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“Pornified?” I had never heard that word until listening to a radio interview with a woman that had escaped the world of sex and human trafficking. Rebecca Bender has worked very hard to rebuild her life after years of abuse and exploitation. Part of that rebuild included a Bible college degree, including a Master’s degree. She currently has a ministry aimed at people caught in sex and human trafficking, which includes an online curriculum with many participants. We all should hold her up in prayer, that God will keep her safe and that many will find the freedom only God can bring, through her ministry.I do not know Ms. Bender’s definition of “pornified,” but I am going to give you mine as a recovering porn addict. If you are new to my writings, I had an addiction to porn for 28 years. I have been set free of that addiction now for the same amount of time. But I can still remember that going 28 days without porn was nearly an impossibility. The divine power of God, unleashed in my life, and the hard work that goes with being transformed by the renewal of my mind, is the only claim to now having as many years of freedom as I did bondage.
If you look up the word “pornography” in Webster’s Dictionary you will find it comes from 2 Greek words. The first part, “porno,” comes from a Greek word, if put to English letters, would be pronounced, “pornae.” The base word refers to a prostitute, harlot or an unchaste female. But forms of the Greek word are also used to describe fornication, adultery, uncleanness, lewdness, an impure person and for someone who practices idolatry. One can quickly understand this word is not only used, Biblically, in reference to women but to men as well and to the Christian overall.
The second part of the word also comes from a Greek word, put to English letters, would be pronounced “grapho.” This word refers to writing, to describe in writing, enact in writing, and to that which is written or drawn. Put these two parts together and Webster’s definition is somewhat correct. “pornography; writing about prostitutes. 1). Writings, pictures, etc. intended primarily to arouse sexual desire. 2). The production of such writings, pictures, etc.” The very important parts that Webster’s left out is that there are both male and female prostitutes and the Greek inclusion of idolatry, fornication, adultery, lewdness, uncleanness, impure behaviors and thoughts. The production of pornography today depicts all of these behaviors and the reader or the viewer is directly participating in these thoughts and behaviors as they indulge.
“Pornified,” defined, would have to start with the fact that nearly everyone from eleven years old and up has seen some form of soft, or hardcore pornography. Internet porn alone boasts taking in over $3,000.00 per second, 24/7, 365 days per year. 87% of college age men, 35% of college age women view it for sex daily and weekly. 93% of high school boys and 83% of girls are looking at porn. As high as 80% of professing Christian men and 40% of women are struggling with porn. 45% of married Christians say porn has become a problem in their home. These are just a few statistics; you can look up more at Enough.org and go back in the archives too. If you think back to the definition above and think about pictures that are intended primarily to arouse sexual desire, where does your mind go?
I live with very strict personal boundaries and sometimes request the assistance from my awesome wife to help me live inside them, so I will tell you some things I guard against. I will not look at porn in any form. I do not look at magazines, unless my wife has assured me that there are no half-dressed females, “advertising” something. I watch very little television, commercials can often blindside you. Never watch a Super Bowl half time show. I do listen to a lot of radio. I will not watch R-rated movies, PG has to be very carefully scrutinized, so mostly if I watch a movie it is approved for small children. Billboards line the highway with unsuspected sun tan advertising, with near nude models, and the upcoming town’s porn shop. Life size pictures of women in underwear line the aisles of department stores’ book casing the smaller pictures of women from the waist up or down demonstrating what they look like without outer clothing. When my wife goes to that part of the store I go to men’s shoes or to the fishing lure section. So far, those are safe places. Everywhere you go, where ever you look, there are pictures that are intended to arose sexual interest. I ask my wife to warn me if she sees something she knows I would not want to see.
Pornography, television, movies, advertising and entertainers have gone unchecked for 40-50 years and the majority of people view them with unrestrained abandon. As a consequence, a great majority of the American culture, including Christians, believe the portrayal of pictures intended to create sexual interest or desire is normal. Many times, they even dress the part. One expects it in the out and about of public but it does blindside you when you are at church and the attire worn, by some, shows little difference than people out at the local night club on the hunt for a one-night stand.
Remember I am defining the word “pornified” as it pertains to our society and so far, I believe I am on track. A leading researcher in the field of sexual addiction, Dr Patrick Carnes states that the American culture is an addictive culture. That is, a culture that views addiction as normal. Over half of the population is involved in addiction of some form, so addictive norms have been and continue to be established. When I look at Carnes’ eleven behavioral types of sexual addiction, I can determine with ease that many of the behaviors are being acted out with frequency in the American culture, including the church. Looking at sexually explicit pictures is one of the behavioral types of addiction. So is exposing body parts to attract attention. Anonymous (one-night stand) sex, paying for sex, accepting money for sex, being flirtatious and seductive with someone other than your spouse are just some of the characteristics of addiction that are seen as normal in American society, when in reality, they are behavioral types of sexual addiction. Pornography depicts all of the behavioral types of sex addiction as normal; the viewer will quickly accept them as normal and begin to act them out in their life. The result is a cancer that will eventually destroy that person’s life and the relationships they are involved in. Pornified.
Sex traffickers are well aware of how pornified the American society is and they capitalize on it by making their captives available on streets, at bars, strip clubs, athletic events, the internet and any creative way they can get the pornified person to see their girls, trigger the viewer into their addiction and draw them into living out their fantasies. All to the tune of over $99 billion per year. Pornography takes in the same amount of money each year and they are hooked at the hip to sex trafficking. If you support one, you also are supporting the other. A $200 billion-dollar industry can buy legislators, advertising on television, magazines and all forms of media to sell their products as normal and to help ensure that American society remains as it is: Pornified.
Here is one example of how pornified our society is: I shared the stage at a small conference where I covered pornography and the other person was Lisa Sennholz, an expert in sex trafficking and responsible for training most of Wisconsin’s law enforcement. Lisa told of a ranking law enforcement officer who stood to make a statement after her presentation, that frankly makes the most stable person grimace at the exploitation and atrocities committed on children age 12 through 17 in the sex industry. The officer stood up and said, “what we need to do is get the age of consent lowered from 18 to age 12.” He is a person that is pornified. I don’t even need to ask to know that officer has also been on a diet of porn.
There is no doubt that the American society is pornified but what do we do about it? If you are in it and it has become normal to you, how do you see it? Most people don’t until their life crashes and they are forced into some kind of recovery program or counseling treatment. Some end in prison and go through sex offender treatment. I think there can be a way to head this off at the pass. There are books out there that can help you see what a healthy relationship would look like and what healthy sexuality would look like. The best is written by people who have been sex addicts and are now working in the field of helping others with sexual addiction. You can have someone like me come and speak to your church, Christian conference or community event. In any way you can help, we need to start talking out loud about the pornification of our American society. It has infiltrated all levels of government, work places, all forms of media, the educational system and our churches.
Wherever you are, pornified is. If we don’t do something, we will never stop the demand for more pornification and the American society will eventually collapse much the same as historical powerful societies collapsed and disappeared as sexual addiction and other addictions became normalized in their societies.
Lynn Fredrick is the author of Stand Firm, a short book on using the divine power of God to transform your life.
www.LynnFredrick.com
W8756 Townline Road
Ladysmith, WI 54848
