A heart attack has been dubbed the silent killer. Does pornography rate with a heart attack? Pornography, which has permeated our society, has the effect of a heart attack, although it may not kill as instantly as a heart attack, but can be as deadly. It has the potential to kill a marriage, kill the family bond, and cause much heartache and grief. In extreme cases it can even lead to murder. The infamous Ted Bundy told Dr. James Dobson in an interview before he was executed
in 1989 that pornography was the most important factor in his insatiable desire to sadistically murder women. Though just a very few men take this to the extreme Bundy did, it still has killer effects on the souls of mankind.
Pornography causes a man to live in a fantasy world where he can have any woman and do anything with her. It makes him feel very proud in his heart and can cause strong delusions for his total being – his mind, will, and emotions. The soul of a person is eaten away at like a cancer eating at the body by this treacherous addiction, and yes, studies show it is a very strong addiction.
The soul that is addicted to this type of trash will throw away something that is beautiful, such as a wonderful life with a good woman. That is what happened to me for many years. I neglected my wife, a great woman, for moments of a fantasy world in which I was trapped in despair. It caused me to drive my wife away, in that I was looking at a fantasy that was disconnected to the real world and my relationship to my wife. It gave me a false sense of pride and also caused me to desire the fantasy world more than I did reality.
The Bible speaks of those given over to strong delusion. The mind becomes filled with the pictures of fantasy and the bodies of the women on the screen and soon it becomes so enticing one can’t get enough. The ravages of its power makes one forget that he has another real human being joined to him in marriage that loves him and cares for him. The tentacles it wraps around the emotions is tightened, and before long destruction has set in, the destruction that breaks down the very fibers of a marriage, and leaves it burning with broken promises and unfulfilled dreams.
In cases where there are children, the father distances himself from them for he has shame and guilt within him that eats away at the very unity in the family. The drawing away seems subtle at first, but then breaks onto the scene with a mighty force. The father then is left with these feelings that carry over to dissatisfaction leading to affairs to try and relieve this discontentment. In doing so the family is left broken and destroyed, and what once was love turns to bitterness and feelings of unworthiness on the part of the wife, as the children are left wondering what they have done that daddy no longer has the time or love for them.
Pornography can also bring violence with it as it is a form of degradation to a woman. Pornography’s message is that a woman is no more than a toy to be played with, a piece of meat that can be used and abused, thrown away when she is degraded. It is a form of hatred of women and exposes them to acts that are less than human. And it is worse for women caught in the pornography industry. This is no victimless vice.
There is a point that one must say enough is enough and seek out help for this disease of the soul. There is much help and support that can be found through counseling and renouncing this evil. The man must get his footing back and have his heart cleansed from the guilt and shame that resides deep down in the hidden parts of his being. One must determine to not set anything before his eyes that would cause this affliction to hound him and give it no place in his life. As experience has taught me, it costs way more than I was willing to pay.
James Howard is a writer from Waycross, Georgia.
