Sports illustrated swimsuit 2012 pdf download

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition andtheplagueofpornography

James C. Denison, Ph.D.

President, Denison Forum on Truth and Culture

Research by James Peel

www.denisonforum.org

February 5, 2014

Sports Illustrated recently released its annual swimsuitedition. This publication has

grown more controversial over the years as its swimsuits have gotten smaller and are

often missing altogether. The issue has been called the "annual celebration of female

objectification andthe heterosexual male gaze." 1 In other words, lust.

It has been noted that across the 57 years Sports Illustrated has been published, a woman

appears on the cover of a non-swimsuit issue just over once a year, on average. When the

2011 edition came out, Sherri Shepherd of The View called it "Christian Playboy,"

referring to the fact that most Christians would not subscribe to Playboy but many would

consume the SI issue lustfully. Whoopi Goldberg responded, "I don't think this is

Christian anything." 2

Their debate raises an important question: just what is pornography After we address

that issue, we'll look at a few other myths and questions about this destructive plague.

What is pornography

Webster defines "pornography" as "movies, pictures, magazines, etc., that show or

describe naked people or sex in a very open and direct way in order to cause sexual

excitement." 3 For our purposes, we'll define it using the last phrase. "Art" becomes

"pornography" when it is created and/or viewed "in order to cause sexual excitement"—

i.e., with lustful intent. Some who view a Victoria's Secret fashion show may have a

genuine interest in the fashions on display, but most watch with lustful thoughts, making

the show pornographic for them.

As we will see, such temptation is more accessible to us than ever before in human

history. Donna Rice Hughes, leader of a nonprofit that works to make the Internet safer

for children and families, notes: "If you don't think you can fall into any kind of sexual

temptation, you're either godlier than David, wiser than Solomon, or stronger than

Samson." 4

Isn't pornography a "man's problem"

In 2003, Today's Christian Woman discovered that one out of every six women

(Christians included) admitted struggling with addiction to pornography. A 2006 survey

eleased by Internet Filter Review showed that 17 percent of women struggle with porn,

and that one in three visitors to porn sites are women.

According to 2008 Internet Pornography Statistics, about 30 percent of Internet porn

consumers are women. A 2006 poll found that 9.4 million women access adult websites

each month, and that 13 percent of women admit to accessing pornography while at

work. 5

How widespread is pornography

There was a day when pornography was transmitted primarily through magazines such as

Playboy. With more than 2.4 billion people now online, 6 porn has seen an absolute

explosion in accessibility and popularity.

First, let's consider Internet pornography:

• There are 4.2 million porn websites currently in operation (12 percent of all

websites).

• Search engines receive 68 million requests for porn every day (25 percent of total

search engine requests).

• Of all Internet users, 42.7 percent view porn.

• More than 100,000 websites offer illegal child pornography. 7

• 20 percent of men admit to accessing a porn website at work.

• 40 percent of adults in the U.S. regularly visit porn websites.

• Of college and graduate students (ages 18 to 26), 69 percent of men and 10

percent of women view pornography more than once a month.

• The United States has 244,661,900 porn web pages. The next highest contributor

to Internet porn is Germany, with 10,030,200 web pages. 8

Pornography on mobile devices:

• 1 in 5 mobile searches are for pornography.

• 24 percent of smartphone owners admit to having pornographic material on their

mobile device.

• By 2015, mobile pornographic video consumption on tablets will triple. 9

Pornography in video:

• Americans rent upwards of 800 million porn videos and DVDs each year.

• Of all rented movies, one in five is pornographic.

• The 11,000 porn films produced each year far outpace Hollywood's annual output

of 400. 10

• Every 39 minutes, a new pornographic video is created in the U.S.

• The number of hard-core porn videos and DVD titles in the U.S. grew tenfold

between 1988 and 2005. 11

Pornography and children:

• The average age for a child to be exposed to pornography is 11 years old. This

usually happens while they are doing homework.

• 90 percent of 8- to 16-year-olds have been to a porn site.

• According to a global survey of 19,000 parents, children as young as six are

accessing porn.

• The largest age group of porn users is 12- to 17-year olds.

• 70 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds visit porn sites monthly. 12

Isn't pornography just harmless entertainment

It is often claimed that porn is entertainment and should be protected as free speech.

How harmful is pornography

Effects on men

Studies have found that viewing people's bodies, as opposed to their faces, makes us

judge those people as less intelligent, less ambitious, less competent and less likable.

