Pornography is Satan Personified

Please join me in praying for all of those who are addicted to porn. Below is a really great article, please read and share. Let us strive to change our culture for the Kingdom, one soul at a time.

Raquel Welch: the ‘era of porn’ has ‘annihilated’ men

BY KATHLEEN GILBERT

Tue Mar 13, 2012 17:04 EST

March 13, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As one of America’s most revered sex symbols, she might not be the first celebrity to jump to mind as a crusader against pornography. But Raquel Welch, who rose to icon status as the beauty in the leather bikini from the 1966 movie One Million Years BC, told Men’s Health Magazine in an interview posted online March 8 that today’s sex-saturated culture had sapped the meaning out of sex, and damaged countless men through the pornography industry, which she called “an exploitation of the poor male’s libidos.”

“It’s just dehumanizing. And I have to honestly say, I think this era of porn is at least partially responsible for it,” Welch said of rampant sexual addiction. “Where is the anticipation and the personalization? It’s all pre-fab now. You have these images coming at you unannounced and unsolicited. It just gets to be so plastic and phony to me.

“Maybe men respond to that. But is it really better than an experience with a real life girl that he cares about? It’s an exploitation of the poor male’s libidos. Poor babies, they can’t control themselves.”

Welch criticized men’s modern habit of “equat[ing] happiness in life with as many orgasms as you can possibly pack in,” and described the concomitant loss of real masculinity in vivid terms.

“I just imagine them sitting in front of their computers, completely annihilated. They haven’t done anything, they don’t have a job, they barely have ambition anymore,” said the 71-year-old actress. “And it makes for laziness and a not very good sex partner. Do they know how to negotiate something that isn’t pre-fab and injected directly into their brain?”

When Eric Spitznagel of Men’s Health interjected that Welch’s views could come across as “prudish,” the aging sex icon said she was “fine with that” and pined for the days when bedroom fantasy was a private matter.

“Can you imagine? My fantasies were all made up on my own,” she said. “They’re ruining us with all the explanations and the graphicness. Nobody remembers what it’s like to be left to form your own ideas about what’s erotic and sexual. We’re not allowed any individuality. I thought that was the fun of the whole thing. It’s my fantasy. I didn’t pick it off the Internet somewhere.”

This isn’t the first time Welch has been critical of the culture that helped fuel her lengthy career: in a 2010 column for CNN, she lamented the effects of contraception on society, particularly its enervating effect on marriage, the “cornerstone of civilization.”

“Seriously, folks, if an aging sex symbol like me starts waving the red flag of caution over how low moral standards have plummeted, you know it’s gotta be pretty bad,” she wrote.

For the complete article click HERE.

“I just wanted to feel something, so I accelerated”

It was three years ago when someone told me that Charlie’s addiction to pornography was my fault. And the sad thing was, I believed it. Their words penetrated my sensitive heart like a deadly hurricane hitting the coast. I got in my car and drove to the adoration chapel. No one was there so I screamed out, Who am I? Are you my Father or not? 

I got back in my car and onto the highway. The pain made me numb and I just wanted to feel something, so I accelerated. I couldn’t feel anything, so I went faster as tears streamed down my face like torrents. I just want to be able to go to a movie, walk down the street again, look in the mirror and see my reflection, go out in the daylight, take a shower and wear shorts, I screamed.

A few moments later, as I continued to accelerate I was tempted to take my own life by smashing my car into the cement median in the road. The devil whispered that the pain would finally be gone if I did this. I wanted to end the pain, but knew in my heart that this would mean he had won. And if I lived for one reason only it would be so that the devil wouldn’t win this battle. So I shouted, Who am I? Do You love me? The Rosary beads that were wrapped around my rear view mirror began to sway when I asked those questions. In my heart I heard the following from the Father, Maura, you are My daughter. You are precious in My sight and more beautiful than you can imagine. I am your Father and I love you. The Rosary beads ceased swinging and I slowed down grateful to be alive. In my heart I felt the Father’s peace. My recovery from the effects of his addiction to pornography was long and hard, but I will forever choose to see the beauty in the cross, for the cross birthed Made in His Image.

Matthew Fradd is the founder of the website The Porn Effect and I have often promoted his apostolate on my blog. Below is a little about Matthew and his two new interviews from Catholic Answers: Breaking Free From Pornography Part I and II. I strongly encourage you to use him as a resource.

Matthew Fradd is Australian by birth and Catholic by choice. After experiencing a profound conversion at World Youth Day in Rome in 2000, Matthew committed himself to inviting others to know Jesus Christ and the Church He founded. As a missionary in Canada and Ireland, Matthew proclaimed the Gospel to over ten thousand teens and young adults. Matthew has also served the Church through full-time lay ministry in Australia, Ireland, Canada, and Texas. Matthew has been seen or heard on the BBC, EWTN, The Irish Morning Show, and Catholic Answers Live, where he has shared his personal story of sin, redemption, and healing to people all over the world.

Recently, Matthew, his fearless Texan wife, and their three beautiful children (Liam, Avila, and baby on the way) moved to sunny San Diego where Matthew now works as an Apologist and Speaker with Catholic Answers. Matthew best demonstrates his infectious passion for the faith when he speaks about the many wounds that pornography inflicts, the healing that Christ offers in the Sacraments, and the freedom that the Church proposes in Her teachings on the virtue of chastity.

