A shocking new statistic from a study published last week by Barna (click here to read more about the study) indicates just how mixed up our perception of pornography has become. The teens and young adults (between the ages of 13 and 25 years old) surveyed believe that not recycling is more immoral than viewing pornography.
The researchers presented the participants with a variety of action statements and asked them to classify those actions as “Always OK,” “Usually OK,” “Neither wrong or OK,” “Usually wrong,” and “Always wrong.” The list of action statements included items like:
* Not recycling
* Taking something that does not belong to you
* Having a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse
*Overeating
*Viewing pornographic images
56% of the teen and young adult participants classified not recycling as “Usually” or “Always Wrong.” However, only 32% classified viewing pornographic images as “Usually” or “Always Wrong.”
Of course it is admirable that today’s teens and young adults value the earth and find the thought of hurting our planet distasteful. But this shows that teens and young adults do not understand the impact pornography has on the lives of individuals and the world. Using pornography has been linked to mental health struggles for both users and their loved ones. Pornography fuels and is fueled by sex trafficking, a grievous crime against humanity. Pornography destroys trust and intimacy, leading to divorce and in extreme cases, sexual abuse and rape.
This statistic is bleak, true, but it’s cause for hope as well. A generation that believes in a moral obligation to recycle is a generation that wants to make the world a better place. If we can reach these teens and young adults, if we can teach them of the real impact pornography has on the world, these young people will become a powerful force against pornography. All we have to do is spread the message, and they will step up.
Parents, church leaders, community leaders– the ball is in your court.
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