the plague of pornography

Have you ever been blindsided? I am a trusting and thus pretty gullible person, so have been duped on occasion. But there have been two times in my life when I was flat out lied to over an extended period of time and didn’t catch it. Part of my confidence comes from being prepared, and so I’m sure you can imagine how distraught I was when we recently found out that a couple very close to us has been destroyed by pornography. The only good thing I can see that has come of this is that my sweet husband and I were compelled to discuss something we had never even thought of before: how to protect our family against the plague of pornography. Sure we have heard the countless talks given in General Conference and in our ward, read articles in the Ensign and New Era, and been taught by our own parents growing up, but we were lulled into the trap that our children were young, neither of us had the problem and so we were fine. NOT SO!! It is never too early to protect your family from a known danger!  If you search for “pornography” under the General Conference filter on the church website you will find 186 references to the dangers of it and how to avoid its destructive and devastating effects. I don’t know how far back the search engine pulls the talks, but we can be sure that pornography is being discussed with more frequency and urgency than ever before.

In this past General Conference President Boyd K. Packer gave an amazing talk entitled “Cleansing the Inner Vessel”, that I would like to quote parts of here, but would also encourage you to read the entire talk.

In our day the dreadful influence of pornography is like unto a plague sweeping across the world, infecting one here and one there, relentlessly trying to invade every home, most frequently through the husband and father. The effect of this plague can be, unfortunately often is, spiritually fatal. Lucifer seeks to disrupt “the great plan of redemption,” ¹¹ “the great plan of happiness.” ¹²

Pornography will always repel the Spirit of Christ and will interrupt the communications between our Heavenly Father and His children and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife.

The priesthood holds consummate power. It can protect you from the plague of pornography—and it is a plague—if you are succumbing to its influence. If one is obedient, the priesthood can show how to break a habit and even erase an addiction. Holders of the priesthood have that authority and should employ it to combat evil influences.

We raise an alarm and warn members of the Church to wake up and understand what is going on. Parents, be alert, ever watchful that this wickedness might threaten your family circle. …

Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father.

Paul promised that “God … will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” ¹⁴ You can, if you will, break the habits and conquer an addiction and come away from that which is not worthy of any member of the Church. As Alma cautioned, we must “watch and pray continually.” ¹⁵

… If we do not protect and foster the family, civilization and our liberties must needs perish. …

Every soul confined in a prison of sin, guilt, or perversion has a key to the gate. The key is labeled “repentance.” If you know how to use this key, the adversary cannot hold you. The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed in strength the awesome power of the tempter. If you are bound by a habit or an addiction that is unworthy, you must stop conduct that is harmful. Angels will coach you, ¹⁹ and priesthood leaders will guide you through those difficult times. …

Priesthood holders carry with them the antidote to remove the terrible images of pornography and to wash away guilt. The priesthood has the power to unlock the influence of our habits, even to unchain from addiction, however tight the grip. It can heal over the scars of past mistakes. …

President Joseph Fielding Smith told me of a repentant woman struggling to find her way out of a very immoral life. She asked him what she should do now.

In turn, he asked her to read to him from the Old Testament the account of Lot’s wife, who was turned to a pillar of salt. ²³ Then he asked her, “What lesson do you gain from those verses?”

She answered, “The Lord will destroy the wicked.”

“Not so!” President Smith said that the lesson for this repentant woman and for you is “Don’t look back!” ²⁴

Strangely enough, it may be that the simplest and most powerful prevention and cure for pornography, or any unclean act, is to ignore and avoid it. Delete from the mind any unworthy thought that tries to take root. Once you have decided to remain clean, you are asserting your God-given agency. And then, as President Smith counseled, “Don’t look back.”

I promise that ahead of you is peace and happiness for you and your family. The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children can be happy at home. And I invoke the blessings of the Lord upon you who are struggling against this terrible plague, to find the healing that is available to us in the priesthood of the Lord. I bear witness of that power in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you or someone you love is struggling with pornography, there is a wealth of knowledge and resources at http://combatingpornography.org/cp/eng/  ,  https://wsr.byu.edu/content/national-pornography-statistics , http://providentliving.org/content/list/0,11664,6629-1,00.html  and, http://lds.org/topics/pdf/LetVirtueGarnishThyThoughts.pdf .

Even if you don’t think you have a problem now, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Experts agree that it is much easier to avoid addiction than overcome it. And like President Packer said, this plague is at our doors. Sort through the above material yourself if you have the time, but here are some basic helpful suggestions to protect yourself and your family if you don’t:

-          Avoid even the appearance of evil in your home. Be extra careful about the media you allow into your home and onto your screens.  

-          Have the best filters installed onto your computer and even your DVD player to avoid accidental exposure to obscene material. Don’t allow electronics behind closed doors.

-          Teach your family about the dangers of pornography and immoral behavior, and what to do if they encounter it at home, at school, at the park, etc.

-          Be selective about who babysits your kids, where you allow your children to go play, and avoid sleepovers even with relatives (most sexual abuse cases occur with a known family member) if you will not be with them.

-          There is a difference between being gracious and forgiving, and being stupid. If you know that someone has a history of pornography addiction, NEVER leave them alone with your children. 100% of sex offenders admit to having sought out pornographic material and the majority started with a pornography addiction that lead to acting on what they witnessed.

This is a plague of biblical proportions. Jesus taught that in the last days iniquity would abound, and the love of many would wax cold (JSM 1:10). We must protect our families from this disease so that they may grow up in love and righteousness. I know the Lord will help us if we ask for Him to be with us. Even if people lie to their families and themselves and become enslaved by pornography, we can all be healed through the Atonement of Christ and enjoy the peace and love that comes with righteous living if we will only choose it. Act now!