Crown Prof. Speaks to Erskine Students on Porn Problem
A psychology professor at Crown College in Minnesota shared some staggering figures about Internet pornography and other forms of sexually explicit media during a presentation to students at Erskine College in Due West, S.C.
"Sex" is the number one word used in Internet search engines, the sex industry made $57 billion in revenue in 2003, and the Playboy Web site gets 5 million hits per day, said Dr. Doug Moorhead during his presentation on Thursday.
Pornography is everyone's problem, "not just the guy sitting beside you," he said.
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"Attraction is from God's heart, but lust is from ours."
According to Erskine, Moorhead said the Bible has a lot to say about sexual immorality, citing numerous passages of Scripture during his presentation. But young people and Christians are not immune to the temptation, he noted.
Moorhead said 90 percent of young people between the ages of eight and 16 have viewed some type of pornography online. Seventy percent of all Internet porn traffic occurs between the hours of 9 and 5 and 40 million people in the United States, the world's leading producer of pornography with 150 new titles per week, are sexually involved with the Internet.
He added that 60 percent of Christian men admitted to looking at some form of Internet pornography and 34 percent of "churchgoing women" admitted to at least looking at it.
People make their own choices about their behavior, Moorhead noted.
"Part of us likes to be sick," he said. "Some say I'll deal with pornography if it gets beyond this line."
The key to changing one's behavior is taking the initiative, the psychology professor added.
"God leaves us with many choices to make," he said. "But it is clear when He has spoken on a subject, the only correct choice is to obey."
While many students are clear about their academic goals, Moorhead asked whether they are as clear on their character goals.
"The Lord is far more interested in your character than your academics," he said. "Do you put the same emphasis on what you take in with your eyes?"
