Pornography robs perspective, Spirit
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Describing a trap used by Caribbean fishermen, Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Seventy likened it to "a spiritual snare today called pornography" and warned, "Like any trap it is easy to enter but difficult to escape."
"Some rationalize that they can casually view pornography without suffering its adverse effects. They say initially, 'This isn't so bad,' or 'Who cares? It won't make any difference,' or 'I'm just curious.' But they are mistaken."
Speaking in the priesthood session, Elder Clayton told the Old Testament story of David, who "looked at Bathsheba, lusted after her, and lost the Spirit. How different the rest of David's life might have been if he had just looked away."
He noted that along with losing the Spirit, pornography users lose perspective and proportion. "Like King David, they try to conceal their sin, forgetting that nothing is hidden from the Lord (2 Nephi 27:27). Real consequences start to accumulate as self-respect ebbs away, sweet relationships sour, marriages wither and innocent victims begin to pile up. Finding that what they have been viewing no longer satisfies, they experiment with more extreme images. They slowly grow addicted even if they don't know it and, like David, their behavior deteriorates as their moral standards disintegrate."
Elder Clayton remarked, "Popularity according to the world's prevailing norms is a very perilous scale to use to measure what's right or even what's not dangerous. A movie or television show may be well-known and well-liked by millions of viewers, and nevertheless portray images and conduct that are pornographic. If something in a movie 'isn't too bad,' that automatically means that it isn't too good either. Thus, the fact that others watch movies or open Web sites that aren't appropriate is no excuse for us. Priesthood holders' lives should emulate the standards of the Savior and His Church, not the standards of the world."
