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  • Unusual sexual obsession in church

    I know this has been discussed before, but does anyone think that the constant talk about porn in church has a detrimental effect on actually curbing the practice? It seems like porn has been discussed in every other church meeting and in every GC for the past dozen years. There's also no indication that porn consumption is decreasing.

    First, does constantly talking about the practice and demonizing it somehow make it more tempting? DARE and other programs have helped decrease teen drug use over the long haul, but drug and alcohol abuse is, in the end, a learned behavior and preventing experimentation has gone a long ways towards decreased drug use. Porn is different in that it exploits a powerful natural urge. Simply put, I don't think a DARE type of approach is helpful.

    Second, by talking about it all the time, does it give the impression to some that every second guy in the church is perusing scatlovers.com on a regular basis, and does that normalize the consumption?

    I personally think drastically different measures should be taken. Rather than talk about porn all the time, simply encourage people to get Internet filters (I know they're not foolproof, but still) to protect children. Bishops should meet with a porn user once or twice and then refer them to a specialist. As long as the porn user meets with the specialist regularly, the guy is worthy to enter the temple. If the guy relapses, the process should start over again.
    Part of it is based on academic grounds. Among major conferences, the Pac-10 is the best academically, largely because of Stanford, Cal and UCLA. “Colorado is on a par with Oregon,” he said. “Utah isn’t even in the picture.”

  • #2
    I'm sure that ignoring the problem and saying nothing about it is a productive approach as well. What is the correct discussion frequency?
    Everything in life is an approximation.

    http://twitter.com/CougarStats

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Indy Coug View Post
      I'm sure that ignoring the problem and saying nothing about it is a productive approach as well. What is the correct discussion frequency?
      How about not every GC and every other priesthood/sunday school meeting at church. Babs has mentioned that they almost never talk about it at her church (I'm not sure what church that is), meanwhile Utah seems to be a prime profit center for the porn industry.

      Personally, I think Utah consumes a lot of porn because you have a lot of young, unmarried men who aren't sexually active (well, at least with another person).

      But my point isn't that we should ignore the porn problem. I think porn is bad in that it is extremely harmful to a marriage. My point is that the current approach isn't working and could even make the problem worse. Then again, I'm a believer that positive thoughts and positive activities can help people overcome their vices. The time spent talking about porn and making it seem like a porn user is two steps away from becoming a rapist or murderer would be better spent with positive spiritual edification.
      Part of it is based on academic grounds. Among major conferences, the Pac-10 is the best academically, largely because of Stanford, Cal and UCLA. “Colorado is on a par with Oregon,” he said. “Utah isn’t even in the picture.”

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      • #4
        I'm not a fan of everything that comes from LDS Social Services.

        Nevertheless, I get the impression that its support groups, which are adapted from AA's 12-step program, are pretty successful in helping people overcome things like addiction to pornography.
        We all trust our own unorthodoxies.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Sleeping in EQ View Post
          I'm not a fan of everything that comes from LDS Social Services.

          Nevertheless, I get the impression that its support groups, which are adapted from AA's 12-step program, are pretty successful in helping people overcome things like addiction to pornography.
          The key fact here is that many, if not most, alcoholics know how damaging their addiction is and would like to stop. Likewise, most porn addicts know about porn's damaging effects. It's not exactly news to anyone that porn is bad when that fact is mentioned for the umpteenth time at GC or in a weekly priesthood meeting.

          Of course, I do think it is in order to counsel against porn consumption periodically. But I just don't think the constant emphasis on porn is helpful for anyone.
          Part of it is based on academic grounds. Among major conferences, the Pac-10 is the best academically, largely because of Stanford, Cal and UCLA. “Colorado is on a par with Oregon,” he said. “Utah isn’t even in the picture.”

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Color Me Badd Fan View Post
            The key fact here is that many, if not most, alcoholics know how damaging their addiction is and would like to stop. Likewise, most porn addicts know about porn's damaging effects. It's not exactly news to anyone that porn is bad when that fact is mentioned for the umpteenth time at GC or in a weekly priesthood meeting.

