Counsels on Lifestyle

Counsel #1 — Porn Awareness

Picture: Counsel #1 — Porn Awareness CLi 88.1

Pornography, or images and videos designed to provoke sexual arousal, portrays intimacy in an unrealistic and unhealthy manner. While a large majority of the world believes watching pornography is harmless, this sinful form of entertainment directly contradicts God’s design for intimacy, love, and sexuality.^[79] CLi 88.2

Whenever a person watches pornography, an unhealthy expectation of sex is created in the brain, leading the body to desire perverse and sinful acts in order to feel aroused. Depending on how often porn is consumed, it can create the idea that people are simply mere objects used for personal gratification, instead of believing that the body should be honored as a masterpiece made in God’s image. It’s evident that many people see nothing wrong with watching porn in the privacy of their homes, but the truth of the matter is that porn diminishes the beauty of real human connection and leaves damaging effects on the mind, body, and heart. CLi 88.3

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18 NIV CLi 88.4

“These vile images, seen through defiled imagination, corrupt the morals and prepare the deluded, infatuated beings to give loose rein to lustful passions.” Ellen White in Letters to Young Lovers, p. 26 CLi 88.5

Reflect: How much do you really know about pornography’s detrimental effect on the viewer mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually? CLi 88.6