One neuroimaging experiment found that when men viewed pictures of sexualized

women, this action lowered activity in brain regions associated with thinking about other

people's minds. 13

Effects on women

Pornography degrades and brutalizes women. It utilizes three basic themes: (1) All

women want sex from all men at all times; (2) women enjoy every sex act that men

perform or demand; and (3) any woman who does not realize this at first can be "turned

on" easily with a little force. 14

Many women involved in pornographic photos and videos are being exploited by force

and coercion. Psychological and physical damage is common, as is heavy alcohol and

drug use. In addition, pornography leads men to degrade and dehumanize women.

According to one expert: "As pornography has become more acceptable, both legally and

culturally, the level of brutality toward, and degradation of, women has intensified." 15

Gail Dines, author of Pornland: How Porn Has Hi-Jacked Our Sexuality, warns: "We are

now bringing up a generation of boys on cruel, violent porn. . . . Given what we know

about how images affect people, this is going to have a profound influence on their

sexuality, behavior and attitudes toward women."

Effects on children and youth

Another expert notes: "There is evidence that the prevalence ofpornography in the lives

of many children and adolescents is far more significant than most adults realize, that

pornography is deforming the healthy sexual development ofthese young viewers, and

that it is used to exploit children and adolescents." 16

A study of 804 representative Italian teenagers found that boys who viewed pornography

were significantly more likely to report having "sexually harassed a peer or having forced

somebody to have sex." 17 Men who habitually view pornography have a higher tolerance

for abnormal sexual behaviors, sexual aggression, promiscuity, and rape. Some begin to

view women and even children as "sex objects." 18

There is abundant evidence that pornography is being used by adolescents to coerce each

other into sexual behavior. In one study, 29 of 30 juvenile sex offenders had been

exposed to X-rated magazines or videos. 19 India is considering laws banning all

pornography distribution and viewing, amid rising evidence that watching porn leads to

sexual assault. 20

In addition to the effects of porn on youth, we should consider ways adolescents are

victimized by the porn industry. An estimated 293,000 American youths are currently at

risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The majority ofthese

victims are runaway or "throw-away" youths who live on the streets and become

involved with prostitution. 21

In a study of arrested child pornography possessors, 40 percent were found to have

sexually victimized children. Child pornography has now become a $3 billion annual

industry. 22 Approximately 30 million children have been sexually exploited in the last 30

years; the average age of a trafficked victim is 12-14 years old. 23

Adults who chronically consume pornography become visually desensitized and

eventually begin viewing depictions they would have previously rejected as off-limits.

For instance, numerous users report to clinicians the slippery slope from using

pornography featuring adults to using child pornography. 24 Such desensitization can lead

to other forms of violence as well.

Effects on marriage

According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers:

• 68 percent of divorce cases involve one party meeting a new paramour over the

Internet.

• 56 percent involve one party having an obsessive interest in pornographic

websites.

• 47 percent involve spending excessive time on the computer.

• 33 percent involve spending excessive time in chat rooms. 25

Can people really be addicted to pornography

Donna Rice Hughes calls pornography "the drug ofthe millennium and more addictive

than crack cocaine." 26 Counselors have identified the five stages of pornographic

addiction:

1. Early exposure. Most who become addicted to porn start early.

2. Addiction. The person keeps coming back to porn. It becomes a regular part of

his or her life, so that the person can't quit.

3. Escalation. The person starts looking for more and more graphic porn. A key:

the viewer starts using porn that would have disgusted him or her earlier. Now

such images excite the person.

4. Desensitization. Even the most graphic, degrading porn doesn't excite the viewer

anymore. The person becomes desperate to feel the same thrill again but can't

find it.

5. Acting out sexually. At this point, many make a dangerous jump and start acting

out what they have seen. They move from the paper and plastic images of porn to

the real world. 27

Is pornography a problem for Christians

Consider these facts:

• About 47 percent of Christians say pornography is a problem in their home.

Regular Christian visitors to porn sites are 72 percent male, 28 percent female.

• A Christian missions agency reports that 80 percent of new applicants admit to

viewing porn. The agency no longer asks "if," but "how often."

• One youth minister estimated that 90 percent ofthe kids who come to him for

help (all from Christian families) are addicted to porn.