            Of course, I do think it is in order to counsel against porn consumption periodically. But I just don't think the constant emphasis on porn is helpful for anyone.
            Unfortunately, the frequent discussion is a direct function of how big of a problem it is in the church, and while it might grate on the nerves of those that may not have problems with porn, I seriously doubt the constant discussion of it becomes a direct or indirect contributor to more people falling victim to that vice.
            Everything in life is an approximation.

            http://twitter.com/CougarStats

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Indy Coug View Post
              more people falling victim to that vice.
              Are they really victims?

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              • #8
                I'm told that during the 60's and 70's, talks concerning the growing drug culture were as common as today's porn warnings. To you old timers here, how did the frequency affect use amongst the members? Did it raise awareness or simply raise curiosity and experimentation?

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                • #9
                  I would guess that lds women are less sexual than most. They are taught to defend their virtue to the death as miamaids and then taught that sex is for baby making

                  If I went through that kind of brainwashing, I would not want sex much either.

                  I have no data around this but the porn thing has to have some causal relationship from undersexed men in our ranks.

                  The fly in the ointment is I know lots of oversexed people (hey I work in brazil half time!) who still love porn. But to them it's not taboo at all. The illicit nature of sin makes it more enticing.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Viking View Post
                    But to them it's not taboo at all. The illicit nature of sin makes it more enticing.
                    wait. If it's not taboo, how is it illicit?

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Babs View Post
                      wait. If it's not taboo, how is it illicit?
                      Precisely. But to Mormons it is.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Fiyero View Post
                        I'm told that during the 60's and 70's, talks concerning the growing drug culture were as common as today's porn warnings. To you old timers here, how did the frequency affect use amongst the members? Did it raise awareness or simply raise curiosity and experimentation?
                        There was a lot of discussion and warnings about drug use when I grew up in the 60s and 70s but I really don't recall those discussions being as prevalent as the admonitions against porn today. From a personal standpoint I did not feel any great temptation to use drugs simply because I was told not to. I knew people who used them and I saw that their lives were generally messed up and that was sufficient motivation to abstain. Further, I don't think the drug problem was (or is) nearly as widespread as the porn problem in the Church, hence the more frequent admonishments against porn. Porn seems to have a stronger addictive pull to more men, probably because men are hard-wired (no pun intended) to have as much sex as they can. When sex is not available, voyeurism substitutes for it, thus the porn problem, whereas with drugs, substitutes can be as harmless as exercise which provides endorphin highs. I don't know if that answers the question, but it is my viewpoint on your inquiry.
                        Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
                        Albert Einstein

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Viking View Post
                          I would guess that lds women are less sexual than most. They are taught to defend their virtue to the death as miamaids and then taught that sex is for baby making

                          If I went through that kind of brainwashing, I would not want sex much either.

                          I have no data around this but the porn thing has to have some causal relationship from undersexed men in our ranks.

                          The fly in the ointment is I know lots of oversexed people (hey I work in brazil half time!) who still love porn. But to them it's not taboo at all. The illicit nature of sin makes it more enticing.








                          >2
                          "Yeah, but never trust a Ph.D who has an MBA as well. The PhD symbolizes intelligence and discipline. The MBA symbolizes lust for power." -- Katy Lied

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Babs View Post
                            Are they really victims?
                            It's a figure of speech.
                            Everything in life is an approximation.

                            http://twitter.com/CougarStats

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Indy Coug View Post
                              Unfortunately, the frequent discussion is a direct function of how big of a problem it is in the church, and while it might grate on the nerves of those that may not have problems with porn, I seriously doubt the constant discussion of it becomes a direct or indirect contributor to more people falling victim to that vice.
                              I disagree. It's only a vice because people who talk about it and warn us about it have deemed it a vice. The more it's talked about, the more of a vice it becomes. It's like R-rated movies. Nobody even knew they were sinning until leaders started talking about what a sin it was.
                              "The mind is not a boomerang. If you throw it too far it will not come back." ~ Tom McGuane

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