THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY PART 1

“Avoid immorality. Any other sin a man commits does not affect his body; but the man who is guilty of sexual immorality sins against his own body.

1st Corinthians 6:18(GNB)

The recent public outcry against television stations that have been caught showing pornographic movies is a fraction of how our society is so much aware of the negative effect of pornography on its moral fabric and sustainability. This social outburst has assumed a national character on the Ghanaian media landscape and a well-known Lawyer in Ghana has described people who watch pornography as “Sick people”. Although his description of people who watch porn may seem harsh, I turn to agree with him; people who are addicted to pornography are people who are sick and need serious curative attention to cure their sickening problems. 

You may or may not agree with the stance I have taken against addiction to pornography, but what I have come to personally know is that pornographic addiction causes serious negative consequences to one's physical, mental, social, and financial well-being. Besides all these negative repercussions, it frustrates the sanctification process in the life of the believer. But going forward with this issue I want us to look at what the scriptures says about sexual sins, of which pornography and its ancillary friends are predominant. 

The bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:18 (GNB) “Avoid immorality. Any other sin a man commits does not affect his body; but the man who is guilty of sexual immorality sins against his own body.” As this scripture clearly puts it sexual sin is against one’s own body, this spiritual truth makes pornography or its addiction a problem that requires a serious approach in other to deal with it. So as the scripture puts it, I want us to look at this effect into details

·  NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THE INDIVIDUAL – my previous write up on what is pornography expounded on the fact that men are the most vulnerable gender to pornography, because we are mostly moved by what we see. And it is also a fact that the object of abuse in pornography movies are women, so in effect the bad deal pornography gives us is that “Pornography enslaves men and get women abused”. 

    

    By inference what pornography does to men is that, it affects their body- its striking and addictive force waste a man’s bodily energy; produces feebleness, weakness and disease that has the propensity to shorten the life of its victim. The most deadly and painful disease on the human body, HIV AIDS is mainly transmitted through sexual impropriety. Men with multiple sexual partners are likely to be affected by HIV AIDS and they in turn transmit it to their innocent wives at home, thereby putting their lives as well as that of their wives on the road to the grave, and possibly that of their children. 

   There have been several reports of sad incidents in developing countries where sexually reckless men contract HIV AIDS infect their wives and then die and leave their poor wives and children behind.

Besides, this disease, addiction to pornography tends to destroy the healthy sexual life that exist or should exist between marriage couples. A married man who is addicted to pornography becomes sexually reckless and insensitive to his own wife thereby killing out the fire that keeps the union alive. He becomes selfish and all he thinks about when having sex with his wife is his sexual gratification and conquest instead of achieving something wonderful and magical together. 

Sex then becomes a case of just using each other, rather than thinking of each other. And thus we never learn how to please the other or become a good lover because we’re always thinking that the other is somehow “frigid”. Pornography teaches you that sex is about getting my needs met; it isn’t about meeting someone else’s needs or experiencing something wonderful together. (http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/03/effects-of-porn-on-your-marriage/). 

Remember what the good book says in Philippians 2:3(KJV) “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” What this means in the context of marriage is this, when it comes to love making one should not be selfish and must think of pleasing his partner. The man must always think of meeting the sexual needs of his wife and the wife must in turn also please her husband in bed. Both the man and the wife should know and understand each other’s love languages.

Pornography also gets a man addicted to masturbation, which normally lead to premature ejaculation during love making and in some cases erectile dysfunction. Addiction to pornography has a way of conditioning a man’s body to reach a quick orgasm, thereby leaving the woman in the cold sex. This situation is creating a huge problem in the matrimonial home of most married couples. 

Pornography can enslave a man to masturbation and he begins to achieve sexual fulfillment through it other than through the sexual encounter with his wife. This is where sex becomes an issue of the body type and the fact that only a particular body type can achieve sexual gratification instead of a wonderful adventure that is supposed to bind a man and his wife physically, emotionally, and sexually together. 

If his wife gains even ten pounds, then, she’s no longer attractive, and the pornographic addict user has an honest to goodness difficult time getting aroused, because he associates only a certain body type with arousal. Porn has taught his brain that sex is only about the body, and not about the relationship, so if someone’s body isn’t exactly right, no arousal happens.(http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/03/effects-of-porn-on-your-marriage/). 

At this Juncture the crack in the union begins to occur, because the wife’s body has become less qualified to arouse him sexually, thereby sex between marriage couples ceases to exist, and that is where Satan strikes. Remember what the scripture says in 1 Corinthians 7:4 – 5(KJV) “The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.” Satan is always looking for a leeway to destroy the thriving union between a man and woman and one of the ways he does that is through sex, especially sexless marriage.

In the case of King David as recorded in 2 Samuel 11:2 -4(KJV) “ And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.” 

what motivated King David to do what he did, was plain selfishness, I do not think he loved the woman, because real love!!! “Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable…………….” 1^ST Corinthians 13:5 (GNB). It is clear from the scriptures that through King David’s inquiries he knew that Bathsheba was the wife of one of his loyal soldiers Uriah, yet he went ahead to have an affair with her- that is not the universal character of love, but that of lust. 

At that point all that King David was thinking about was the body of the woman, how beautiful she was, probably the shape of her body and how he will conquer it. Although King David was the anointed of the Lord; a man God himself referred to as the “apple of his eye”, yet when it came to the issue of his eyes seeing the wrong things, he put aside  the commandment of the Lord God that says that "Do not commit adultery” Exodus 20:14(GNB) and Exodus 20:17 (GNB) "Do not desire another man's house; do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns." 

Pornography and its auxiliary baggage’s are so addictive and forceful, we must try to avoid any appearance of it, especially when no one is there with us – remember what the scripture says in 1 Thessalonians_5:22(KJV) “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK WITH THE SUB TOPIC -“The Negative effects Of Pornography 2”

Please if you have any comments or questions kindly leave it below, thank you.

You can also get in touch with me via wisafawubo@gmail.com