Is Porn Wrong?

Winter 2008  Vol. 2, No. 1

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By Carmelo Fallace

1. “Is it wrong?” It’s definitely a good question regardless of the topic. What’s the topic? Some call it nudity, sexual activity, or porn. What is the actual definition of pornography? Is any of it harmless? Is any of it wrong? Who says it is or isn’t? Whatever else porn is or isn’t, it’s a $13 billion a year business in the United States, and it is changing our culture.

2. The “secret” answers to these moral questions will surprise most people because they have been rarely explained adequately to the faithful who seem to have difficulty living Jesus’ words: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Mt. 5:8; Tim. 2:22). Not only is the failure to explain certain sexual issues contrary to official Church teaching, but also this failure could be one of the primary reasons for the present moral confusion. As St. Paul would say, “…If the trumpet gives an unclear sound, who will get ready for battle? (1 Cor. 14:8). In others words: if the Church leaders fail to warn and educate adequately the faithful of the danger ahead, will the faithful unite to defeat the enemy?

3. The present moral confusion in our society isn’t the result of people living within God’s plan as interpreted by the official teaching of the Church. On the contrary, His plan is too often distorted by those who are either unaware of her official teaching or by those who feel they have a better understanding of faith and morals than the Church. These people believe that they possess a special knowledge (Gnosticism) based on some personal experiences, regardless of whether their knowledge contradicts the official teaching authority of the Church. Once we learn how to recognize these mistaken ideas, we can better defend our families and ourselves. Two thousand years of history indicate that those who have tried to be holier than the Church have never succeeded, and if the Holy Spirit has His way, they never will –Jesus guarantees it. (Mt. 16:18-19).

4. So, regarding the right to be informed about sexual issues, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) as an example stresses the following:

Chastity presupposes respect for the rights of the person, in particular the right to receive informa-tion and an education that respect the moral and spiritual dimensions of human life. (CCC #2344. Please note: Where emphasis appears in quotations, it has been added.)

5. In common language, to enable us to live virtuous lives according to God’s truths, we must receive accurate and adequate information that does not contradict His laws as explained in the CCC. Our feelings and emotions, our supe-rior knowledge and education, or any other special quality we might have can’t guarantee our good behavior or our salvation as certainly as following the official teaching of the Church. That is our purpose, to help others become adequately and correctly aware about God’s truths – especially when those appointed with the task have not properly informed others.

6. Before attempting to understand pornography (porn) more adequately, we must first review some related aspects that contribute to the presently confusing understanding of it. We will limit ourselves to the practical sides of porn, as indicated above in the first paragraph.

WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY IT IS?

7. Some say, “Porn is anything sexual that does not need to be viewed or read by the average person.” Others say, “There is really very little if any that could be pornographic.” Others say, “It is anything the people as a group says it is; church goers might define it differently than convicted sexual criminals in a state prison.” Some say, “It is in the eyes of the observer.” Others say, “If it does not hurt or degrade women, there is nothing wrong with it.” Others simply say, “Who knows, who cares, there is no harm done; relax and enjoy it.” Some say, “That’s difficult to define; that’s the reason the Supreme Court allowed the local community to decide what is and what isn’t pornographic.” Others say, “ What is wrong for one isn’t wrong for another; it depends on circumstances.” Some say, “ Porn never made a woman pregnant, and no one using it ever got AIDS or any other sexually transmitted disease.”

8. Yes, each of these statements has some truth in it; yet each is incomplete and inadequate in our attempt to recognize and understand porn. Unfortunately, these are exactly the responses porn activists (those who make it, sell it, or use it), would want those who don’t make it, sell it, or use it to believe. How nice and convenient it would be for all porn activists if everyone believed as they do. Their motto seems to be, “If at first we can’t convince others that porn is O.K., we will confuse them first and convincing will take care of itself.” Again, $13 billion per year indicates they are winning the battle in the USA.

WHAT IS
“THE TECHNICAL” DEFINITION?

9. Webster's Third New International Dictio-nary, Unabridged, gives us its basic meaning of porn without attaching any obvious moral impli-cations:

pornographos, or writing about prostitutes, from pornē prostitute + graphein to write. Also, 1: It is the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement 2: ma-terial (as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement 3: the depiction of acts in a sensational manner to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction…

10. Obviously, this definition lacks what Web-ster’s intention did not include, moral guidance. For that we read The Modern Catholic Dictionary which gives this definition of porn:

A description or portrayal of any person or activity that is consciously intended to stimulate immoral sexual feelings.

11. Do most people in 2008 know what is in-cluded in “immoral sexual feelings”? It is doubtful, considering that most don’t seem to know that masturbation is grave sin. Nonetheless, what if these descriptions and portrayal are about immoral activities but don’t stimulate “immoral sexual feelings”? Al-ternatively, suppose the viewing of executions of convicted criminals, or bullfights, or boxing, or any other sport causes immoral sexual feelings, should that person refrain from viewing such activity? Is viewing “normal” sexual activity that does not cause immoral sexual feelings morally acceptable to view in private? Is the Sistine Chapel with all its nude paintings of men and women immoral to view in public?

