Porn, Love, and Valentine's Day

Hey y'all!! It's Valentine's Day weekend and love is in the air.

So today, I am going to talk about love.

And porn.

And how Porn Kills Love.

Yes, I know it's a little uncomfortable to think about. Even more uncomfortable to talk about. But the time has come for someone to speak out. So I volunteered :)

One of my main arguments against pornography is obviously because God tells us it's a sin. Matthew 5:27-28 says "You have heard that it was said, 'You should not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a women lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." To look at porn is to lust; and if you don't want to have that lust in your heart, then why are you looking at it?

Whether you're a Christian or not, it's simply morally wrong.

One of my favorite non-profit organizations is Fight the New Drug. Their mission is to educate people on the harmful effects of porn. How awesome is that?! If you're not already convinced porn is harmful, take a gander at FTND's shocking facts:

1. Porn Harms the Brain.
-It rearranges your neuron pathways by releasing a rush of a chemical called dopamine, causing viewers to become addicted to porn.
-It affects your behavior as viewers become numb to violence and other things they thought were disgusting/immoral before.
-The addiction can grow stronger as viewers find themselves looking for more and more porn to satisfy their "needs."

2. Porn Harms Your Heart.
-It can hurt your relationship with your partner as they feel they are being compared and not good enough for you.

-The more someone invests themselves in porn, the harder it is to love a real person.

-Viewers often become so obsessed with porn that they miss out on real relationships.

-Porn is a complete lie and leaves viewers disappointed when their own lives don't live up to their expectations.

3. Porn Harms Society.

-Many people have attempted to "normalize" pornography by saying it's a natural thing all men do.
- Porn can tear apart families when one of the parents struggles with an addiction.
-Porn often depicts women being mistreated, whether it's in the form of physical or verbal abuse.
-The actors/actresses in the making of porn are often threatened, raped, drugged, abused and trafficked.

My friends, we can be the generation to rise above this. To say this is NOT okay, this is NOT normal. We are better than this.

Over the past few months, controversial articles about the upcoming movie "Fifty Shades of Grey" have flooded my Facebook newsfeed. I didn't really give them a second glance until the movie trailer appeared as a sponsored tweet on my Twitter feed. Knowing nothing about this sick and twisted story at the time, I watched the trailer.

I wanted to sob and puke out my guts.

Is this really what our world is coming to? I had heard the term "mommy porn" used to describe the book and it made me think...I'm 99% these women would be completely against their husbands watching online porn, but what justified their reading this book and obsessing over this nasty, down right inappropriate film?

Whether you'd like to admit it or not, porn is a growing issue in our society. We no longer live in an era where the only place you'd be able to find porn is in a Playboy magazine you stole from the drugstore. Now, anyone is able to access it anytime, anywhere. Porn isn't new, but the way we are approaching it is. Here's the deal:

It's not too late to mend the wound porn has slashed in our world.

While we can't reverse the damage, we can help those who have been exposed break the addiction and prevent others from trying the drug. One positive thing about our society is people are no longer afraid to speak out about things that matter. I'm reminded of Echosmith's song "Come Together." It goes like this:

{We've got hopes on the horizon
We can't stop from climbing the mountain
We're sick and tired of keeping silent
We are, we are, we are...
We are gonna come together}

I recently downloaded the 'She Reads Truth' app and fell in love. Right now, the SRT community is studying the book of Esther (one of my favorites!!) I am reminded of Esther's God-given courage to speak up for what she believed in. This inspired me to do the same in my own life.

I encourage you all to come together, step outside of your comfortable little box and share the message that PORN KILLS LOVE.

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, and you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" -Esther 4:14

His Biblical Beauty,
Paige