Why do people watch pornography? 

In a doctoral study by Yola Koba at WITS University, he summarises it like this: “It makes people happy.” Yola goes on to say: “Pornography is a pleasure and a function, perhaps a pleasure with a function. People watch pornography to help them sleep, to relieve stress, to feel happy, to ward off boredom and to feel ‘alive’.” 

I wonder why it makes me think of the song, Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places? 

Pornography causes conflict in one out of six marriages and it’s not just men who are guilty. Twenty percent of the visitors to pornographic websites are female. Six out of 10 people indicated that they had already tripped over this hurdle somewhere. 

It’s war and many people don’t realise the impact this has on their relationships and even future relationships with their spouses. Even before lovers meet, their problems begin. 

Joanda (not her real name) says: 

It’s the worst hurt a man can do to his wife. It’s not that he physically cheats on her, but he does it every day. He can hardly wait for his wife to fall asleep before sitting down before the TV. 

When he then wants to be intimate with his wife, he’s probably thinking of the beautiful bodies he has seen. I don’t believe any woman would want to sleep with her husband if he was just now looking at other women. I don’t believe any woman wants to feel like a spare wheel. As a woman, you want to feel that your man thinks you are special and beautiful. 

The wife lies asleep, but as soon as the husband gets into bed, she must be ready, knowing that it’s not her who is making him feel that way. The woman feels dirty, used, abused, not good enough. Her heart is bleeding on the inside. 

How does any right-thinking man think this is right? The wife hates being intimate with her husband because it is not out of love. She doesn’t like it when her husband touches her. She becomes more and more cold towards her husband the longer things go on. 

The immediate experience of pornography may be described as happiness, but it’s false happiness. Happiness that does not last. Just around the next corner, you want to look again because the happy feeling didn’t stay. 

Pornography messes up your head. Pornography infringes on relationships. No, pornography breaks relationships into pieces. It also already shatters future relationships. 

The devil’s attacks via pornography arenothing new, which is why Peter warns us: 10God is especially incensed against these “teachers” who live by lust, addicted to a filthy existence. 

We so easily run after things that give us pleasure, but the long-term impact is very bad for you and your loved ones. Make a point of focusing your eyes on the right place and turn away from cheap and false pleasures.  

Scripture
 2 Peter 2:9-11

Reflection
Have your eyes been focusing on the wrong places?
If you are still struggling with this, how can you stop it?
Is there someone you should help? 

Prayer
Father, thank you that Jesus died for our sins. We now want to come and put our sins before You and ask that You help us not look there again. Amen.