12. Does the Catechism of the Catholic Church answer the questions above? Yes, it is a great help, for it is more comprehensive than the other definitions. However, to appreciate its broader and deeper meaning, it may require a few careful readings and some deductive reasoning:

[1] Pornography consists in removing real or simu-lated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. [2] It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. [3] It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, and the public) since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. [4] It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. [5] It is a grave offense. [6] Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of porno-graphic materials. (#2354)

13. The first sentence seems to say that any sexual activity (real or not, moral or immoral) made to be viewed by others is automatically wrong. Does that mean that if it isn’t made to be viewed by others, it isn’t wrong? Does that mean it isn’t wrong to view our spouse’s body in private? If God said that viewing the naked human body was very good before Adam and Eve sinned, did the Fall change their bodies or minds in any way?

14. The Fall was such a huge act of disobe-dience to God who had just made them from dust and breathed in them life that their sin caused all created things to be altered for the worse. The exact degree of change no one can say. However, we have God’s word that immediately after Adam and Eve were created, everything was very good – as opposed to after the Fall or today. Consequently, we were infected with the same disease (concupiscence). As we know from Scripture, before Adam and Eve decided to disobey God and sing the first “I gotta be me,” there were no immoral sexual feelings in their hearts. Obviously, after the Fall they became ashamed of their nudity because of what they had done. However, God agreed with their feeling of shame and tailored them leather clothes to cover their sexual organs. Are sexual shame and perversions the direct result of the Fall? Whatever the first sin and related issues were, we can only speculate. Nonetheless, God formed the first two images of Himself, each with a beautiful body that was very good and pleasing to Him and us to admire without shame. Nonetheless, Adam and Eve felt that the “Snake” knew better as they chose to alter God’s very good creations of two healthy and beau-tiful bodies.

15. Let us return to Earth with more of the consequences of the Fall such as the worldly guidelines of the U.S. Supreme Court, which says that porn is whatever each community says it is. In other words, the illustrious judges sang the same song as Adam and Eve, “I gotta be me,” and most of us bought the song and sing it every day. In other words, the Supreme Court seems to say that village Y could vote that depictions of perverted sexual acts are not suited for human consumption, while neighboring village X could find them to be harmless entertainment. Unfortunately, this is the pre-vailing situation in the United States today, not just in civil law but also in the minds of most people, be they professors of moral theology or fifth graders. The question the judges failed to answer is “What will happen when boy from village X gives a ride to girl from village Y on a rainy day or night? If we say, “nothing will happen,” how can we explain the unbelievable billions spent on porn and the damage it is causing?




STATISTICS

16. The porn industry brings in more than $59 billion a year worldwide. Porn is larger than the combined revenues of all professional football, baseball, and basketball franchises. In the United States, porn revenue ($13 billion in 2006) exceeded the combined revenues of the three major television networks — ABC, CBS and NBC ($6.2 billion). In addition, the mainstream films at the local theater bring in $9 billion, which can often serve as a primer for the hard-core
material on the internet and other media.

17. Even though China is mostly a pagan and communist country, it brings in $27.4 billion per year on porn sales, yet in China porn is banned. Imagine this, they don’t use it but sell it to others for $27.4 billion worth. However, the United States makes more porn web pages (89%) than the rest of the world put together. (TopTenRe-views).

18. The largest age group users of internet porn are 35-44 year-olds; 14% are under 25; the aver-age age of the first exposure to internet porn is 11; and 80% of 15-17 year olds have had multiple porn exposures. Furthermore, 47% of Christians said pornography is a major problem in their home, and 70% of women keep their cyber activities secret. The requests for internet porn are 25% of the total internet use, which amounts to 68 million porn visits per day. (InternetPornographyStatistics and TopTe-nReviews.)

19. Another horrible statistic is that 1,871 women are raped every day in the United States (half are under 18, and of the total 386 are in N.Y. State alone); about 90% are known people to the victims. The United States has the highest rape rate among countries which report such statistics. (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation.)

20. Nonetheless, part of the problem comes from some liberal professors who have said absurdities; for example, there is no “scientific evidence” to prove that porn causes men to rape women or women to rape men. Other similar professors say that it is fair to assume that rape assaults take place after people view paintings of female saints. On the other hand, common sense people say that there is no scientific evidence that validates what the professors are saying. Other professors say that porn does not cause sex crimes and say that the ACLU, in full cooperation with the liberal Supreme Court, has gathered scientific evidence proving religion is the real problem, not porn. It seems as if a team of scientific investigators from the ACLU and Department of Justice has taken a poll among billions of men and women who don’t consider porn wrong, use it every day, and yet none of the billions questioned had ever been sexually assaulted and had ever heard of anyone reporting sexual abuse of any form. Common sense people say that this “scientific report” can’t be true, for according to the Bible and the CCC, no one tells the truth in Hell.

