Pornography: The Story of An Overused "Erase History" Button

"Never before in the history of telecommunications media in the United States has so much indecent (and obscene) material been so easily accessible by so many minors in so many American homes with so few restrictions."

                                - U.S. Department of Justice

The title might have made a few, or all of you blush.  I think that might be a good thing.  There is no doubt that this issue must mosh its way to the forefront.  Pornography, and porn addiction are a cancer within society.  It eats away at marriages, and sets a subconscious bar of perverted expectations for future relationships.  Not to mention the biblical implications related to an adulterous mindset and the personal turmoil suffered by a large percentage of the actors behind the camera.

Before I continue, I think it is important to point out a set of recent numbers related to pornography consumption (Research collected by Covenant Eyes):

* Men are 543% more likely to look at porn than females.

* Those who have ever committed adultery are 218% more likely to look at porn.

* Those who are happily married are 61% less likely to look at porn.

* Those with teen children at home are 45% less likely to look at porn.

* Regular church attenders are 26% less likely to look at porn than non-attenders, but those self-identified as “fundamentalists” are 91% more likely to look at porn.

** After an analysis of more than one million hits to Google’s mobile search sites, more than 1 in 5 searches are for pornography on mobile devices.  By 2015, mobile adult content and services are expected to reach $2.8 billion, mobile adult subscriptions will reach nearly $1 billion, and mobile adult video on tablets will triple worldwide.

*** More than half of boys and nearly a third of girls see their first pornographic images before they turn 13. In a survey of hundreds of college students, 93% of boys and 62% of girls said they were exposed to pornography before they turned 18. In the same survey, 83% of boys and 57% of girls said they had seen images of group sex online.

Finally, marriage:

The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers reports that 56% of divorce cases involve one party having “an obsessive interest in pornographic websites.”

According to numerous studies, prolonged exposure to pornography leads to:

* a diminished trust between intimate couples

* the belief that promiscuity is the natural state

* cynicism about love or the need for affection between sexual partners

* the belief that marriage is sexually confining

* a lack of attraction to family and child-raising

We can’t let this issue remain as a festering sore in the dusty corners of our intimate relationships.  And we cannot continue to support the producers of these types of films by buying their products, or visiting their websites.  The heartache and turmoil associated with this addiction is not worth the time you took to consume the product.

I can speak of this issue first hand, as I have been a part of the consumer statistic.  Nothing good comes from pornography.  And nothing can destroy a relationship/marriage faster.

Right now, I’d like to introduce you to Madyson Marquette.  I heard her speak at my church a few months back and learned that she was involved in the porn industry as an actor in Los Angeles.  Her story hit home with me because I was bouncing around Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Burbank [recording our record] around the same time she was being trafficked through the industry.  

I think it is important that we hear Madyson's story.  Especially those of us who are guilty, or have been guilty of consuming pornographic material.  Anyone who has been there knows that the actors become nameless, and faceless.  They are merely there to serve a murky purpose in our own lives.  We have to remember that the actors are sons and daughters.  Fathers and mothers.  They’ve got a soul worth saving.  We all do.

In the end, we come to the understanding that none, not even those who you might consider the “worst,” are exempt from God’s forgiveness, love, and grace.  Matthew 11 v. 28 says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  The verse is not referring to a select few, or those who might be “better” than others.  The verse emphasizes "all."

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Madyson’s book.  Stop by her Facebook page and say hi.  Share your own story.  Like, and share this article if you're down to support the cause.  Bring awareness to this issue in any way you can.

I have included a few links here for your convenience.  The following is a brief intro (By Madyson Marquette - "My Father's Daughter - Memoir of a Porn Star"):

***Every little girl dreams of growing up and being someone special. Some want to be a princess, some dream of their wedding day, and some even dream of being the first woman president. I, on the other hand had very different dreams.

I dreamed of surviving another night with my mom and dad.

I dreamed of having a different mom and dad.

I dreamed of growing up and being on my own so I did not have to endure the life I knew as a little girl.

I never intended to go into the adult film industry.

I never dreamed of being sold for money without my consent.

And yet, that’s exactly what happened.

So here begins my journey. It is one that started with survival, death, heartbreak, drugs, money, sex, and lies… but led to restoration, healing, forgiveness, and an unconditional love so unimaginable it is sometimes disbelieved when spoken of.

But it’s real. Oh, so real.***

Madyson’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Madyson-Marquette/723805694328953

Purchase Madyson’s Book: http://madysonmarquette.org

Check out the Stats: http://www.covenanteyes.com

Utilize the Resources: http://www.xxxchurch.com

Watch Brock Lawley’s Commentary: 

   

Legalism (Spiritual Terrorism)

I have a confession to make.  I hold a strong disdain toward legalist/fundamentalist Christians who choose to shove their unsolicited opinions down the throats of the unwilling.

This is a sinful feeling on my part and I am praying for healing and direction with regards to my issues.  What I hate the most is that I let them get to me.  

