By Milan Homola
Imagine this situation: a virus spreads rapidly around the globe, causing fear and isolation.
Not much imagination necessary right?
We are living in the midst of COVID-19 here in the US in early 2020. There is plenty of panic and confusion that are compounded by the fragmenting of daily routines. One of the small disruptions in the world of community organizing is the inability to meet face to face with individuals and small groups, a function so crucial to building trust and momentum. At Compassion Connect, we have shifted to video conference meetings through technology like Zoom. This morning I was feeling especially grateful for having such technology.
Then I really started to imagine something different.
What would happen if the disease could spread through technology? Imagine a deadly virus that could spread quickly, and you weren’t even safe on the other side of a screen.
Imagine the panic and isolation that would occur in this scenario. Imagine the impact of this virus spreading around the world and its ripple effects on society as a whole. COVID-19 would pale in comparison to such a viral pandemic.
What if I told you this is already happening. Would you believe me?
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A Pandemic of the Heart
There is already a virus that has spread globally and continues to infect many. It spreads through screens and there is no amount of social isolation that will prevent it. This virus doesn’t have flu-like symptoms that can be treated. It has deep heart-impacting symptoms. It causes isolation, shame, and undercuts healthy human relationships.
What if I told you this virus is growing because its growth produces financial incentive to some ($6 billion – $15 billion per year revenue)? It spreads because there is almost no motivation to end it; values that are elevated today such as freedom of expression, relative truth, and the individualized pursuit of desires contribute to the spread of the virus.
This virus is eating away at the fabric of our youth, our marriages, fellowships, and community as a whole. Currently it’s estimated that 1 in 3 Americans (109 million) have this virus and experience its symptoms at least once a month.
This virus is going unchecked and the only pushback it receives is shame-based finger pointing. Would you believe me if I told you this virus exists?
And the Virus Is…Pornography
Of course, I’m describing the reality of pornography and its connections to sexual exploitation in the all too familiar construct of a virus. What if we recognized the impact it’s having not only today but on future generations of mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, men, and women? Waiting to address this virus has disastrous implications for society. Even now as science is coming to terms with the effect of this virus, we can see the writing on the wall:
- A study found that males who were exposed to sexually explicit material in early adolescence were more likely to engage in sexual harassment in middle adolescence.*(footnote 1)
- It also indicated that male dominance and female submission are gender roles that are reinforced through sexually explicit material
- Science that reveals pornography’s negative impacts on the brain
How can we as the Church sit back and wait? Governments are now stepping up to cut off the ripple effects of pornography. Between 2016 and 2019, 16 states have officially declared pornography a public health crisis. As one well respected organization states the problem:
“Pornography is a social toxin that destroys relationships, steals innocence, erodes compassion, breeds violence, and kills love. The issue of pornography is ground zero for all those concerned for the sexual health and wellbeing of our loved ones, communities, and society as a whole.”
In the beginning I asked you to imagine a virus that could be transmitted not only in coffee shops and theatres but also through technology. What if you weren’t safe on the other side of a screen? Look at how vigilant the world is with COVID-19 (and rightfully so). What if our vigilance matched that and was applied to the pornography virus? What if the world woke up and realized pornography isn’t a harmless necessity but rather a harmful contagion devaluing countless human beings.
Vigilance for this doesn’t look like social distancing or shelter in place. Actually, quite the opposite: it looks like honor. The virus of sexual exploitation is a symptom that reveals a deficit. It’s a deficit of honor and dignity expressed and shared between humans. We don’t fight the virus by shame and finger pointing. We eliminate the virus by living and inviting into a better way.
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The Journey of Restoring Honor
The Way of Jesus calls us to honor the vulnerable. Often we feel distant from, better than, or overwhelmed by the vulnerable; which all lead to apathy at best and destructiveness at worst. Honor, on the other hand, means “to regard with great respect.” The Christian worldview, based on the created order and, more importantly, the character of the Creator, invites us to see deep value in every person; therefore we aim to honor others.
It’s natural to feel the drive to honor those closest to you, but what about those on the other side of a screen or the other “side of town?” As this virus spreads, wreaking havoc on hearts and hearths, honor is the tool we need. Respect for the other is the lifestyle that points to a better way.
The pornography virus will become obsolete as honor increases. It is untenable to value a human being and exploit them at the same time. We can hope for a quick dead end to this virus and a restoration for the damages it has inflicted. In place of online exploitation, we will see thriving communities of respect. Instead of a plague that yearns to grab your attention the minute you have free time, we will see a culture that pursues the interests and needs of the other first.
God invites me and you to restore honor by embracing the reality that God is honor in its purest form and has bestowed honor on each of us.
Will you join me to Restore Honor?
For more information about the Restore Honor movement, see our recent blog post here and their website here.
More Statistics:
- 28,258 users are watching pornography every second
- $3,075.64 is spent on porn every second on the Internet.
- 35% of all Internet downloads are related to pornography.
- Teens and young adults aged 13-24 believe not recycling (56%) is worse than viewing pornography (32%).
Footnotes:
- “The Impact of Internet Pornography on Adolescents: A Review of the Research,” Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 19(1):99-122 · January 2012 by Owens, Eric W.; Behun, Richard J.; Manning, Jill C.; Reid, Rory C. pg. 109