21. Let us return from fantasies to Earth: mostly women and children pay the immediate conse-quences of porn use, and porn activists will be very miserable and unhappy in their pursuit of a fantasy world that can’t change their life for the better. In addition, while on Earth, let us not forget the U.S. Catholic bishops and the Christian Brothers, the majority of whom seem to be porn friendly regarding investments in porn making organizations (Cf. Holy Porn! New Oxford Review, February 2008, www.newoxfordreview.org), and the same bishops have paid more than one billion dollars to victims of sexual abuse by U.S. priests. Yes, it is very likely that there are additional guilty parties that have not been prosecuted yet – not just in the Church, but dozens of times more in the public system. It is doubtful that any of the convicted priests (who often have been described by nice parishioners as wonderful, compassionate, loving, everyone-goes-to-Heaven, Hell-ain’t-no-more, and holier-than-the-Church) could have been contemplating the beautiful face of Mary on the internet or were known to deliver homilies on modesty, chastity, purity, lust, and other sins of the flesh. Thank God, most priests obey Scripture when it states to “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12; Ex. 15:16; Jdt. 2:28; Ps. 2:11; Is. 19:16).

22. Unfortunately, “nice” people refuse to face the fact that porn isn’t just in New York City or in San Francisco or in the large cities but may very well be next to our neighbor’s door. If porn were not-in-our-house or not-in-our-neighborhood, the statistics above would not be so high. In addition, the porn activists (and those who inspire them) don’t want us to know or believe these statistics, just as much as the devil does not want us to know of his presence in the Church; they can do much more damage if we believe that porn (and the devil) is rare in the United States.

23. It is very likely that some of the people using porn today don’t understand God’s plan of salvation and the limits He justly places on us in expressing our sexuality. After the Fall, it became very difficult to do His will, but it is almost impossible to be saved without understanding God’s fair expectations of us. We have no choice; we can’t fail in doing His will. The consequences are immorality, chaos, fear, pain, and much more of the same later on “be-low.”

24. Good-willed people will appreciate more practical information on the scourge of porn, such as its causes, how and why we have failed in controlling it, how it can be corrected, and how and why it should be defined and identified adequately and in tune with the official teaching of the Church. In addition, more practical and morally correct information that is easier to understand, together with sound discussions, are needed to clear up most doubts and misunderstanding for us, our friends, and relatives and others of good will. We must face the fact that porn will not go away - evil never does - without prayerful battles and hard work. The philosopher Edmund Burke proved to be correct for saying: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” Therefore, we are obligated, as people of good will, to inform and educate others kindly, thoughtfully, and carefully to the extent we are able in what appears to be missing in people’s understanding of God’s plan for us as His crea-tures.

25. Again, although we can’t treat every aspect of the scourge of porn, let us review some additional information that should minimize the difficulty in defining, evaluating, recognizing, and judging porn for what it is. Later we will provide references of organizations with additional information for personal advice on how to live a free and peaceful life.

BISHOPS SAY PORN IS POISON

26. According to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap.:

“Porn is poison; it should be controlled like any other toxic waste. And don’t be fooled; this isn’t censorship. It’s a matter of public health and com-mon sense.”

27. The not-afraid-to-speak bishop was commenting on the pastoral letters some bishops have published in their diocese: Bishop Robert W. Finn, Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO; Bishop Joseph Naumann, Kansas City, KS; and Bishop Paul S. Loverde, Arlington, VA. Unfortunately, in view of the prevalence of porn indicated by the statistics, by informing us of the few bishops actively involved in correcting the porn problem in their diocese, Archbishop Chaput leads us to think that most bishops are not doing their part in controlling porn, or if they are, it’s being kept a secret. To read or print these excellently written, informative, and down-to-Earth pastoral letters, see the references beginning with para. #60.

WHAT ARE
THE BASIC PROBLEMS?

28. One of the problems with porn seems to be that it has not been treated adequately by the “authorities”; consequently, most people are confused and hesitant about identifying it and correcting the problem. Also, there has been little or no religious education on the many aspects of lust, chastity, modesty, the evil of porn, and its consequences. Several years ago Pope John Paul II referred to the Scriptural pas-sage where Jesus says:

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already commit-ted adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt. 5:28)

29. The media had a belly full of laughs at the time, and only a few of our own were willing to defend the pope and the One he was quoting. Just to make clear to all people of good will that He means what He says, Jesus immediately in the next verse explains further the meaning and seriousness of lust:

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand caus-es you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is bet-ter for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. (Mt. 5:29-30)

30. Obviously, no one is suggesting that Jesus means anyone who sins should tear out his eye or cut off his arm to prevent possible future sins. Those who give it some thought will conclude that Jesus means to avoid looking at any object if the object causes us to have immoral feelings. In a real sense avoiding the situation, or occasion of sin, is similar to tearing out the eye or cutting off the arm to prevent sin. In addition, the arm or the eye doesn’t sin; it is the person guarding these members that sins. In addition, because God created us, He could not want us to mutilate ourselves (the temple of the Holy Spirit) to avoid a possible future sin, especially when He in-structed us that we can avoid any sin with His help if we ask with a contrite heart.

31. Jesus stresses that those who choose to sin in their heart (lust) – without actually doing the sinful act – will definitely risk going to Hell. Obviously too many people today don’t seem to understand that Jesus as God means what He says and His faultless justice will prevail on all, especially on unrepentant sinners.