Here are the reasons why:

I spent the first half of my life living in fear.  I don’t have a beautiful story to tell about asking Christ to be my savior.  My story really sucks.  I was at a Christian youth group meeting and the youth leader told us about the rapture mentioned in the book of Revelation.  He told us that if we weren’t Christians we would be left behind and would be killed for being Christians during the seven-year tribulation.  When he was through with the lecture, he asked any of us if we wanted to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  My hand shot up immediately.  Why?  I was scared out of my damn mind.  I didn’t want to be left behind and I surely didn’t want to be (decapitated) during the seven-year tribulation.  I was around nine or ten years old when this happened.

Ugly on the Inside

I spent the next fifteen years soaked in self-righteousness all while walking on eggshells.  I should have had a massive white board with two sections.  One section would hold tallies for all the good deeds I was responsible for.  This might include telling someone about Jesus at least once per day, sharing with my sisters, raising my hands during worship, or strategically placing my Bible in an area that was visible to the lost.  The other would hold tallies for all of the moral laws I broke on a daily basis.  This might include listening to Guns N’ Roses, watching a PG-13 movie, saying a cuss word, or missing church.  

In my mind, the tallies should offset on a daily basis otherwise God would be pissed.  My salvation would be lost and I’d never attain it again.  If I broke one of the commandments, I would simply have to work harder the next day.

I spent about fifteen years saturated in fear.  I was petrified that Christ would return and I would be left behind for not accomplishing enough “stuff.”

I drug a lot of people down during that time.  If you weren’t a Republican then you were going to hell.  If you listened to anything other than Newsboys or DC Talk, then you were living in sin.  If you were gay, then you were unsavable.  If you dated girls, you were sexually immoral and living in sin.  Basically, if you participated in culture you might as well have slung a scarlet letter across your breast.

How did the curtain fall?  Christ broke me under the weight of my own self-righteousness.  Severely.  This is what it took for me to realize my absolute need for a Savior. 

I spent close to twenty years memorizing Bible verses, going to Church,  singing praise songs, and even participated in thorough discipleship studies through my youth group program.  What did I have to show for it?  A relationship with Christ that was based in nothing but fear and a book-smart knowledge of scripture with no real understanding of its relevance or application within my own life.  I was pathetic, in a nutshell.

Over the last four or five years, I have been a "recovering Christian."  I finally understand the true meaning behind the Gospel according to Jesus Christ (not Steven Christ).  I have strong mentors who I can lean on with stupid, but relevant questions.  I know that if I make a mistake, or two, or a hundred, that Christ’s forgiveness and grace remain constant even as I am inconsistent. 

Romans 10 v. 9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  I did that a long time ago!  This shows the complete ignorance I held regarding everything Jesus ever said about salvation!

Additionally, Romans 8 v. 38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Nothing.  Nothing can separate us.  You remember that scene in A Good Will Hunting where Robin William’s character has to tell Will that “it wasn’t his fault” over and over again?  I had to pound this verse into my head in the same manner!

This brings me to my current issue.  I have no problem dealing with unbelievers.  No problem at all!  My biggest source of frustration, as I mentioned in my opening statement, is with fundamentalists/legalists.  They are a stumbling bock in my walk with Christ.  In their eyes, I am not saved enough.  I don’t do enough.  I don’t look like a Christian, and I don’t talk like a Christian.  I don’t eat like a Christian, vote like a Christian, dress like a Christian, or listen to music like a Christian.  And most importantly, I don’t “evenly distribute” the news of God’s wrath, judgment, and anger when speaking to unbelievers.  

Here is my message to these people.  God bless you in spite of yourselves.  You are a hurtful people, drowning under the weight of your own self-righteousness.  A beautiful consolation would be to watch as God allows all of those you have judged, condemned, and ridiculed into Heaven before letting you enter.

God loves me.  His blood was sufficient enough for my sins and all others who choose to accept the same.  Today, I am thankful that my judgement and salvation does not fall on your shoulders (the legalist).  Shame on you for bringing others down to your level.   

Forgive me for writing this.  I am human, and flawed.

The Anti-Christ Has Been Revealed (Again, and Again...)

The election is over right?  Is it safe to come out?

The political ads aren’t polluting my TV screen anymore so I guess we’re safe.  Wait, nope!  The Armageddon predictions are coming out of the woodwork now.  The doomsday preppers have emerged from the ground long enough to condemn all who are not making preparations for the end of the world now that President Barack Obama has been reelected.  He is, after all, the anti-Christ right?

You have every right to live your life the way you see fit.  If that means teaching your eight year old how to dry tomato seeds for future use as “currency,” then so be it.  If you feel it absolutely necessary to bury a metal cabin fifty feet under your back yard, fitted with fully automatic weapons and a flame-thrower door alarm system, then you have that right as an American citizen.  When you tell me that I, and others are un-Christian for not doing the same thing, then you’re going to get this frustrated response from me.  

Lets take a quick glance through history.

