A gracEmail reader asks whether pornography is really sinful, since "it involves only the imagination and does not hurt anyone."

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Most men tend to be visually oriented and pictorial pornography strongly tempts men from puberty onward. It appeals to one of the most basic human appetites and it is ever-present in our society. Pornography is particularly pernicious because, like all addictive substances, it increases the appetite without quenching the thirst. It is also progressive, requiring "doses" ever-increasing in quantity, frequency and intensity.

Pornography entices us with a cluster of subtle lies. In its fictional world, full-bosomed women sport tiny waists and hips, sex has no connection with emotional intimacy, and all females eagerly wait to jump into bed with the nearest male. When believed, these illusions destroy intimacy that is genuine and meaningful. Real women cannot compete with pornography's photographically-enhanced and surgically-altered models. Such unrealistic comparisons hinder efforts by unmarried men to develop genuine relationships and often lead married men to resent their faithful, normal, wives. 

The devil lies when he promises that imaginary immorality will not affect real life. Regular fantasizing about illicit sexual behavior gradually programs the mind to anticipate similar activity in the world of reality. This unreal expectation often prompts a man to initiate improper remarks or conduct toward good women, who do not welcome either. Constant immorality in his thought-world weakens a man's resolve to resist temptation when he encounters a woman willing to engage in immoral sex.

Jesus' blood cleanses from every sin, including lust, and his resurrection power frees us from sin's power and control. Victory over pornography does not come through self-will or sheer determination, but through surrender of the mind and will to God moment by moment. The man who, at the moment of temptation, truly wishes to follow God's will more than he wishes to satisfy his evil craving, discovers an ability to resist the temptation by a power clearly not his own. The greatest hazard to success is not one's inabilty to say "No" to temptation. It is rather one's conscious determination at a given moment not to say "Yes" to God's control.

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