32. Therefore, lust is nothing to laugh at because by so doing we become more easily desensitized and trapped in its snares, for lust always begins innocently, gently, ever so slightly, and always harmlessly. A thorough and formal definition is worth reading carefully; according to The Modern Catholic Dictionary, lust is:

An inordinate [disproportionate] desire for or en-joyment of sexual pleasure. The desires or acts are inordinate when they don’t confirm to the divinely ordained purpose of sexual pleasure…

33. Most people today seem to be uninformed of the divinely ordained purpose of sexual pleasure; the CCC informs us that lust is a:

Disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally dis-ordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes. (# 2351)

34. The two important passages above, when misunderstood or ignored, may well be the biggest contributor to porn. For how can we arrive at the correct destination if the directions are incorrect, or incomplete, or we choose to ignore them? It should be easy to reason that masturbation, contraception, and homosexuality are not only closely related by their selfish and anti-life ends, but if these sins remain unrepentant, they will obscure our spiritual vi-sion, make resistance to other lustful desires dif-ficult, open the door to porn in all its ugly forms, and encourage additional perverse sexual acts condemned by God as interpreted by His Church.

35. In other words, God’s plan includes us, as co-creators with Him, to increase, multiply, and fill the Earth (see Vol. 1, Issue 6 & 7, Catholic Family Life Messenger) with humans (images of Himself). Porn becomes a distorted imitation and a substitute for His plan. In addition, He purposely and personally clothed Adam’s and Eve’s sexual organs, so by uncovering them we disobey His wish to stay clothed in public. It is offensive to God because by rejecting to be coo-perators with His plan, we make our own plan to increase, multiply, and fill the Earth with rebellious images of ourselves. God created man and woman in His image and likeness to love Him and please Him. However, with real or actual porn we create and love cheap reprints of ourselves to please and love ourselves even though it gravely displeases and offends our Creator. Only we, His genuine images, can please Him but only when we follow His wishes.

36. When we differ with God’s plan, it is never easy for anyone to accept His will (the truth) without prayerful struggles. The porn scourge will not go away unless we avoid lust in all its forms and work together in educating ourselves and others in all areas of human sexuality based on His plan as indicated in the CCC – not on this or that popular “theologian” or priest who knows how to make his personal and rebellious opinions fuzzy and comfortable. By appearing to be more compassionate than the Church and by giving us more liberty than the Church, these well-intentioned but uninformed prophets contribute to the problem of the porn scourge, other sexual sins, and the general disregard for God’s commands. Recall the passage of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

37. It is sad that too many people feel that porn will bring more sexual enjoyment than God’s plan. The only way to eradicate porn from our culture is to use sex as indicated in Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium. Nothing else has ever worked in the past, and we have God’s Word that nothing else will work in the future. Furthermore, we have the responsibility as Christians to educate ourselves and others in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the official teaching of the Church. If we knowingly fail in this responsibility, God’s uncorrupt justice will not overlook those who made no substantial effort to know and do His will.

WHAT ABOUT THE SIXTH
and THE NINTH

38. The Sixth and Ninth Commandments are those God gave to His people, laws which will always remain unchanged and as valid as ever. We all know their basic meaning from childhood, but they have never been explained to the average churchgoers as much as “unconditional love,” “social justice,” ecology, or “compassion” for unrepentant sinners of the 6th and the 9th Commandments.

39. It is difficult for most people to believe that Almighty God, the One who literally knows and created everything, would make the Sixth and Ninth Commandments so important and neces-sary for our eternal salvation. Why did He not command us to avoid making weapons of mass destruction, to prevent global warming, to save the trees, to keep the world green, and to have many pets? Why did He instead command us to do something that appears insignificant by com-parison to those terrible things that are threatening our beautiful Earth. Does He not know what is important in 2008? Why does He not care that we are about to self-destruct from too many of His images, climate changes caused by our sport-utility vehicles, and other man-made machines? Why does He not do something to stop all these evils? Why? Because the Sixth and Ninth Commandments ARE much more important for the eternal salvation of God’s images than all the imagined computer-originated catastrophes combined. It is interesting how these people use computers programmed by prophets of doom (fallible humans) to predict God’s future events for His world but refuse to believe His apostles and prophets who have been programmed by Him, as it were, to teach us His will, predict moral catastrophes, and warn us of the punishment if we fail to do His will as indicated by His Son. St. Augustine warned us:

“Our soul will be possessed by the devil if we die believing all of God’s divinely revealed truths but one.”

40. What are the revealed truths regarding our sexuality that, if not lived according to the Crea-tor’s wishes, will cause us to associate with the wrong people here on Earth and here-after be-low? Simply put, these truths are the ones that give the most trouble to most people most of the time in this life. Some of the saints, like St Augustine, and the woman caught in adultery had much difficulty keeping chaste (Jn. 8:11). They would have been doomed if they had not accepted God’s graces, changed their mind, accepted His plan, rejected their temptations to disobey God, repented, and sinned no more.

