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Is Porn Really That Bad?

We live in a world where porn is more accessible and acceptable than ever before. Not only can you find it through a quick internet search, but more than ever before, people are denying the harmful effects of pornography. Some are even arguing that pornography is a good thing.

But when we take a closer look at what exposure to pornography actually entails, we start to discover the truth of just how dangerous it really is. Research has shown that porn dramatically alters the way we think about ourselves, the way we see others, and how we perceive sex.

Dr. Mary Anne Layden and Dr James B. Weaver said this when asked about the health effects of pornography:

“Pornography, by its very nature, is an equal opportunity toxin. It damages the viewer, the performer, and the spouses and the children of the viewers and the performers. It is toxic miseducation about sex and relationships. It is more toxic the more you consume, the ‘harder’ the variety you consume and the younger and more vulnerable the consumer … There are no studies and no data that indicate a benefit from pornography use … Society is awash in pornography and so, in fact, the data is in. If pornography made us healthy, we would be healthy by now.”

—Dr. Mary Anne Layden

“The findings of numerous studies suggest that pornography consumption promotes sexual deviancy, sexual perpetration, and adverse sexual attitudes … In men, prolonged exposure to pornography creates and enhances sexual callousness toward women ... Prolonged exposure to pornography ... results in both a loss of respect for female sexual autonomy and the disinhibition of men in the expression of aggression against women.”

—Dr. James B. Weaver

Exposure to pornography distorts the way we see ourselves, the way we treat others, and the way we interact with the world.

This is why pornography is so harmful. It trains us to see others as objects to be used rather than as people to be loved. That’s what lust does to us. It leads us to see people as less than what they are. Instead of seeing them as human beings made in the image of God, full of dignity, value, and purpose, lust trains us to see them as nothing more than objects for our pleasure—as less than human. That is the definition of dehumanization.

For those of us who are followers of Jesus, we have been called to love others the same way that God through Christ has loved us. In order to love people the way God loves them, we have to learn to see people the way God sees them. Not as objects to be used, but as people to be loved.

Is porn really that bad? Yes. Because porn distorts the way we see ourselves, the way we treat others, and the way we interact with the world.

But there is good news. Through the grace of Jesus, we can break free from the prison of pornography and step into the freedom He offers.

Pray: Heavenly Father, forgive me for all the times I’ve looked at others as less than who they really are. Help me to see them the way you see them so I can love them the way you love them. In Jesus’ name, amen.