By David Randall
Why is it a problem at BYU?
Explaining pornography at BYU may be difficult when considering the nature of the student body and community.
Most students, including pornography addicts, are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and many have served two-year church missions.
Yet when considering the accessibility of pornographic material and prevalence of the material in society it may not be so difficult.
“Pornography is a universal problem, even as pride is a universal sin,” said Ed Pinegar, president of a student church stake. “Many people both in an outside the church, suffer with pornography.”
Rick Moody, a counselor in the BYU Counseling and Career Center, said many of the cases that come through the counseling center are people who have had a long history of pornography use dating back to adolescence.
He said that while many are often able to control the problem enough to serve a mission, it surfaces again once they are at school with a high stress level, away from the structure a mission provides.
“When they come home no one is looking over their shoulder telling them where they need to be or where they need to go,” Moody said. “If they have had a problem before it can really come back more forcefully.”
Randy Bott, a mission preparation instuctor, said that BYU students can be particular targets for temptations such as pornography because of spiritual covenants they have made.
Bott, who teaches 1,000 missionary preparation students each semester, and who has served as a mission president, said essentially once students have made covenants and become missionaries, they have a target painted on their chest, and Satan works extra hard to distract them from righteousness.
“I think they overestimate their ability to resist temptation,” Bott said of returned missionaries. “The target is still painted on their chest and sooner or later the adversary has them by the throat.”
Timothy Adams, sex therapy specialist for The Gathering Place, a non-profit therapy organization in Orem, said pornography addiction can tend to be a problem that surfaces within religious communities, not because they are worse than other communities, but because people get addicted to only to pornography rather than worse things.
He also said the internet plays a major role in facilitating pornography addiction, because it gives access to pornography that individuals might never have had otherwise, because they would be too embarrassed to go to an adult theater or rent an explicit film.
Where can students turn for help?
There are several organizations, some of which have already been mentioned, that can provide support for students struggling with pornography. Bishops and the Counseling and Career Center, are probably the first line of defense for most.
While sources may not agree on which organizations should be used, or in which order they should be consulted, one common piece of advice is seems to be to recognize the problem and get it out in the open with someone.
“When people keep a problem like this secret they give it more power,” Moody said. “They are only left to their own interpretation of their situation … usually people are surprised at how supportive others can be.”
Deborah Blickfeldt, president of a BYU anti-pornography club, agreed.
“Tell your bishop, tell your parents or tell someone you really trust,” she said. “Secrecy is the lifeblood of addiction,” she added, borrowing a phrase she has heard many times at anti-pornography conferences.
Adams and others affirmed that no matter how depraved or addicted someone may feel, there is a way out if they seek help, but the road is not easy.
In a summary of the effect of pornography, Cline said, “this is a difficult addiction/illness to treat and quite resistant to achieving sobriety. Self control, self discipline, willpower and just wanting to quit – rarely work by themselves.”
Cline recommends that addicts work with a counselor experienced in the field of sex addiction and attend a 12-step group meeting such as Sexaholics Anonymous.
At least three such groups meetings exist in Provo and meet on a weekly basis. Information on their times and locations can be found at www.ldsr.org. The Web site is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but shares experiences and information about sex addiction from an LDS perspective.
Moody recommends that students start with their ecclesiastical leaders when it comes to handling pornography problems. He said most of the students who come to the counseling center have already been to see their bishop.
However, Adams cautions against relying too heavily on help from bishops and other church leaders.
He said addictions should be treated much the same way other medical emergencies, such as a broken arm, are treated.
“In the vast majority of cases, (ecclesiastical help) needs to be combined with professional treatment,” he said. “It makes me frustrated when people judge the problems associated with addiction as less important than a broken arm.”
