I feel that news organizations focus strongly upon the bad things that are happening in the world and save only short clips for good things that are happening. I don't think that this is limited to the secular news organizations, for example, the Cardinal Newman Society sends out frequent e-mails that focus on the bad things that Catholic universities are doing and rarely highlight good things that are going on.
I agree that reporting bad news is important for a variety of reasons: raising awareness, informing the public, and encouraging investigation and change among them. However, I think that reporting on and spreading good news about our world is just as important. If all the news we see is bad, we are driven to total despair, which is possibly the worst of all sins. By spreading good news, we are able to show where God's light is shining in our world. We are able to spread ideas to others on how to bring this light to the world. Therefore, I am dedicating this blog post to the beautiful great light I saw shining at Notre Dame a few weeks ago.
The Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame invited four guest speakers to discuss with the community their experience in the pornography industry. Donny Pauling was the first to share his story; he had worked for years in the pornography industry producing a couple million photos and thousands of hours of film. Chrissy Moran is a former pornography star who shared her personal experience of the situation the women are placed in. Sam and Beth Meier are a married couple that persevered through Sam's addiction to pornography.
These speakers spoke about the reality of pornography "on both sides of the screen" as was the punch line. The humility they showed in sharing their deeply personal stories and the role of faith in helping them get out of the cycle absolutely blew me away. I have never heard a more beautiful speech. I was deeply moved by their stories, by seeing the laics in action, and by the hundreds of students that attended this presentation. I hope that this conversation that has begun will continue to be brought to our attention. Pornography is a very awkward subject to discuss, but nothing will change if we continue to keep it in the dark.
For those who are struggling with pornography, you're not alone. About 85% of adult men and 50% of adult women view pornography monthly. I encourage you to watch this video and draw some inspiration from it. Pornography is an addiction, and it takes a lot of hard work to overcome, but these witnesses show that it can be done. Leave this sin at the cross this Good Friday and begin living life anew. I will be praying for you. Do not be discouraged by missteps along the way. God always loves you and continually calls you deeper into his love.
The video is two hours long. I promise you that you will not regret taking the time to watch it and will leave the video changed in some way. Spread the good news. Let this light shine.
Porn on Both Sides of the Screen
"In short, the problem with pornography is not that it shows too much of the person, but that it shows far too little." - John Paul II
Ave Crux, Spes Unica
