Task force takes on pornography
Catholic Spirit, January 2007, In Our World
By Mary P. Walker
Senior Correspondent
Some call it harmless fun, a rite-of-passage for boys to become men, or a way to spice up a marriage. However, members of the recently formed diocesan Anti-Pornography Task Force know the heartbreaking truth. Pornography has the power to harm lives, destroy marriages and immerse users in the nightmare of addiction.
The task force is led by Ann Bierschenk, director of Pro-Life Activities for the diocese, and is comprised of priests, a deacon and lay experts with a broad range of pastoral, educational and counseling experience. Its goals include providing education about pornography; compiling resources for priests, parents and catechists; and identifying practical help for those who are tempted to use pornography or are struggling with addiction.
Explaining the spiritual dangers of pornography, task force member and pastor of St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Lockhart, Father Robert Becker, said, "Pornography does not lead one into praising God with a rejoicing spirit, but into self satisfaction, with a spirit more likely to be open to harming another as long as we get our thrills. Porn is about loving me, instead of loving God or another."
Like drug use, pornography use can begin as a curiosity and quickly turn into a compulsion or addiction.
Campus minister Marcel LeJeune has studied the effects of pornography and counseled dozens of students. "Porn has been scientifically proven to be more addicting than cocaine," he said. "It stimulates a chemical reaction in the brain that heroin and cocaine mimic. It is also a harder addiction to kick because once seen, pornographic images are burned into the brain," said LeJeune.
Pornography addicts come from all walks of life and cross all socio-economic boundaries. Doctors, lawyers, college professors and community leaders suffer from this addiction. The secrecy of pornography use, often accompanied by masturbation, compounds the feelings of alienation and shame. "Pornography is a one way street, enhancing our loneliness, and making further interpersonal growth more difficult," said Father Becker.
Pornography is not just a male problem. Studies show that more than one quarter of visits to Internet pornography sites are by women.
Bill Berning, a licensed clinical social worker with 35 years experience, has seen first-hand the harmful effects of pornography on individuals and their marriages. "Pornography is a real, modern day threat to marriages. It is deviant and anti-female. Using porn is a mood altering experience. When a wife finds out her husband uses porn, she feels betrayed," said Berning.
Like other types of addicts, those addicted to pornography engage in extreme behaviors to feed the addiction. They may get up in the middle of the night to use the computer, spend many hours online and access images on the job. Some users, who initially had no interest in child pornography, will view it out of curiosity and become drawn in. This has led to criminal prosecution.
Pornography has been available throughout history, but until recently, those who wished to produce or use it had to go to some effort. Today, with cable television, the Internet and hand-held electronic devices, including cell phones, pornography is instantly available anywhere.
LeJeune explains that this easy availability introduces pornography to children at younger ages. "Parents need to know that the average age of the first Internet exposure to porn is 11. Ninety percent of eight to 16 year olds have viewed porn online. Parents must have a continuing dialogue with their children about why pornography is evil," said LeJeune.
Computer blocking software is useful, but there are ways to get around the protection. Even if a child has difficulty accessing pornography from a home computer, the computer at a friend's house, in school or the public library may not be protected or supervised. Also, producers of pornography target children and teens by naming their Internet sites after those with acceptable content.
Task force members emphasize that although the problem is growing, there is hope for those who want to stop using pornography. Those compulsively or addictively drawn to pornography are encouraged to seek professional help. Removing access to porn is a necessary step, as is finding appropriate spiritual and professional support.