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You can also buy Matthew’s new CD: Taking Down Goliath: Five Strategies To Get Porn Out Of Your Life by clicking here.

Hollywood love is an emotion. It’s something that just happens to you. The focus is not on a commitment to another, but on what is happening inside you – the powerful, good feelings you experience when you’re with this other person. Real love, however, is very different from Hollywood love. Real love requires much effort. It is a virtue that involves sacrifice, responsibility and a total commitment to the other person. – Dr. Edward Sri

Abused to Stripper to RCIA

God is alive my friends; He is truly alive! Today, I fight Him with love is honored to have a guest writer. Below is her inspiring story. May the Father bless her always. And I thank her for her vulnerability and candor.

I want to share my story because other people’s stories encouraged me when I was struggling with doubt and fear. I know from experience those dark moments feel so overwhelming. A big part of the battle is feeling like you’re the only one who is going through it and that no one else can relate or understand. It’s one of Satan’s many lies that alienates us from God’s love.

Made in His Image is such an amazing way for women to unite and to gain strength in a safe and Christian community. Maura asked me to share my story today and I can tell you that I was very excited to do so, because through sharing, those who struggle with the same battles can offer one another hope.

At a very young age of 8, a family member sexually abused me, then a friend, then my father’s friend, soccer coach and so on and so forth. I also discovered a relative’s porn stash when I was about 9 years old and became somewhat fixated and fascinated by it all. And so my addiction to pornography began.

Abuse seemed to just be something that happened to me and though a part of me knew that something was wrong it wasn’t till I left home for college that the damage that it had caused started to surface its ugly head. I realized that those things that had happened to me where wrong and that I probably should talk to someone about it. But I thought, “I’m strong, I can do it, it wasn’t that bad.” And shoved it all down again.  Which just made things worse. In order to rid myself of the pain and loneliness, instead of seeking God, I sought out promiscuous relationships with men desperately wanting to fill the void inside of me that just kept getting bigger. When I was stressed I watched porn and when I felt empty I would binge drink and seek out comfort in one-night stands. Twice I ended drinking so much that I awoke in the hospital. Once I awoke after passing out at a party with some stranger taking advantage of me. I was put on academic probation as I was hardly putting any time into my schoolwork. I struggled with bulimia and anorexia and worked out way more than what would be considered healthy. I was like a speeding car without brakes nearing a cliff. I lied often to cover up my faults and lived this false image of a confident social butterfly, an empowered woman who could have sex without strings attached, as a woman who didn’t need help from anyone. But boy did I ever! But still I didn’t seek help. It had to come to the end of myself.

I never had much money and in attempts to live the lifestyle many of my friends lived I accumulated a lot of debt and was in dire need. One of my friends had a job as a stripper and she talked about it all the time and it wasn’t long before I considered doing the same. I became so desperate, that one evening I drove to that tired looking building, its windows covered in black with several cars parked out front in a grungy alley way. I auditioned and started working that night.  I can’t describe the darkness and emptiness I felt at that point in my life. All those bad choices that I had made, I kept running away from, never owning them or excepting help. I started sleeping with my Bible under my pillow as I became so afraid of the person I’d become. I felt so numb and the things that should have bother me no longer bothered me. It felt as if I’d lost my conscience. I contemplated taking my life but the only thing that kept me from doing so was the pain that it might cause my family. One night after two weeks of working at that horrible place I fell flat on my face in my room and cried for what seemed like hours. And then this incredible peace flooded over me. I prayed like I’d never prayed before and asked for God to help me straighten out my life. I asked for help. And He answered. It wasn’t easy at first, as most of my friends at the time encouraged the lifestyle I had been living. But I started pursuing God and He kept bringing amazing Christians in my life that expressed His love to me. He filled up that void with His love and joy.

It’s been six years since then and let me tell you, looking back at that time seems so surreal! The few close friends that I’ve shared my past with are in disbelief that I had acted in such a way. But let that be hope for you. People can change, and through God’s help and His love I was able to. It wasn’t an instant change.  It was many steps of backtracking and falling and backtracking and falling and reaching out to God and others for help. I still have moments of weakness that I have to battle with prayer and times where I feel doubt and fear that I am this awful person. But no, God has fearfully and wonderfully made me in His Image! He loves me, as I am His child, His heir!  I know at times that darkness just seems impossible to penetrate with light, but with God all things are possible. It just takes that first step and it gets easier with each step forward that we take. No pain or suffering that you’ve experienced is too great or too small. Jesus can heal you. He came into this world to heal the sick, to comfort the poor and to love the sinner.

I’m still on a journey of recovering and healing. I am still learning of God’s love for me. I started attending RCIA this fall and continue to read and discover more about God. I’ve always felt drawn to Saint Mary Magdalene and I pray for her intercession as I continue down this walk in faith that God. I know He is forming me into the woman He created me to be. So please, take hope, no matter what you’re facing, God can renew and revive you. He is our source of life.

Live Interview with Donny Pauling (Ex-Playboy producer).

On September 27, 2011, Matthew Fradd met with Donny Pauling (Ex-Ployboy producer), at York University in Toronto, Canada. Below is the 5 part interview. Matthew Fradd is the president and founder of The Porn Effect.