41. God’s revealed truths are given to us only as a package. It is similar to a strong chain with ten large links. The chain will not hold us up out of the pit (Hell) if only one link breaks.
42. These revealed truths from God regarding human sexuality are to be lived by all rational humans. These are the basic revealed truths relating to porn:

a) You shall not commit adultery. (Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18, the 6th Commandment.)

b) You shall not covet [desire] your neighbor's wife. (Ex. 20:17, the 9th Commandment.)

c) You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt. :28)

d) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8; Tim. 2:22, the 6th Beatitude.)

43. To stress the importance of the sixth beatitude given to us by Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry, the CCC (#2519) explains, “…Purity of heart is the precondition of the vision of God.” In other words, unrepentant porn makers, sellers, and viewers lack purity of heart and will not see Heaven if they intentionally continue for any reason in their porn activities. Therefore, what appears to many as “harmless or private entertainment,” even if protected by the U.S. Supreme Court, or any oth-er worldly authority, isn’t simply harmless enter-tainment. These courts might keep us out of jail on Earth, but they will be useless in keeping us out of the deepest pit later. It should be very clear that God has zero tolerance for people who wish to die with an unclean (lustful) heart or any other sin. His “unconditional” love for sinners can’t keep unrepentant sinners out of Hell.

44. To understand more adequately these truths regarding sexual issues, we ought to read carefully paragraphs #1691-2557 of the CCC; this section is a gold mine to those who wish to learn the truths that no theologian or priest may contradict. The CCC gives us in one volume the official teaching of God as proclaimed by Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church. It is available in most bookstores and on the internet for about $10; it could be our ticket to Heaven.

45. For example, contrary to the world’s view, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us of the major causes of our decadent society:

Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices. (#2396 and #2351, para. 33 above)

46. Whenever we practice any of these acts, until we repent, we contribute to our own condemnation and walk with the Devil – regardless of whether we agree with it or not or whether we understand it or not. In other words, certain actions are fundamentally evil, have been so declared by God from day one, and will remain such – regardless of who or how many people do them. Jesus did not say,

Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart -- unless the man feels uncomfortable or uncertain about this teaching.

Unfortunately, some live that way, contrary to Jesus’ words.

47. To explain more fully the meaning and importance of “purity in heart,” the CCC af-firms:

The sixth beatitude proclaims, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” "Pure in heart" refers to those who have attuned their intel-lects and wills to the demands of God's holiness, chiefly in three areas: charity;308 chastity or sexual rectitude;309 love of truth and orthodoxy of faith.310 There is a connection between purity of heart, of body, and of faith… (#2518)

48. Also, the Sixth and Ninth Commandments (which some conveniently feel are opinions, suggestions, or advice) are clearly explained in the CCC, paragraphs #2331-2400 and 2514-2533. The information therein is very practical, useful, and ought to be accepted by anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, even if that belief isn’t clearly under-stood...” St. Augustine informs us we should, “Seek not to understand that we may believe, but believe that we may understand.”

49. Those of us who feel purity of heart isn’t a problem should read these short sections in the CCC carefully to make sure that our conscience is properly informed and formed for the sake of helping others, including our younger images of God (children and grandchildren). Those who feel that lust is no stranger to our heart ought to study these sections very carefully and use the valuable information therein as the first step in purifying our hearts as God has requested on nu-merous occasions in Scripture, at Fatima, to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and to other people and places.

THE BATTLE FOR PURITY FOUGHT BY THE SAINTS

50. It is neither a shame nor a secret that some saints, as previously mentioned and others, had more difficulties with the sins of the flesh than most of us. Yet, they chose to repent and be free of their false master, and with help from Jesus and many prayers from their friends and relatives, they resolved to respond and do God’s will – not indulge in their lustful desires. Thereafter, some became saints, doctors of the Church, and orthodox spiritual writers. The ad-dicted to lust are in good company if their repentance and perseverance are active as willed by God.

51. Purity of heart and mind is a lifelong series of battles that we can easily lose if we try to fight the enemy all by ourselves. The enemy has been around longer than any human, is much more knowledgeable and intelligent than any human genius, and is a liar and a murderer from the beginning, but Satan has no chance of winning (leading us into Hell) if we stay with God and do His will as taught by the official teaching of the Church (CCC) – not by any priest or bishop who isn’t in total agreement with her. Why? Because the enemy can deceive any priest or bishop, not to mention the rest of us, or even the pope when he isn’t speaking on faith and morals for the whole world. Thanks be to God, Jesus declared that the devil would never prevail against His Church.

52. Purity of heart isn’t an isolated virtue; it comes with the support of its friends and rela-tives:

Purity requires modesty, an integral part of tem-perance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden… (CCC #2521).

Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet. (CCC #2522).

53. The biggest enemy of purity, modesty, tem-perance, patience, moderation, and decency is moral relativism:

So called moral permissiveness [which] rests on an erroneous conception of human freedom; the ne-cessary precondition for the development of true freedom is to let oneself be educated in the moral law. (#2526).

SCRIPTURE

54. The many passages in Sacred Scripture quoted above leave no doubt to the believer as to God’s will. Perhaps St. Paul summarizes it best when he says:

Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. However, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13: 13-14).

