sense of that apparent paradox. How could

it be that a media genre that is more and more overtly cruel and degrading to women, and more

and more openly racist, has become more accepted? If we are a civilized society, how could that be?

The book tries to resolve that paradox. The short answer is: We aren't so civilized -- our culture is

based on a domination/subordination dynamic that is so normalized that we often don't see it. If we

look at the realities of life for many people in a predatory corporate capitalist economy and under

the U.S. empire, we see that this culture routinely accepts cruelty and brutality in the service of

power and privilege.

[Duncan]

Our church is doing a good job, for instance, the strongest weapon against pornography is a strong family. Think about it.

fortifying the family is great and I encourage whole heartily but what about all the families that are destroyed by porn, singles or single parent families? How does saying that you should work for the "ideal" won't imply that you aren't like everyone else and guilt, guilt, guilt, and in terms of having no sexual outlets whatsoever how is that going to help them? For example what would you tell a never married woman or man say 32 yrs old, kicked out of ysa, who is aching for marriage or just plain old in the mood sometimes? people quit the Church a lot of these issues. I am not saying porn is a good thing or a desirable thing but address the cause and get that looked after.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Duncan

[Jeff K.]

The same thing I say to an angry man who has thte urge sometimes to hit people. It isn't justified.

[Bernard Gui]

You equate sexuality and "our reproductive organs being hardwired to the pleasure centers of our brains by a high voltage cable", with substance addiction? Talk about non sequitur!

To call pornography addicting in the same way that drinking alcohol or abusing drugs are addicting, is completely fallacious. Sex is a natural function of the body. So is eating. So is sleeping. All of them can become harmful if taken to in excess. But they are NATURAL to our physical well being. All that pornography is, is an artificial (artful) stimulus to the sexual organs and the pleasure center of the brain. That some forms of pornography are degraded, depraved, even disgusting, are in the eyes of the beholder: various forms of pornography do not de facto lead to certain types of behavior.

Pornography is addicting in the same way that drugs are addicting. The addiction alters brain chemistry and the addict requires more of the addictive substance,

whether it is a natural or a chemical stimulus doesn't matter. One recovery manual states,

It is helpful for that family members to understand the nature of sexual addiction. It is not a bad habit or chosen behavior. It is a powerful internal dependency upon

drugs produced by one's own brain during repeated exposure to pornography. Medical studies have shown that these reactions in the brain are as powerful as

cocaine or heroin, and can lead a person to use pornography as a way to self-medicate when under the stress of negative emotions. Thus, sexual addiction can

actually be totally unrelated to a person's satisfaction in their marital relationship. Many men suffering from a sexual addiction honestly feel a great love

for their wives.

I too am weary of the "evils of pornography", or the "pornography is addicting", sermons in church. I too sat through a lesson last Sunday on the subject. No useful, up to date counsel was given. It was all fear-mongering and outmoded throw-away assertions that are at least 20 years old (hey, about how long the Internet has been gearing up).

May I suggest you attend a family support group for victims of pornography addiction?

Bernard

[Bernard Gui]

And as far as porn is concerned, the act itself is wired into us. Probably a lot like we are wired for food. When I am hungry, if you shove a bunch of food near me, I'm gonna be tempted. What people need to realize that you have to understand the appetite to know how to diet.

Not everyone that drinks a beer is an alcoholic, but there are alcoholics. Not everyone that looks at pornography becomes addicted, but for

those who do, it's h*** on earth for them and their families. The good news is that help is available. It's not easy, but it is possible.

Bernard

[Bernard Gui]

well, that is where counselling comes in, rather then blaming yourself for whatever and continue to feel like huck deal with why you do what you do and address the cause.

Part of the recovery process is to accept that you, and you alone, are responsible for your addiction.

Bernard

[Bernard Gui]

Double post. Sorry!

Edited August 2, 2011 by Bernard Gui

[Bernard Gui]

No, I'm saying there aren't as many as the church claims. I have not seen any scientific data from a non "religious right" source that confirms that pornography is as big a problem as churches claim. It is also not my experience. I have many non-LDS friends and co-workers and pornography is neither a problem, nor an issue with any of them. Most people outgrow it when they reach adolescense. They may view the occasional porn but it doesn't destroy them, it does't wreck their marriage, it doesn't ruin them financially, it doesn't make them rape their children, etc. That, I repeat, is plain fear mongering.

