In an effort to bring to light the consequences caused by regular pornography viewing, the Diocese of Owensboro has launched a new website, CleanHeartInitiative.com. The site aims to provide information to parents and those wanting freedom from pornography addiction.
According to the diocese’s Director of Marriage and Family Life Danny May, pornography is a complex issue that has become one of the leading causes for divorce in marriages across the country.
“With today’s advances in technology, pornographic images and videos are more prevalent and easily accessible than ever before, particularly when young people handle devices,” he said. “Yet for many adults, the topic is still taboo and not discussed. But not talking about it is not helping the problem.”
May said the Diocese of Owensboro has learned the best way to address the ongoing pornography issue, in listening to other dioceses across the country, is getting a proactive plan in place, thus allowing the conversations to happen and a process of healing to begin.
“I see it as both a marriage issue because it’s a major cause of divorce in America and a family issue because kids can easily be exposed on devices,” he said. “It also falls directly into the ‘accompaniment’ aspect of Missionary Discipleship that Pope Francis and Bishop Medley are focusing on.”
The website is divided into three sections — “Protecting our Families,” “Freedom from Pornography” and “Corizon Puro,” which is a compilation of the resources available in Spanish.
Michelle Lin is a nurse at CareNet and a part of the parish team at Blessed Mother, where the Clean Heart Initiative will launch in the upcoming months. Lin said this website can be utilized by anyone, not just those who are part of the Catholic church. With years of experience working with young adults and teenagers, Lin said young people treat and talk about the subject in a sometimes shockingly casual manner.
“We have a questionnaire they fill out, and one of the questions asks, ‘Do you view pornography regularly?’” she said. “The majority of our clients answer ‘Yes.’”
Lin said she sees the negative effects of regular pornography use on children, young adults and marriages.
“Marriages are ruined because a spouse who becomes addicted to it often becomes unfaithful,” she said. “It’s eventually going to be the leading cause of divorce in the United States.”
As for young adults and teenagers, Lin said she worries about their casual stance on pornography.
“They discuss it with each other and have no problem discussing their viewing habits,” she said. “There’s not a lot of shame or guilt in their viewing, whereas there’s a lot of shame and guilt in older generations. It creates bad sexual habits. It gives [younger people] these goals because of what they saw, and it changes the way they look at sex.”
Lin said those at CareNet speak with younger individuals about the adverse effects of viewing pornography on a regular basis. She said they tend to roll their eyes about it until the issue of physical consequences gets brought up.
“It causes porn-induced erectile dysfunction — it really does,” she said. “That’s something teens and young adults are experiencing right now.”
And May says that while the Clean Heart Initiative website is just a start in the right direction, but that more resources will be added in the near future.
“For the next several months, teams of volunteers at Blessed Mother and Sts. Peter & Paul (Hopkinsville) have been preparing to officially launch the Clean Heart Initiative in their parishes,” he said. “The next portions of the website will be a section for schools, catechists, and teachers and a section for training more parish teams as interest grows.”