SO, WHAT IS A PRACTICAL
DEFINITION OF PORN?

55. As we have seen, some definitions of porn, especially those formulated by secular groups, are neither adequate nor easily understood and fall short of the aim to inform and educate most people. Many secular definitions accomplish no worthy objective and often define only certain perversions or violent acts as pornographic or obscene. Paragraphs 10 and 11 above give us two definitions that are very helpful if carefully integrated with the CCC.

56. Obviously, the presumptuous definition of porn such as “You will know it when you see it” or any other definition that isn’t descriptive, God-oriented, and clear-cut isn’t adequate. It is similar to limiting the description of a lost ten-year old child at Disney World during Easter break to “blond, cute, active, average height, bright eyes.” Would we not increase the chances of finding our child sooner if he or she is described with more accurate details such as dark blond, cute round face, active at home but shy with strangers, 48 inches tall, brown eyes, denims, red jacket, etc. Similarly, the more unambiguous, complete, and objective the definition of porn, the sooner we are able to recognize it, explain it to others, and unite to fight it. The Church must give us a loud, clear message, or who will recognize it for what it is and prepare to defend his family. Again, “If the trumpet gives an unclear sound, who will get ready for battle?” (1 Cor. 14:8).

57. The following practical definition is ex-tracted in part from The Modern Catholic Dictionary and Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Pornography is any real or imagined activity that intentionally causes immoral sexual feelings to anyone; it is any depiction or endorsement of immoral sexual behavior such as masturbation, contraception, sodomy, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, rape, and other acts that deliberately alter the procreating and uniting aspects of married love. It is a sinful act against God who created us in His image. Consequently, those involved become imprisoned by the deception that happiness can be achieved outside of God’s design. It does serious spiritual and psychological harm to the dignity of those involved. Everyone is obligated, within the moral law, to prevent its production, distribution, and use and to pray for spiritual healing of the addicted.

58. We hope you find the above treatment and definition or porn informative and useful in understanding the reasons it is wrong, how the scourge may be corrected, and the need to pray for the addicted for repentance and their success in healing their hearts and minds.


HELPFUL ON-LINE RESOURCES

59. Those in need of further help should visit the websites below that best describe their need: (Note: many of these sites have a Catholic orientation and should not deviate in any way from official church teaching as outlined above.

60. www.diocese-kcsj.org/myhousekcsj Bishop Ro-bert Finn, Diocese of Kansas City Pastoral Letter "Blessed are the Pure in Heart."
61. www.arlingtondiocese.org/offices/communications/boughtprice.html Bishop Paul Loverde, Diocese of Arlington, Virginia - Pastoral Letter "Porn and the At-tack on the Living Temple of God.”
62. For information on Archbishop Naumann’s anti-porn initiative (Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS), call 913-721-1097
63. www.trueknights.org headed by Kenneth Hender-son, devoted to helping people break addiction to porn.
64. www.dads.org is the website of St. Joseph’s Cove-nant Keepers headed by Steve Wood, devoted to helping people break addiction to porn.
65. www.pureloveclub.org is the chastity outreach program of Catholic Answers geared more for younger people before and after marriage founded by Jason Evert.
66. www.pornnomore.com is a Catholic site that in-cludes information, prayers, witness talks, and many other helpful resources by the Serenellians.
67. www.newhope-ky.org/search.php St. Martin de Porres Lay Dominican Community has Catholic books on the problem of porn.
68. www.saint-mike.org/csgsar/default.asp Catholic Support Group for sexual addiction recovery.
69. www.couragerc.net/ Apostolate for Catholics with same sex attraction
70. www.cleanofheart.com/ a Catholic manual en-titled Clean of Heart by Rosemarie Scott for overcoming habitual sins against purity.
71. www.obscenitycrimes.org not only has resources about porn but also includes information about fighting indecency.
72. www.isafe.org is a site for internet safety and edu-cation.
73. www.filterreview.com provides a description and customer rating of different internet filters. It is a good single source to learn about many different products.
74. www.archstl.org/prayer is a prayer resource sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. You may type in a request and eight communities of cloistered nuns will pray for your intentions.
75. The ultimate authority, with many scientific ar-ticles, papers, and books on related aspects of the evil of porn, seems to be Judith Reisman, Ph.D. author, scientist, researcher, educator, etc., at www.drjudithreisman.org/

CREDITS and GRATITUDE

76. All Bible quotations are from the New American Bible, used with permission of and copyrighted by Unit-ed States Conference of Catholic Bishops. For further reading on these issues, see CCC, #2331-2400 and #2514-2533. In addition, we should pray especially for bishops, priests, and laity working to defend the truth, defeat the scourge of porn, and to win souls for God.
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

77. March 30, 2008, is the day we can receive complete forgiveness of all our past sins as well as all the punishment that is due for all these sins. God is merciful and, although He cannot force us, He wants to help us in every way possible to be free of all guilt and punishment.

78. It is required of all Catholics to confess our sins at least once every year. This is the best day of the year to receive the graces Jesus promises. It is acceptable to go to Confession at any parish up to about 20 days before or after Divine Mercy Sunday.