• 21 percent of Christian girls admit to texting a sexually explicit picture of

themselves. 28

• The number of Christian women who struggle with porn addiction has grown

from 17 percent to 40 percent since 2003. 68 percent of women surveyed

admitted to watching pornography frequently. 29

What about pastors According to a Christianity Today survey, nearly 40 percent of

pastors are struggling with pornography. They are especially vulnerable, as they spend a

significant amount of time alone, use computers often, and fear getting help because of

the public nature oftheir jobs. The issue has been called "one ofthe fastest growing

problems in the lives of North American pastors today." 30

How can you block Internet pornography

Only three percent of pornographic websites require proof-of-age before granting access

to sexually explicit material. Two-thirds of porn sites do not include any adult-content

warnings. 31

Internet filters can be a very helpful tool in preventing access to online porn. The

software programs listed below provide filtering services and also various forms of

accountability. Some alert accountability partner(s) with regular updates on web history

and immediate alerts for attempts to access porn. Our ministry is aware ofthese options:

• X3church (www.xxxchurch.com)

• Mobicip (www.mobicip.com)

• Covenant Eyes (www.covenanteyes.com)

• Internet Safety's Safe Eyes (www.internetsafety.com).

Make sure you use a program that includes screening for iOS and/or Android mobile

devices. And consider IT options that provide accountability for all Internet viewing.

Many websites now display images which would not be pornographic on a level that

filters would flag, but are nonetheless suggestive and dangerous. There are programs that

enable parents or employers to know a computer's complete Internet history. Such

resources can help prevent web viewing that will lead to further pornographic sin.

But note that no filter or software can provide complete protection. Heart change through

Jesus' transforming power is the ultimate answer, as we'll see below. But these tools can

help provide a safer environment for that heart change to take place.

What spiritual resources can help

As we have seen, Christians and even pastors are not immune from theplagueof

pornography. But the Holy Spirit has the power to break any chain. As members ofthe

body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), we are responsible to help and encourage each

other:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in a transgression, you who are spiritual should

restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be

tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians

6:1-2).

Christian counseling is a very important way God uses his people to minister to each

other. Most of us carry baggage after years of living in a fallen world. A wise counselor

can help us discover areas of unforgiveness, shame and guilt, some of which may

motivate involvement in pornography.

There is no shame in seeking out such help. Proverbs 20:5 says, "The purposes of a

person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out." Most Christian

leaders have mentors and counselors whom they trust regularly for wisdom and advice.

Your church leaders can recommend excellent resources in your area.

Support groups for those battling addiction are another tool used by the Spirit to heal

God's people. One excellent option is Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered program

using a form ofthe 12-step program pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. CR groups

generally meet weekly, and have helped thousands of believers recover from addictions.

As with Christian counseling, these groups are confidential. To see if a group meets in

your area, consult their website (www.celebraterecovery.com).

For pastors struggling with pornography, confidential online communities and resources

are becoming more common. Covenant Eyes has a page with resources for pastors who

battle this issue (www.covenanteyes.com/pastorhelp/resources-for-pastors-who-struggle).

Remember God's promise: "We are more than conquerors through him who loved

us" (Romans 8:37).

A note to parents: as we have seen, 90 percent of youth have seen a porn site by the age

of 16. If your children find online porn images, don't be shocked. Above all, don't make

them feel ashamed. If you do, they will hide future online activity andthe power ofthe

sin will continue to grow. Instead, cultivate an environment in which you and your

children can talk freely about this issue.

When your children spend the night at friends' homes, warn them beforehand that they

may see things that you don't see at your home. Ask them to tell their friend, "My parents

don't want me to watch this." And make plans to talk together about what they've seen

when they return home. For more parenting tips, see "When Your Child is Looking at

Porn: A Step-By-Step Guide for Christian Parents," 32 parents' guides from

ConnectSafely, 33 and iParent.tv. 34

Conclusion

I'm writing this paper in Dallas, Texas, home to some ofthe largest churches in the world.

Yet in 2012, our city ranked second globally in highest-percentage of searches for "porn."

New Delhi, with 16 million (10 times the population of Dallas), ranked first. 35 Of all

known child abuse domains, 58 percent are housed in the U.S. 36 Clearly, living in a

"religious" culture is no guarantee that theplagueofpornography will not find us.

Every temptation is a version ofthe first temptation: "you will be like God" (Genesis

3:5). Every time we sin, we declare ourselves to be our own god, the king of our own

kingdom. C. S. Lewis exposed the satanic deception behind pornography when he had a

"senior tempter" explain this strategy to a "junior tempter" he was mentoring:

Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal

and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s ground.

