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I. Introduction
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
II. The Beauty and Vocation of the
Human Person in Christ
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Created in the Image of God and Called to Love. . . . . . . 3
The Gift and Language of the Body. . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Chastity: A Healthy Vision of Human Sexuality . . . . . . . 4
Sin and Redemption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
III. Shedding Light on the Sin of Pornography
. . . . . . . . . 6
Defining Pornography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Why Pornography Is an Offense Against
Chastity and Human Dignity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Effects of Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Pornography’s Link to Other Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
IV. The Cultural Pervasiveness of Pornography:
Landscape and Trends
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
A Range of Victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Pervasive Visibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Acceptability and the Myth of Harmlessness . . . . . . . . 12
Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
An Industry of Sin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Users and Increasing Vulnerability . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
V. A Closer Look at the Effects of Pornography
. . . . . . . .14
Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Addiction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Children and Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Marriage and Future Marriages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Parenting and the Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
VI. The Church as a “Field Hospital”:
Mercy, Healing, and Hope Through Christ
. . . . . . . .19
To Those Exploited by the Pornography Industry. . . . . . .20
Contents