I recently read an article on ChurchLeaders.com that told about Pamela Anderson, former Playboy model, speaking against this pornified culture we have created. Her thoughts are thought provoking at the very least and heartbreaking at its worst. You can read the article HERE or I’ve provided it below as well:
Pamela Anderson, a former Playboy model and actress, teamed up with rabbi-counselor Shmuley Boteach to write an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning people about the dangers of pornography.
According to Anderson and Boteach, porn is so addictive and ubiquitous that this present generation being raised on it should be considered “the crack babies of porn.”
If you lived through the ’90s, you are probably familiar with Anderson. Among various acting roles (the more popular ones being Baywatch and Home Improvement) and modeling jobs, she has appeared on more “Playboy” covers than any other model, according to Wikipedia. Anderson was one of the faces associated with the shift toward hyper-sexualized mainstream media. So the fact that she is decrying the effects of pornography on our culture comes as a bit of a shocker.
Perhaps the emerging modern porn industry we have built was seen as innocuous when Anderson was in her “prime” on the silver screen, but now she has changed her mind. “We are a guinea-pig generation for an experiment in mass debasement that few of us would have ever consented to, and whose full nefarious impact may not be known for years.” In other words, we don’t even know what subscribing to this illicit culture will cost us in the long run. We’re starting to see the symptoms, but the full effects might not be known for a while yet. Like a cancer that shows up in the form of headaches at first, we have no idea to what extent this disease may cripple us.
In the church, the soul-crushing effects of porn have been felt for years now, and in many ways we have not kept silent about its dangerous impact. We’ve written letters to our children. We’ve warned Christian leaders (who, as we’ve so devastatingly come to realize, are not immune to the epidemic). We’ve given countless steps to overcome the problem. We’ve published testimonies of victory to encourage others. We’ve written so many books and launched so many ministries to address the problem. At times, it’s been discouraging down in the trenches—feeling as if all our hard work is not producing as much fruit as we had hoped.
The op-ed by Anderson highlights a trend that shows the secular world slowly coming to consciousness about the dangers. To which we say: It’s about time and thank the good Lord.
We certainly have a long road to go yet, but this article by Anderson and Boteach is encouraging. Let’s be praying for more whistle-blowers to have the courage to give their accounts as well. And let’s not stop fighting this battle in our own spheres of influence.
If you struggle with pornography (either first-hand or second-hand), please check out the following articles:
Why Porn Kills Sex
Your Son or Daughter Just Looked at Porn… Now What?
Why Porn Is Bad: I Don’t Like Women
5 Ways to Porn-Proof Your Mind and Marriage
Ammunition for the Fight Against Porn