In today’s world, it has become increasingly common to ‘keep on looking’ at pornography, particularly on the Internet. We do not have to look for such sites—they look for us! In what way? An ad with an enticing picture may suddenly appear on one’s computer screen. Or an innocuous-looking e-mail, once opened, may explode into a pornographic picture designed in such a way as to make exiting from it difficult. Even if a person gets only a glimpse before deleting it, the image has already made an impression on his mind. Just a brief brush with pornography can have sad consequences. It can leave an individual with a guilty conscience and a struggle to erase immoral scenes from his mind. Worse yet, someone who deliberately “keeps on looking” needs to have his illicit desires deadened.—Eph. 5:3, 4, 12; Col. 3:5, 6. w10 4/15 3:8, 9
Children can be drawn into pornography by their natural curiosity. If that happens, it may have lasting effects on their view of sexuality. These effects, notes a report, may range from a distorted sense of sexual norms to “difficulty maintaining a healthy, loving relationship; an unrealistic view of women; and potentially, pornography addiction, which can interfere with school work, friendships and family relationships.” Even more devastating can be the effects later in a marriage relationship. “Of all the addictions that I had before I became a Witness, pornography was by far the most difficult to break,” wrote a Christian brother. “I still see these images at the oddest times—triggered by a random smell, some music, something I see, or even a stray thought. It is a daily and constant battle.” w10 4/15 3:10, 11