79. Let us prepare for His Mercy while there is time. Saint Sister Faustina related her detailed vision of Hell and wrote that the number of souls she saw falling into the abyss was "so great that it was impossible to count them” and that "most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a Hell.” She further related the words of Jesus: "There are souls who despise My graces as well as all the proofs of My love. They don’t wish to hear My call, but proceed into the abyss of Hell. The loss of these souls plunges Me into deadly sorrow. God though I am, I can’t help such a soul because it scorns Me; having a free will, it can spurn Me or love Me." (#580 & #741, Divine Mercy in My Soul, The DIARY of the Servant of God, Sr. [St.] M. Faustina Kowalska, 1987). Questions? Call the parish for details or pick up the bulletin in the Church for confession and times.

RADICAL STATEMENTS?

80. “Who is going to save our Church? Not our bi-shops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious.” (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, before the Knights of Columbus, June 1972.) Well, maybe it isn’t so radical, just plain informative, and it is unfortunate that too many on that day in June could not hear the Archbishop. Perhaps the spoken to were catch-ing up on lost sleep from the night before. It can happen at times.

81. Pope Benedict XVI says "The Gospel highlights a typical feature of Christian almsgiving: it must be hid-den. This understanding, dear brothers and sisters, must accompany every gesture of help to our neighbor, avoid-ing that it becomes a means to make ourselves the centre of attention.” (Lenten Message 1-29-2008.) Some priests forget that the Mass is about Jesus -- not about themselves; they must decrease, He must increase. “It is rather simple to do,” a monsignor explained to the editor, if they follow the Roman Missal, which instructs the priest to say the text in black, and do the text in red. Say black, do red. Please, reverend and dear fathers, we are counting on you to show us the Church’s experienced and approved way to God – not your personal untested and unapproved version. Also, please try hard to tell us the truth about Jesus in your homilies, not the truth about your itinerary on your day off. No offense, but we come to Church to hear about Jesus and the saints. Thank you.

82. Do you remember the topic of Issue #12, 2007? It was “A Course in Brainwashing by Oprah.” Were you surprised? Well, according to the American Family As-sociation Journal, ”Oprah says porn and adultery are good for your marriage.” (2/2008, p. 2). Interesting. We say porn and adultery are good for your divorce, not your marriage. Was she always so wacky? On the same topic, the Swedish Parliament concluded a debate on 1/23/2008 that will give correctional facilities the ability to keep porn out of prisoners’ cells…(Lifesite.net, 1/25/2008). Why? It’s good for their marriage, Oprah says. Oprah, call Sweden and chat with them on your show ASAP or sooner.


QUESTION AND ANSWER

83. Q. “Dear Editor: Regarding the Fatima apparitions in your Issue 8 & 9, my pastor has informed me that the Message of Fatima is just a private revelation which NO CATHOLIC HAS TO BELIEVE. Confused I am. What should I do?”

84. It is true, every statement has some truth in it; however, the question is how much truth. Because I “stole” a few cookies from my aunt, does that make me a thief? A “yes” answer would suggest much ignorance. Nonetheless, there is a speck of truth in your pastor’s statement; it is that the message of Fatima isn’t revealed in Sacred Scripture, but neither is the infallible doctrine of the Assumption of Mary, or the Immaculate Conception, or the canonization of any saint, which are required beliefs of Catholics. Not to worry, however. Many of us also have been informed incompletely in the past by those who should have known better. As we know, souls are the most important part of our being, so it would be much more foolish (stupid) to follow the advice that NO CATHOLIC HAS TO BELIEVE or that we are not obligated to follow Mary’s message of Fatima. Why would it be very foolish and stu-pid? Let us first note St. Paul’s statement, “Don’t despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good…” (1 Thes. 5:20-22)

85. What Mary, God’s Mother, did and said at Fatima has been officially tested and retested, and it is worthy of belief by Catholics, it has been authenticated by a half a dozen popes since the great miracle of the sun of October 13, 1917, and it was witnessed by 70,000 thousand people, including many non-believers, such as communists, masons, and journalists. When that mixture of people witnesses a predicted miracle, followed by the official confirmation of the Church and many popes, it makes any prophecy rather public, not “private” -- to those who are informed and are free to believe the truth.

86. Furthermore, why would anyone advise oth-ers to ignore the message of the Mother of God? Was not Mary’s message approved by God before it and afterward by His Church? Is it not an aid for our salvation? Are we attempting to crucify Jesus’ Mother today by believing that her message addressed to Catholics that NO CATHOLIC HAS TO BELIEVE? If so, why would God allow Mary to appear at Fatima? If we fail to fulfill her complete request, will Jesus’ perfect justice be derailed by our pastors because they felt “NO CATHOLIC HAS TO BELIEVE” Mary’s message -- even after 90 years? What do these confused people want God to do that He has not already done in order for the poorly informed, (be they lay, pope, or in between) to believe that the loving request asked by the Mother of God is to help sinners avoid Hell? Who in the universe could object to her message and why? Is it possible that the reason for rejecting Mary’s message is motivated by something worse than ignorance? Is 15 minutes a day too much for Mary to ask? Is the consecration of Russia by name an evil to be avoided? Mary does not need the rosaries or Russia’s conversion. We do! Let him who has no sin pray no rosaries, and may God have mercy on those responsible for the delay of Russia’s consecration.

