Regular Church Attendance ‘Weakens’ Porn Consumption, Study Finds
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new study finds that people who regularly attend church are less likely to consume pornography.
“Pornography consumption is weaker at higher levels of religious attendance, particularly among boys, and religious attendance also weakens age-based increases in pornography consumption for both boys and girls,” a study from the University of Calgary concluded. “Overall, pornography use increases across adolescence into young adulthood, but immersion in a religious community can help weaken these increases.”
While pornography use is low among Christians, it is still an issue. Covenant Eyes pulled statistics from a 2016 poll that found 13% of all Christians consume pornography.
Some have theorized that the rise in pornography use is a factor in the decline in church attendance in America.
A Gallup poll reported that 34% of American adults said they had attended religious services in the last seven days.
“The recent church attendance levels are about 10 percentage points lower than what Gallup measured in 2012 and most prior years,” the group wrote.
Covenant Eyes recommends that churches tackle this issue head-on, reporting that those that don’t address it “are more likely to struggle overall with church attendance.”
Sam Black, author of “The Healing Church,” explained that it is all about creating the right culture in the church.
“Those cultures are focused on creating disciples who love God, live in authentic community, love one another, and serve and share their joy with others,” he wrote. “It permeates everything these churches do, and their leaders are passionate about it. This brand of discipleship doesn’t fall to charismatic personalities at these churches. The champions, the inciters of change, are ordinary staff members, volunteers, and church members who have walked this journey themselves.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the need for churches to directly address the issue of pornography:
Joshua Broome, a former porn star turned pastor, has released an eight-part mini-series documenting his experience in the adult industry while explaining the dangers of consuming porn.
With pornography exposure and addiction affecting the majority of young Americans – both men and women – Broome believes the failure to address the issue is something leading to the overall downfall of the church.
“[Consuming porn means] partaking in something that is contributing to sex trafficking, it is contributing to pedophilia, it is contributing to the destruction of the marriage, in the byproduct of all those things, it is destroying the world,” he said. “So, if I’m going to say I love Jesus, and we’re called to love people, I cannot serve Jesus, I cannot love people, if I’m consuming porn.”
“If we’re talking about fulfilling the Great Commission, you cannot operate in boldness and authority that comes from the Holy Spirit if you are living in habitual sin,” Broome continued. “So why are people not sharing the Gospel? Because they’re living in habitual sin.”
“I believe the lack of discipleship in churches today is because of the integrity gap,” he added. “There’s millions of people habitually watching porn every month.”
Broome also believes the problem will only get worse the longer the church waits to fight it. The porn industry has a strong grip on the male audience and has grown to a female audience in the past decade as the industry looks to expand.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
