21st January, 2016
Most Americans believe pornography is "bad for society" but attitudes are shifting among younger generations who increasingly see it as neutral or even "good for society", according to preliminary findings of a landmark study released in the US this week.
The study, conducted by the Barna Group, found that twice as many young adults aged between 25 to 30-years-old – almost a quarter of that group – first viewed pornography before puberty compared with the previous generation. Only one in 20 young adults and one in 10 teens say their friends think viewing pornography is a "bad thing" with teens and young adults viewing a failure to recycle as more immoral than viewing porn.
The research also showed that nearly half of all young adults say they come across pornography at least once a week even when not seeking it out and 62 per cent of teens and young adults say they have received sexually explicit images while 41 per cent have sent one.
Among pastors, the research reveals that 57 per cent of pastors and 64 per cent of youth pastors admit they have struggled with porn either now or in the past (21 per cent of youth pastors and 14 per cent of pastors admit they currently struggle with porn) with the majority saying it has significantly affected their ministry in a negative manner.
Only eight per cent of pastors think a pastor should resign their post if they are struggling with porn with most saying it should be dealt with through counselling and accountability. This is in contrast with the 41 per cent of adult Christians who believe they should be fired or asked to resign if found to be using porn (although younger Christians are more likely to take a grace-filled approach).
And while practising Christians are generally twice as likely as others to experience guilt over use of porn, 87 per cent of pastors who use it say they feel a great sense of shame about it.
The study, which surveyed a national representative audience of 3,000 people from across the US, was commissioned by Texas-based Josh McDowell Ministries with the full results to be released at a conference in the US in April.
– DAVID ADAMS