LETTERS and MORE

87. Linda S. said, “I enjoy reading your newletters. Thanks for sending them.” Lil and Phil E. said, “keep up the good work – your newsletter is wonderful, God bless you.” Virginia G. writes, “I like your newsletter.” We say thanks to all and to the donors who wish to remain anonymous. We welcome all letters that justly critique any newsletter or parts thereof. Letters to the editor should not exceed 275 words.

WHAT ABOUT THE NEXT ISSUE?

88. Do you have a document that you should like published in a future CFLM? Let us know. As usual, the next topic will be interesting, truthful, seldom treated by others, but, most of all, it will be in agreement with the official teaching of the Church; if anyone feels that we have failed in this promise at anytime, please let us know and we will publish the correction(s) as soon as possible or sooner.
89. Of course, you may copy the entire newsletter, or you may request additional hard copies for a free-will offering. Alternatively, you may CANCEL your individual subscription by returning your address label with CANCEL on it. Email recipients who wish to receive paper copies should send us their name and address. You may ask for both, email and paper copy. To view previous issues online, visit familylifepromotion.org, or visit CFLM.blogspot.com (these websites are in need of repair; see para. #91 for more info). It is unbelievable how many choices are available to those who wish to read CFLM.

90. Previous issues of CFLM are available for the asking; we welcome appropriate contribution to cover cost. Below are the topics treated in each issue with the number of pages each; a page is 275-words. The format varies with each issue. VOLUME I, Issue 1: Introduction. (7 pp.); Issue 2: Does Everyone Go to Heaven? Part I (20 pp.); Issue 3: Does Everyone Go to Heaven? Part II. (11 pp.); Issues 4 & 5: Unconditional Love of God, True or False? (27 pp. Note: New Oxford Review, a national Catholic magazine, has published a shortened version of Issue 4 & 5 in their Feb. 2008 issue.); Issues 6 & 7: Understanding Contraception. (17 pp.); Issue 8 & 9: Fatima’s Secret: the Third Part, the Punishment, the Urgency, and the Mes-sage (22 pp.); Issues 10 & 11: When, How, and Why We Should Judge Others (21 pp.); Issue 12: Oprah’s Course On Brainwashing (12 pp). VO-LUME II, Issue 1 & 2: Is It Wrong [Porn]? (32 pp.). Note: Issues 8 & 9 are by Fr. James Ander-son, M.S.A.; Issue 12 is by Tracy Moran and Warren Smith; all others are by the editor. As a guide, contributions of $3 per issue, which includes postage and handling, should suffice to cover cost. Please make checks payable to: Family Life Promotion and send to address be-low.




PLEASE HELP US WITH
YOUR CONTRIBUTION

91. After the first year of publishing Catholic Family Life Messenger (CFLM) free of charge to about a thousand “subscribers,” per month we are in need of your help. As you know, the publisher of CFLM, Family Life Promotion of N.Y., Inc. (FLP), is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1971. It has no other support but from people like you; therefore, if you have enjoyed CFLM and found it to be orthodox, informative, original, and politically unafraid, we hope and pray you will help us to continue by contributing in one or more of the ways listed below.

a) Subscribe your friends and relatives by sending us their addresses (Christmas list, full or partial) or email addresses. There is no obligation, and they may cancel at any time as easily as you can. They will be “subscribed,” without obligation, for as long as they wish to receive it. The more names you send us, the greater the chances for contributions in our next appeal. The names and addresses you send us will be kept confidential and will never be rented, sold, or given to anyone.

b) Some friends and relatives have contributed financially, and we hope you may choose this way of contributing. As you know, all contributions are tax deductible as charitable gifts and will be used for the printing and mailing of CFLM as directed by the Board of Directors of FLP and as allowed by the New York State Department of Law for Charitable Organizations. All members of FLP are volunteers, practicing Catholics, and in good standing in their respective parishes.

c) Help is needed with our poorly maintained website and blog. Time is of the essence, and we don’t have the expertise or the funds to improve all things. Perhaps someone who has some experience is willing to show us how to redesign it and maintain it for a short while. The pay is unbelievable and the benefits are unde-scribably heavenly.

d) Last but most important, we pray for all our donors and contributors, and we ask you to keep us in your prayers regularly that we may continue with this newsletter and that it will remain true to the official teaching of the Church.

92. If we may suggest, whichever way you choose to contribute should be based on last’s year’s performance for being orthodox, informa-tive, original, humorous and politically unafraid. Please send names and addresses and donations to the address below. Regardless, we will continue to send you CFLM until you inform us otherwise. If you have any questions or comments regarding any aspect of CFLM, please contact Carmelo at:

Catholic Family Life Messenger
P. O. Box 115
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cflm@optonline.net
(631) 588-7495

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Editor: Carmelo Fallace
Copyright © 2008