Pornography filtering software is a great tool, but it’s not magic.
For someone working to curb an addiction to pornography, these programs — like Covenant Eyes or X3 Watch — can be very helpful, but they are ultimately insufficient.
I see these these tools as speed bumps and speed-limit signs, which certainly point us to make good decisions and even deter us from choosing unwisely. But if we don’t have an appreciation for the rules of the road and an even deeper appreciation for the value of life — and safely protecting it — then what is there to compel our obedience?
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If you do have those appreciations, when you hit a speed bump, you’re reminded of your greater convictions, and you adjust your behavior. The same is true of a pornography filter: If you find yourself in the wrong places on the internet, your accountability partner will be notified, remind you of your greater convictions, and you have the opportunity to adjust your behavior.
Monitoring software is a set of training wheels that grant you the opportunity to live out your convictions by forming healthier habits and a more God-honoring lifestyle.
Expecting a pornography filter to solve the problem is to underestimate your own propensity for sin.
Blocking pornography from your devices is a good step, but it falls painfully short if it’s not met with a conviction about why such content is wrong.
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Sex is a good gift given by God to a husband and wife in marriage, but pornography disrespects that. Our bodies are gifts from God, as we are His image-bearers and deserving of the utmost love, honor, and respect, but pornography destroys that.
Research has shown pornography leads to warped and even dangerous views about sex. Pornography unwittingly traumatizes young boys when they’re first exposed to it, often way before they have developed the capacity to process and understand what is happening physiologically.
They feel the heightened risk of knowing they’re doing something wrong while also experiencing a previously unknown pleasure. They learn to marry risk-taking and pleasure-seeking in ways that lead to the consumption of more intense pornography and potentially even acting out in violent ways as adults.
Pornography is also directly linked to sex trafficking and even the proliferation of child pornography or, more appropriately, child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
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The list of dangers of pornography is nearly endless.
So here’s the answer to the question: Yes, it is absolutely fine — and even appropriate — to use porn-filtering software. But if you want it to be effective, it has to be used as a tool to create an environment to put your deeper convictions into action.
Without understanding the root of the sin, and actually treating it, putting a Band-Aid on it won’t heal it.
If you are struggling with an addition to pornography, Faithwire has a seven-week, video-based course, Set Free, handing participants the spiritual and practical tools they need to tackle this sexual sin.