“Sin begets sin and all the sins of history are related…Sin alters or destroys our relationship with God…taking the place of God…Once that fundamental relationship is altered, our other relationships are also compromised or destroyed. Sin ruins everything.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI
When I was a little kid, sometimes in the back of a Hustler Magazine, I would catch a glimpse of some strange sexual depravity: homosexuality, lesbianism, sado-masochism. It revolted me, and I quickly turned to the safety of the centerfold; a hold-over from my first initial exposure to porn in Playboy. A little later on, I got bored and sought out those images of disgust. Now, for the time being, they were all that would excite me. Years down the road, death remained the only unexplored perversion – and, even that, left me feeling cold. How do porn addicts go from Playboy to rape scenes, bestiality, and snuff films?
“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.” (Eph 6:12) We are continually surrounded by angels: both good and evil. The demons (the fallen angels) have no power of omnipotence, clairvoyance, nor the ability to read minds; they rely solely on observation. As they have little else to do, except entice Man, they spend their time thinking and organizing new ways in which human beings can be incited into sin. The older we become, or the more entrenched we sink ourselves into sin, our proclivities become well known to them. On this topic, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: “The demons know what happens outwardly among men; but the inward disposition of man God alone knows, Who is the ‘weigher of spirits’ (Proverbs 16:2). It is this disposition that makes man more prone to one vice than to another: hence the devil tempts, in order to explore this inward disposition of man, so that he may tempt him to that vice to which he is most prone.” Therefore, when we click onto a particular pornographic site, the demons are watching us; and, from that point onward, they will focus all of their energy into that area of weakness.
And, as Pope Benedict so rightly warned: sin creates more sin; borrowing a line from the film Ben-Hur – “as the vulture breeds the vulture.” Sin is progressive; it tends to get worse and worse as we go along. This reminds me of a dream experienced by St. John Bosco – where he envisioned some of the boys under his care, sin-soaked and unrepentant, running faster and faster down a steep slope towards hell; until they finally lose control of the momentum and smash into its doors. Porn addiction works in exactly the same fashion: as one peak at Playboy Magazine or slight glance towards a raunchy music video turns into a spark of interest; the devil takes note – and places more temptations in our path. Slowly, our defenses, a natural revulsion towards the abhorrent, are weakened and we start to accept the horrific as the honorable. We seek out sicker diversions, until hell has nothing else to offer. Then, we have to completely sacrifice our soul to Satan, or turn towards Jesus Christ: “I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life…” (Deut 30:19)