When President Franklin Roosevelt initiated relations with the former Soviet Union, he was thought to be under direct control of the anti-Christ.  Roosevelt was also responsible for the labeling of the “United Nations,” hence, a one-world government.  FAIL

All eyes turned to President John F. Kennedy.  He was a Catholic, so Protestant leaders were quick to label him the anti-Christ for that reason alone.  666 votes during the 1956 Democratic convention didn’t help his case much.  And finally, everyone really started to lose it when President Kennedy was killed by a gunshot wound to the head.  The fringe Christians were expecting Kennedy’s imminent resurrection.  Did it happen?  FAIL

Ronald Reagan’s shooter was under the impression that Reagan was the anti-Christ and had to die.  FAIL

Bill Clinton earned a place among the anti-Christ predictions due to his smooth tongue and deceit while in office.  FAIL

George W. Bush?  Yes, even George W. Bush made the cut.  Why?  Because someone came up with a mathematical equation (equalling 666) for George W. Bush’s name based off the Hebrew alphabet (which ended up being a mathematical error).  And we also had 9/11 which really didn’t help his cause among the Protestant predictors.  Did the prediction come to fruition?  FAIL

These are just a couple U.S. presidents.  How about regular ole’ predictions from your average guy?  How many times did Harold Camping set a date for the end of the world?  Four times right?  Those days came and passed.  FAIL

Now, Barack Obama, the evil “Muslim” president who “hates Israel” and wants to “take our guns” has been elected to a second term.  Only the Armageddonists  have the true answer as to why Black Hawk helicopters are buzzing around major cities in the U.S.A.  They are practicing maneuvers to take over our own country!  Really?  I mean really?  

Look, I have no doubt that every prophecy revealed in the book of Revelation is true.  I believe the entire Bible to be nothing but the purest truth ever printed.  I know Christ’s return is imminent.  This does not give me an excuse to live in fear, nor would I ever freak my family out with paranoia of this sort (anti-Christ predictions).  Are our efforts not better spent amongst those who are still lost?  How are we to accomplish this if we are hiding in the bushes guarding our property with a tank? 

Essentially, the dedication to propaganda of this magnitude is idolatrous and completely contrary to what Christ tells us in the Gospel.

Christ will return!  He told us that He would!  And we eagerly wait for that day!  He also told us that we have no idea when it will happen!  A bunch of people must have missed that part in scripture (Matthew 24:36).

Please understand where this frustration comes from.  I think that the use of prophecy and Armageddon to scare someone into Christianity (or your way of thinking) is deplorable.   When you, as a Christian, scare someone into the church you are practicing spiritual terrorism.

Check it out.  Barack Obama just barely squeezed out a win during this last election which means that your prediction is well on its way to failing.  Just like every other anti-Christ prediction throughout history.  When four years come and go, please, bow out of your fear and use another failed prediction as a lesson in humility.

God is in charge.  Prepare your family to live the life that Christ meant for them to live. 

I Am the Moral Authority

I’ve written hundreds of papers and participated in numerous discussions over the past decade regarding a vast array of issues.  In school, it is important to master the subject.  One must be able to speak to all posed questions with proven understanding. 

As I started to present my ideas within the public arena, my school experience shifted right over with me.  I was no longer making a sales pitch to a professor in hopes of a high grade.  Instead, I was presenting my own ideas in the form of opinion to a group of people who had far different opinions.  When the debate became cyclical, or if the others did not disagree, it would affect my opinion of them.  They were wrong and I was right.  They were stupid and I was brilliant.  I feel like an idiot admitting this, but lets go ahead and clear the path.

I’ve already written of political comparisons so I am not going to go there again.  I wanted to speak of a fascination I have with myself.  Whenever I would debate, or write about something I was truly passionate about (in the past), I always felt like I was the authority, as well as the moral authority, over the subject matter.  This is what I thought in my little brain.  Out of the billions of opinions and billions of personalities, somehow my way of seeing things was the correct way.  I would be lying if I said this self-righteousness doesn’t pop out now and again.

It is important for me to pinpoint how this affected my relationships.  As I continued to push, others began to pull away.  As I insisted, others resisted.  As I stomped my foot, others were crushed.  The world became a lonely place, and I was the victim.  Right? 

How is this so?  For me, it wasn’t just the issues.  I took everything personally.  If it wasn’t Conservative, then I viewed it as offensive (I have grown to hate this word).  If it wasn’t Christian, then it was satanic and irreparable.  So if you weren’t like me, then we weren’t cool.

Over the past few months (election season), many strong, stubborn extremists, from both sides, have arisen and are overbearingly present wherever I look.  Discussion no longer exists.  All that remains is finger-pointing, damnation, judgement, spite, and the ugliest vitriol I have ever seen.  It reminds me of all the time I spent in that dark, lonely place where my time was spent in the study of how to defeat others intellectually and morally.  It reminded me that I have no desire to be in that place ever again. 

So allow me this moment to laugh at myself.  I have become tame.  I really enjoy reading the thoughts of others, especially when the writing is filled with true thought, respect, and love for other people.  The conversations are fruitful and further the issues at hand.  The type of love that should exist, actually exists.

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." - Philippians 2 v. 3.

Post Script:

I wrote this piece last night and sat on it for a moment.  During this time, I stumbled across a video on YouTube that supplements this piece well.  Give it a whirl through the link seen below.

A Girl's Message to All Christians