Jews do not eat babies, people. Oops, wrong scare - same tactics though.

Interesting thoughts.

In your country, are there recovery programs for addicts? Are there family support groups for loved ones and friends who

are in co-dependency?

Just as some people use drugs casually and don't become addicted, some people view pornography and don't become addicted.

The real problems start when they are trapped in addiction.

What would be the Church's motivation to instill such fear of pornography addiction? Who in the Church is behind the effort?

Who benefits from this false alarm?

Bernard

Edited August 2, 2011 by Bernard Gui

[keith_brian]

Interesting thoughts.

In your country, are there recovery programs for addicts? Are there family support groups for loved ones and friends who

are in co-dependency?

Just as some people use drugs casually and don't become addicted, some people view pornography and don't become addicted.

The real problems start when they are trapped in addiction.

What would be the Church's motivation to instill such fear of pornography addiction? Who in the Church is behind the effort?

Who benefits from this false alarm?

Bernard

What I haven't seen here is a good, scientific description of what constitutes "porn addiction". Can anyone here define this for me?

For example, if a man/woman watches porn once or twice per year, is he/she addicted?

How about a woman who reads romance novels with erotic imagery? How about a man who is sexual attracted to a woman from the office and catches himself checking her out when she is using the copier? Are both of these parties "porn addicts"?

What about a man that watches movies with nudity with his spouse as a means to induce sexual arousal? What about a woman who has a calendar of buff firemen on her wall? What about a man that regularly visits the beach and enjoys seeing the pretty girls in bikinis? Are all of these porn addicts?

One of the major problems of the LDS and every other church on this subject is that there is no recognition of a continuum of behavior on the subject. In their view, a man who watches porn once every 6 months is the same as one who watches it 10 hours per day, 7 days per week. In the same way that a person who has an occasional beer is not an alcoholic, a person who watches an occasional dirty movie is not a porn addict. Note that I'm not arguing here over whether people can/should abstain from the practice for religious reasons. Rather, I am simply trying to develop a definition of an "addict" that we can base the rest of our discussions on.

[Bernard Gui]

What I haven't seen here is a good, scientific description of what constitutes "porn addiction". Can anyone here define this for me?

For example, if a man/woman watches porn once or twice per year, is he/she addicted?

No, but repentance and a change of heart is needed.

How about a woman who reads romance novels with erotic imagery? How about a man who is sexual attracted to a woman from the office and catches himself checking her out when she is using the copier? Are both of these parties "porn addicts"?

No, but repentance and a change of heart is needed.

What about a man that watches movies with nudity with his spouse as a means to induce sexual arousal? What about a woman who has a calendar of buff firemen on her wall? What about a man that regularly visits the beach and enjoys seeing the pretty girls in bikinis? Are all of these porn addicts?

No, but repentance and a change of heart is needed.

One of the major problems of the LDS and every other church on this subject is that there is no recognition of a continuum of behavior on the subject. In their view, a man who watches porn once every 6 months is the same as one who watches it 10 hours per day, 7 days per week. In the same way that a person who has an occasional beer is not an alcoholic, a person who watches an occasional dirty movie is not a porn addict. Note that I'm not arguing here over whether people can/should abstain from the practice for religious reasons. Rather, I am simply trying to develop a definition of an "addict" that we can base the rest of our discussions on.

This is not true about the LDS Church. There are criteria that are used to help the individual determine the level of his/her addiction.

1. How frequently does the person use pornography?

2. How long has the person used pornography?

3. What is the nature of the material being used?

4. What level of risk is the individual willing to accept to keep viewing pornography?

This is not unlike determining whether or not one is addicted to chemical substances.

Bernard

Edited August 2, 2011 by Bernard Gui

[scooby]

In order to understand pornography's effect on marriage it would be helpful to analyze marriages in which the couple had no preconceptions about its effect before its use.

If individuals are aggressively taught that pornography destroys marriages, then it can be difficult to determine whether the pornography or the teaching itself has the greater negative influence on a marriage.

[Bernard Gui]

In order to understand pornography's effect on marriage it would be helpful to analyze marriages in which the couple had no preconceptions about its effect before its use.

If individuals are aggressively taught that pornography destroys marriages, then it can be difficult to determine whether the pornography or the teaching itself has the greater negative influence on a marriage.

You haven't yet grasped the concept of addiction.

Bernard