I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His

invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled

us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage to humans to take the pleasures

which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees which He has

forbidden.

Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to

that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable.

An ever-increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula. It is

more certain; and it's better style. To get the man's soul and give him nothing in

return—that is what really gladdens Our Father's Heart. 37

The ultimate answer to sin is submission to Jesus as our King and Lord. Only he can

satisfy the desires pornography promises but fails to meet. G. K. Chesterton was right:

"Any man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God."

Know that it will never be easier to refuse pornographic temptation or to get help for

addiction to porn than it is right now. Scripture warns us: "Each person is tempted when

they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has

conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James

1:14-15).

In 1780, philosopher Immanuel Kant noted that "sexual love makes ofthe loved person

an Object of appetite." After that appetite is fulfilled The loved one "is cast aside as one

casts away a lemon which has been sucked dry." In The Mortification of Sin, John Owen

observes:

Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, if it has its

own way it will go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or

glance would be adultery if it could, every thought of unbelief would be atheism

if allowed to develop. Every rise of lust, if it has its way reaches the height of

villainy; it is like the grave that is never satisfied. The deceitfulness of sin is seen

in that it is modest in its first proposals but when it prevails it hardens men's

hearts, and brings them to ruin. 38

Pornography, like all sin, will always take us further than we wanted to go, keep us

longer than we wanted to stay, and cost us more than we wanted to pay. But "he who is

in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Crissy Moran's story is proof that God's power is greater than the power behind the

plagueofpornography. After her parents split up, she became very rebellious as a

teenager. One of her boyfriends promised to marry her if she became pregnant, but when

she did, he changed his mind and took her to get an abortion. She dealt with the

depression that followed by writing letters to her baby.

One day she was surfing the Internet when she found a modeling website. She put her

pictures up on the site, but every person who contacted her wanted her to do nude

modeling. She eventually agreed and soon became involved in thepornography industry.

"I always had that hope that somebody would rescue me," she remembers. "I always

wanted something more." But she came to believe that "this is just how life is. This is

how men are, and this is how it's going to be." She was extremely depressed, so "I cried

out to God and said, 'God, if you're real, you need to tell me. You need to send me a sign,

to let me know, because everything I know about love is twisted and perverted."

Soon after, Crissy was having a casual conversation with a man who asked what she did.

She eventually admitted that she worked in pornography. He asked, "Do you believe in

God" She remembers: "In that moment, I knew that God had sent this person to speak

to me, because nobody had mentioned God to me since I was a little girl. He shared how

much God loved me and that he was my Father and loves me with a fatherly love."

They prayed together. Tears streaming down her face, she repented and asked God to

forgive her. As she chose to get out ofthe porn industry, she found a great deal of

Christian support online. It took time for her to forgive herself and accept God's

forgiveness for her. But Crissy Moran eventually came to learn that she is a new

creation, and "that's what gave me freedom." 39

Why, in God's providence, are you reading this essay Is it so you can find that same

freedom in Christ Is it so you can share his freedom with someone trapped in theplague

ofpornography How will you respond to the transforming grace of Jesus today

1

Cited in Catherine McCall, "A 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2012' Challenge,

Psychology Today, March 3, 2012 (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/overcomingchild-abuse/201203/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-edition-2012-challenge,

accessed 5

February 2014).

2

"Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: is it the Christian Playboy" examiner (http://

www.examiner.com/article/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-edition-is-it-the-christian-playboy,

accessed 5 February 2014).

3

"Pornography," Merriam-Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

pornography, accessed 9 February 2014).

4

Rachel B. Duke, "More women lured to pornography addiction," The Washington

Times, July 11, 2010 (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/11/more-womenlured-to-pornography-addiction/page=2,

accessed 5 February 2014).

5

Ibid.

6

"Internet Users in the World," Internet World Stats (http://www.internetworldstats.com/

stats.htm, accessed 5 February 2014).

7

"Pornography Statistics," Family Safe Media (http://familysafemedia.com/

pornography_statistics.html#anchor5, accessed 5 February 2024).

8

"Internet Pornography Statistics," TopTenReviews (http://internet-filterreview.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html,

accessed 5 February

2014).

9

"Pornography Statistics: Annual Report 2013," Covenant Eyes (http://

www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/, accessed 9 February 2014).

10

P. Paul, “From Pornography to Porno to Porn: How Porn Became the Norm,” in The

Social Costs of Pornography: A Collection of Papers (Princeton, N.J.: Witherspoon

Institute, 2010) 2.

