Government Declares Porn A Public Health Crisis
Have any states declared porn a public health crisis?
Yes. Utah was first, followed by South Dakota, whose houses voted unanimously, while Virginia's House passed a measure 82 to 8 and a Tennessee Senate committee recommended one. Jeremy Wiles says a neuroscientist showed him SPECT scans where the porn-addicted brain had greater deterioration than the heroin-addicted brain. Churches should be the hospitals here, yet only 7 percent of pastors report having a program.
Two American States have now declared pornography a public health crisis, with two more on the way, while the church is lagging behind with only 7% of pastors saying that they have a program for those struggling with porn.
If your church is facing this, porn recovery resources for churches can help you take the next step.
Utah, the State with the highest consumption of porn per person, was the first state to pass a resolution declaring pornography as a public health crisis. They have recently been joined by South Dakota on January 31, with both houses unanimously voting in favor of a similar resolution.
It doesn’t stop there! A measure recognizing pornography as leading to individual and societal harms was passed by the Virginia State House with a landslide majority of 82-8, while Tennessee’s Senate Health and Wellbeing committee recommended a similar resolution on March 1st.
On March 7th Bill 337 was introduced in Florida which, if passed, will prohibit the sale of certain devices if they are not sold with active filtering software designed to block sexually explicit material.
Meanwhile, President Trump also signed a pledge during his campaign last August to defend the innocence and dignity of America’s children by enforcing the existing federal laws and advancing public policies designed to, “prevent the sexual exploitation of children online and to make the Internet safer for all.”
So why the movement to declare porn a public health crisis? Because it is!
Jeremy Wiles who directed a film series that helps men break free from porn, had the opportunity to interview several brain experts in the making of the Conquer Series. “I interviewed a neuroscientist who showed me brain SPECT scans of a normal brain, a heroin-addicted brain and a porn-addicted brain. The porn-addicted brain had the greatest deterioration in brain activity” says Wiles.
When a mother is breastfeeding her child, her brain releases neurochemicals that bond her to her child. When you watch porn, these same powerful neurochemicals such as dopamine are released, which bond you to those images. This is why Satan attacks our sexuality so much, because in attacking human sexuality it actually interferes with human bonding.
According to neuropsychologist, Dr. Tim Jennings from the Conquer Series, “Any type of repetitive behavior will create trails in our brain that are going to fire on an automatic sequence.” The result is years of bondage.
Churches should be the hospitals in this health crisis, but very few have something to offer when it comes to sexual discipleship.
In a 2016 Barna Group research study commissioned by Josh McDowell Ministry, church leadership indicated that this problem is much bigger than it was 20 years ago, yet only 7% of Pastors said they have a ministry program for those struggling with porn.
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Thankfully, there is a solution!
Thousands of churches in over 80 countries are beginning to run the Conquer Series, a Cinematic Study to help men conquer porn and walk in freedom.
Dr. Ted Roberts, host of the Conquer Series, who has counseled thousands of men to freedom from pornography, discusses why so many people in the church can’t stop viewing porn.
Churches often treat this issue as a moral one, but fail to recognize it’s mainly a brain problem, “We tell men to try harder, pray harder, love Jesus more.” Dr. Roberts adds, “But, what starts off as a moral problem, quickly becomes a brain problem. Telling a man to try harder is only tightening the ‘noose’ of bondage.”
Through the Conquer Series, men learn a Grace-based approach using proven principles and biblical strategies. It has become “ground zero” for the movement of men who are conquering porn. It presents the battle plan for purity. More than one million men have gone through this powerful, 10-week course.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT AND SIGN UP FOR THE CONQUER SERIES TODAY
Related Article: Florida Declares Porn A Public Health Risk
Related Article: Will Trump’s Pledge Stop the Proliferation of Porn?
If you're working through this, these posts may help: why trying harder doesn’t work and how to safeguard your family online.
Writing at the intersection of faith and neuroscience to help men and women break destructive cycles and walk in lasting freedom.
More articles by Jeremy Wiles →Frequently Asked Questions
What does porn actually do to the brain?
It hijacks the bonding system. When a mother breastfeeds her child, her brain releases neurochemicals that bond her to that child. Watching porn releases those same powerful neurochemicals, including dopamine, and bonds a man to images instead of people. Conquer Series director Jeremy Wiles says, "I interviewed a neuroscientist who showed me brain SPECT scans of a normal brain, a heroin-addicted brain and a porn-addicted brain. The porn-addicted brain had the greatest deterioration in brain activity."
Is porn addiction a moral problem or a brain problem?
It starts as a moral problem and quickly becomes a brain problem. Dr. Ted Roberts, host of the Conquer Series, puts it plainly: "We tell men to try harder, pray harder, love Jesus more... But, what starts off as a moral problem, quickly becomes a brain problem. Telling a man to try harder is only tightening the 'noose' of bondage." Churches that treat only the moral half keep failing men.
Do churches have programs for men struggling with porn?
Very few. In a 2016 Barna Group study, church leaders said the problem was far bigger than it was twenty years ago, yet only seven percent of pastors reported having any ministry program for men struggling with porn. Churches should be the hospitals in this health crisis. Most of them currently have no ward.
What is a grace-based approach to porn recovery?
It is an approach that starts from non-condemnation rather than from rule-keeping, and then gives men proven principles and biblical strategies to actually fight with. The Conquer Series teaches it as a battle plan for purity rather than a behaviour contract, which is why it works for men who have already tried and failed at willpower.
How many men have gone through the Conquer Series?
More than one million men have completed the ten-week course, and thousands of churches in over eighty countries are running it. It has become ground zero for the movement of men conquering porn, largely because it treats the problem as the brain-and-heart issue it is rather than as a discipline failure to be scolded out of men.
How to Quit Pornand Find Lasting Freedom
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