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Report Card - January 2005 - Pornography |
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The Problem President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke about pornography in October 2004 Priesthood Session of Conference. He introduced his topic by saying, “… It grows increasingly worse. It is like a raging storm, destroying individuals and families, utterly ruining what was once wholesome and beautiful. I speak of pornography in all of its manifestations…Suffice it to say that all who are involved become victims. Children are exploited, and their lives are severely damaged. The minds of youth become warped with false concepts. Continued exposure leads to addiction that is almost impossible to break. Men, so very many, find they cannot leave it alone. Their energies and their interests are consumed in their dead-end pursuit of this raw and sleazy fare” (“A Tragic Evil among Us,” Ensign, Nov. 2004).Today, the Internet is essentially the fastest, cheapest and most anonymous pornography outlet available. Though a valuable information resource, the Internet caused explosive growth for the pornography industry. “Sex is the number 1 topic searched on the Internet” (NCPCE Online, “Current Statistics”). Pornography has become a $57 billion industry worldwide. Twelve billion of this is derived in the United States by evil and “conspiring men” (see D&C 89:4) who seek riches at the expense of the gullible. Pornography produces more revenue in the United States |
than the “combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises or the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC” (“Internet Pornography Statistics: 2003”) LDS Church’s Response The LDS Church currently has four separate Internet pages which list available resources for dealing with pornography. First, LDS Family Services has three separate pages discussing pornography resources on their official site ProvidentLiving.Org. One of the Provident Living pages "Pornography and Internet Safety" give parents ideas to safeguard their homes from the harmful influences found on the Internet. The other two Family Service pages list various Church publications related to pornography. A fourth listing Pornography: Suggested Resources is located on the Church’s official site LDS.Org. These sites can be easily located at our Online Library. In addition, the headquarters for the Church’s LDS Family Services has hired a Program Specialist on pornography. LDS Community Response
The Foundation has selected pornography to be a high
priority during the up coming year. We
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1-800- 453-3860
ask for LDS Family Services) and the private organizations such
as:
Heart-to-Heart,
Clean-LDS ,
and Latter Day Sexual
Recovery. In addition to dozens of Ensign and
New Era
articles
we have several LDS
tailored books including
Phil
Harrison’s new book
“Clean
Hands, Pure Heart:
Overcoming Addiction
to
Pornography through the Redeeming Power of Jesus Christ”
and Rod Jeppsen’s book
“Line
Upon Line Precept Upon Foundation in the Ensign In the January 2005 Ensign on page 65 the Foundation's book "Hold on to Hope: Help for LDS Addicts and Their Families" was listed as a source. The article on addiction cited Hidden Treasures Institute as the source for the book. This is an earlier name for our Mental Health Resource Foundation. |
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The
World's Finest Mental Health Resource for
Latter-day Saints |