11

J. S. Carroll, L. M. Padilla-Walker, L. J. Nelson, C. D. Olson, C. M. Barry, and S. D.

Madsen, "Generation XXX: Pornography Acceptance and Use Among Emerging Adults,"

Journal of Adolescent Research 23, no. 1 (2008): 6–30.

12

Mike Genung, "How Many Porn Addicts are in Your Church" crosswalk (http://

www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/how-many-porn-addicts-are-in-yourchurch-1336107.html,

accessed 5 February 2014).

13

Paul Bloom, "The Ways of Lust," The New York Times, November 29, 2013 (http://

www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/opinion/sunday/the-ways-of-lust.html

ref=pornographyandobscenity&_r=1&, accessed 5 February 2014).

14

Robert Jensen, "Pornography and Sexual Violence," Applied Research Forum:

National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (http://new.vawnet.org/

Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_PornAndSV.pdf, accessed 5 February 2014).

15

Justin Holcomb, "Isn't Porn Harmless" (http://justinholcomb.com/2012/03/05/isntporn-harmless/,

accessed 5 February 2014).

16

Ibid.

17

"Use of Pornography and Self-Reported Engagement in Sexual Violence Among

Adolescents," European Journal of Developmental Psychology 3 (2006): 265–88.

18

Nathan Black, "Family Group Releases Study on Effects of Pornography," The

Christian Post, December 2, 2009 (http://www.christianpost.com/news/family-groupreleases-study-on-effects-of-pornography-42100/#OEBbUwUw0olkF4GL.99,

accessed 5

February 2014).

19

Mary Eberstadt and Mary Anne Layden, "The Social Costs of Pornography: A

Statement of Findings and Recommendations," The Witherspoon Institute (http://

www.internetsafety101.org/upload/file/Social%20Costs%20of%20Pornography

%20Report.pdf, accessed 9 February 2014).

20

Neha Thirani Bagri and Heather Timmons, "India Considers Banning Pornography as

Reported Sexual Assault Rises," The New York Times, April 22, 2013 (http://

india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/india-considers-banning-pornography-as-reportedsexual-assault-rises/_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=pornographyandobscenity&_r=0,

accessed 9 February 2014).

21

Amanda Walker-Rodriguez and Rodney Hill, "Human Sex Trafficking," FBI Law

Enforcement Bulletin (http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcementbulletin/march_2011/human_sex_trafficking,

accessed 9 February 2014).

22

"Child Pornography," Enough Is Enough: Making the Internet Safer for Children and

Families (http://www.enough.org/inside.phpid=3K03RC4L00#3, accessed 9 February

2014).

23

"Child Sexual Abuse and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Pacific:

A Regional Report," UNICEF Pacific (http://www.unicef.org/eapro/

Pacific_CSEC_report.pdf, accessed 10 February 2014).

24

Eberstadt and Layden,

25

Johnson.

26

Duke.

27

Gene McConnell and Keith Campbell, "The Stages of Pornography Addiction," Focus

On the Family (http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/divorce_and_infidelity/

pornography_and_virtual_infidelity/stages_of_porn_addiction.aspx, accessed 5 February

2014).

28

Genung.

29

"Statistics: Christian Women & Porn Addiction," dirtygirlsministries (http://

dirtygirlsministries.com/page_id=6597, accessed 10 February 2014).

30

Peggy Fletcher Stack, "Clergy, Too, Battle Porn Addiction—Often Alone," Huffington

Post, November 25, 2011 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/25/clergy-battle-pornaddiction_n_1110981.html,

accessed 5 February 2014).

31

Eberstadt and Layden.

32

"My Child Just Saw Porn: A Conversation Guide for Parents," Covenant Eyes (http://

www.covenanteyes.com/2013/10/17/my-child-just-saw-porn/, accessed 10 February

2014).

33

"Parents' Guides From Connect Safely," ConnectSafely: Smart Socializing Starts Here

(http://www.connectsafely.org/guides-2/, accessed 10 February 2014).

34

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/iparent-tv, accessed 10 February 2014.

35

Bagri and Timmons.

36

"Child Pornography," Enough Is Enough.

37

C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour & Co., 1990) 49.

38

"Quotes," John Owen: The Writings and Theology of John Owen (1616-83) (http://

www.johnowen.org/quotes/, accessed 10 February 2014).

39

"Videos," Crissy Moran (http://newcrissymoran.com/videos/, accessed 10 February

2014).