By Dann Aungst/Road to Purity
As the president and founder of Road to Purity, I spend a significant amount of time researching the effects, the societal behaviors and the spiritual depths of sexual behavior. This study also leads me to see the extensive spiritual and emotional disorders that we all have. Disorders that the vast majority of us don’t even realize. These disorders are effectively weapons used by the enemy to further our disorder and turn us in on ourselves, and ultimately away from God. The craving for pornography is ultimately a disorder from God’s plan for sexuality (a beautiful gift to His children that also expands the universe) and perverts it into a self-centered desire for pleasure. This pleasure quickly becomes in effect, a medication for our human interior pains. Sex is designed by God to be a complete gift of one spouse to another. A man to a woman and a woman to a man. This gift, this the complete emptying of oneself. It nurtures an experience of love and affirmation that our Lord has offered to us to comfort one another as we, in holy matrimony, are one body. This sexual union, this experience is to be, in proper order, our medication to sooth our pains, make us realize that we in fact are wanted and loved. And, when God wills it, a third person is created – an earthly image of the Holy Trinity. This is how we humans are in His image.
With this God designed image in mind, imagine an enemy who hates God and everything He stands for, including children. If you were in this enemy’s shoes, the most effective way to hurt God is by snatching His children from Him and taking them to Hell with you. The most effective way to do that is attack the very gift He gave his children to make them feel loved and affirmed as well as expanding the universe with more of His children. The most effective way to accomplish this is to pervert the very mechanics God provided for His will, and flip it into something selfish, sinful and destructive. Effectively taking this gift and turning it on its head. Pornography IS this weapon of perversion – plain and simple. There are so many things wrong and damaging with porn that I can’t expand on them here. In fact, I will be writing a multi-part series called “So What’s Wrong with Porn Anyway?” and posting it in the Road to Purity Blog in the near future.
Why I choose to write on this particular perspective on porn now, is because of the Covid-19 phenomenon. I believe that there is much more to it than just the virus. Something “behind the scenes” is happening.
Consider these facts:
1). Porn use is up over 50% around the world since March 1st.
2). The worldwide explosion of this virus phenomenon is precisely during Lent.
3). We are first reduced to gatherings of 50, then 10, then 4, then all public gatherings are prohibited.
4). We are isolated in our homes and our lives. It is prohibited to even have others, outside our homes, to lean on. No bible study groups, no men’s or women’s spiritual gatherings. (there are many scripture verses that cite that man is not meant to be alone – and not just a spouse).
5). Covid-19 has led to the closure of churches and taking away the Mass.
6). With no Mass, we no longer receive the body and blood of our Lord. The very bread of life, leaving many to wither on the vine.
7). Most churches also have closed their adoration chapels thus denying us the comfort of going to our Lord in these times of uncertainty and for some, desperation.
8). Hospitals across the country are beginning to deny priests and pastors from seeing patients to comfort them and even give them last rights.
9). Planned parenthood is considered an essential business and not only remains open, but the number of abortions has increased during the Covid-19 outbreak.
10). It is illegal to gather outside of a Planned parenthood facility to pray for the souls of the destroyed infants and their mothers because it’s a violation of the gathering limits enforced by the government.
11). Isolation, fear, doubt and emotional distress is the prime breeding ground for looking to escape. To medicate. The perfect recipe, and justification for consuming pornography. Either expanding one’s previous habits or addiction, or to start one.
12). Sacraments and the resulting graces are systematically being removed and denied.
One Perspective
This is precisely how Satan works. To slowly and systematically take something away and substitute with a counterfeit. Satan has free rein to destroy babies, instill fear, keep us from the church and the sacraments, and is, for now, prohibiting us to pray in public or in groups for others, for cures, for souls destroyed in abortions and for the recovery of our country and our church.
With all of these facts, I see two things happening. First, a very large group are panicking (hence hoarding toilet paper), a dramatic surge in grasping for something to fulfill us in our time of need – namely porn. Also recognizing that TV usage, internet use, and on demand movies are off the charts in use. Or second, some are grasping for anything they can to reach out to God. Increase in personal prayer, personal repentance, evaluation of life, committing to life changes, and even welcoming the simplifying of our lives and reducing the busyness and external noise.
For some, the absence of our Lord is making our hearts grow fonder, for others, He is easily forgotten. – Which are you? I ask you to honestly look within and answer which are you?
No one knows if these events are just coincidence, are spiritually motivated, or are an act of cleansing. But one thing for sure, Souls are being divided. I beg you to consider the following: If you are in the group of missing our Lord and are growing fonder in the absence of Him, then pray for all those that are not. Offer a sacrifice of your prayers, even a fast for their awareness and repentance. If you are in the group that has latched on to anything that will bring comfort, even porn, then pray for surrender. Pray for conversion and repentance. Is this your last chance to do so? Only God knows. I will say this, if they take away confession, then hold on to your seats – that may be the final straw before whatever is going to happen, happens.
One thing is certain, if we turn to our Lord, If we trust implicitly in Jesus Christ, then it doesn’t matter what happens or why it happens or if anything happens. We are always His and ultimately desire to be in Him.
The Good News
No matter the situation in the world, no matter the condition of your current health, if you are reading this, you are able to turn your life back to God if necessary or pray and help guide those that need to. We can all treat these events as a wakeup call. If you pray, pray more, If you don’t, then start. No matter the current state of your faith walk, Jesus wants to bring you closer.
Here are a few easy suggestions to do just that:
1. Reflect on the seemingly prophetic paragraphs from C.S. Lewis’s book the Screwtape Letters written nearly 80 years ago in 1942:
Satan, “I will cause anxiety, fear and panic. I will shut down business, schools, places of worship, and sports events. I will cause economic turmoil.”
Jesus, “I will bring together neighbors, restore the family unit, I will bring dinner back to the kitchen table. I will help people slow down their lives and appreciate what really matters. I will teach my children to rely on me and not the world. I will teach my children to trust me and not their money and material resources.”
Jesus wins.”
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
2. Say the Jesus Prayer:
‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on me a Sinner’
3. FREE Interactive book/recovery program
If you are in the group that is looking to porn for comfort, Road to Purity is here to help. Road to Purity has eliminated the cost to our new online interactive porn education and recovery program/book (aptly enough, just released a week ago). 40 Days to Freedom: Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity, is our best-selling book and workbook, now online in an interactive application. We are giving it away free. It’s available at:
https://40days.roadtopurity.com/Account/Register
Use access code ‘COR40’ and the $40 regular fee is waived.
4. I ran across this video from EWTN.
Below is the YouTube link. It is beautiful, moving and for me at least, makes me truly crave what we are now missing.
5. What works for you?
I Invite you to share this post and comment below as well. I am interested in your thoughts on the events over the past few weeks. Share what works for you for others to see. Also feel free to email me directly and privately at [email protected] if you wish.
In Christ.
Briley
Beautiful