A letter to my sister

Wishing you were here, to open up a place, 

i miss you, my sister. 

As the years continue and our faces fill with grace, 

I am thankful for the love you continue to hold. 

You always lend an ear for my tears and a laugh 

to help deal with the life we have lived. 

Sister, the distance is great, yet our hearts beat quite the same. 

I am here and you are dear. 

We are forever blessed from our birth until beyond our death. 

Although our mark was made, our beds have been cleansed. 

We were raised to see a shining hope, taught to watch for the King. 

Sister, don't forget our mothers love nor our fathers teachings. 

Jehovah Jireh, our provider, his grace is sufficient for me……

for me……for me! Listen & you will hear the Lamb! 

Adonai, El Shaddai, Immanuel, YES, God is with us!

Is Pornography For You?

Abstract
The following paper contains statistics on pornography that may enlighten you to how it is exposed and to whom it is exposed. It will inform you what pornography is and may challenge you to view it in a different light. Pornography is easily available with the technology of today, thus populating like obesity has over the past decade. Some portray pornography as fun and as a bonus to their lifestyle, as others view it as demeaning and obscene.
Sex sells, as we witness current commercials and local advertisements, yet does this make it right? Pornography is free on the internet, so does this quench the thirst for those that seek it? The real question is: Is Pornography For You? Ponder these questions as you read through the following.

Is Pornography For You? 

Pornography, the word itself provides different thoughts and feelings to every individual.
According to Human Sexuality(3rd edition) by Roger R. Hock, pornography, in legal terms, is any sexually explicit work deemed obscene according to legal criteria and therefore exempt from freedom of speech protections. Oxford dictionary defines pornography as printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings. There are many recent facts and studies on pornography, labeling some of the statistics will assist in understanding peoples views and the impact it has in our society. Pornography is a debatable subject, morals and the constitution come into question here. There are those that argue pornography is freedom of speech, or of the press, pertaining to The First Amendment to the Constitution. Yet, there are inconsistencies involved with such arguments such as defamation of another's character and obscenity.
Researchers have found a difference between pornography and erotica. Erotica has been labeled as “sexual sharing” and pornography as “sexual using.” In erotica individuals are freely and equally making a choice to engage in sexual exercises together. Pornography can be described as “raw sex” but, erotica claims to go beyond that with psychological and emotional factors.
Some women see pornography as degrading and demeaning women, portraying women as slaves, playthings for men to use and discard. Catherine MacKinnon (University of Michigan) advocates that pornography is a weapon that discriminates against women and justifies a culture of rape.
Who has the right to decide where the line is drawn when it comes to obscenity, pornography, and erotica? This is the constant controversy over the effects of pornography. Congress has left it in the hands of individual states.
• Sunday, the day of rest and the day Americans attend church, is the most popular day of the week for viewing porn. (Essert, 2014)

• 77% of Americans view pornography at least once a month. (Essert, 2014)
  
• Twelve percent of websites on-line are pornographic, that is approximately 24,644,172 sites. This might lead to the fact why 34% of internet users have experienced unwanted exposure to porn (pop up ads, misdirected links or emails). (Essert, 2014)
  
• Every second $3,075.64 is spent on pornography, thats $2.84 billion every year in the United States. (Essert, 2014)
  
• Pornography related searches on the internet tally 68 million per day, that's 25% of all search engine requests. (Essert, 2014)
  
• Americans make up 40 million (12% of the population) of regular visitors for porn sites.
  
• The United States is the top producer of pornographic DVDs and web material; the second
  largest is Germany: they each produce in excess of 400 porn films for DVD every week.
  
• Teenagers around the world report using porn to gain information about real life sex.
  
• A Google Trends analysis indicates that searches for “Teen Porn” have more than tripled
  between 2005-2013, and teen porn was the fastest-growing genre over this period. Total searches for teen-related porn reached an estimated 500,000 daily in March 2013, for larger than other genres, representing approximately one-third of total daily searches for pornographic web sites. (Dines, 2013)
  
• Child pornography searches equal 116,000 per day, 20% of all internet pornography involves children. (Essert, 2014)
  
• Children as young as 11 years old are regularly accessing hardcore gonzo pornography. (IFR, 2006)
  
  These facts are just the tip of the iceberg, with so much information accessible through computers, smart phones, iPads, mobile devices, etc, temptation is not temptation anymore, its gluttony. We live in an electronic nation that has produced an electronic lifetime. Remember the Disney movie 'Wall-E'? Everyone was addicted to an electronic chair that provided electronic pleasure, no one had to walk or move about, everything was provided at their fingertips and their minds were stimulated by their devices. Life was no longer life, people forgot what fresh air was and lost reality. Things like running, playing in the grass, interacting with other people was non-existent. The people on the ship became dull and numb to real life, they were lethargic and desensitized to feeling due to the overstimulation from the electronics. I believe the same can happen with sex. The more its looked at, the less attractive it becomes unless there is something new, exciting, or different to do. Pornography pretends to open up a new world of creativity, yet it can cause more damage than good by challenging people to want more. Addictions start and unrealistic sexual expectations and explorations begin, misdirecting the source of longing. Emotional and spiritual growth are hindered, reality is lost and emptiness sets in. Porn disrupts the mind, like greed, it never can satisfy the true self that we all long for as the human race. It can only lead to suffering because its physical, like the saying “beauty is fleeting” from Proverbs 31:30, “sex is fleeting.” This too shall pass because it has no real substance, it may feel good for the moment but, eventually it fades like the grass and the flowers.

The statistics shared above are just that: numbers. The numbers are people, and every person has a name, and every name matters (wether that person knows it or not). Their life is important and there is so much more to that person than sex.
Sex does sell, with the sex industry as the largest and most profitable industry in the world, there is definitely money to be made. The more sex is offered, the more it will desensitize us by decreased empathy for rape victims, decreased sexual interest in our spouses, and possible increasingly aggressive behavioral tendencies(studies have shown this in men). I don't agree with pornography, sex is natural, it happens yet, I don't condone in selling it. With Sexually Transmitted Infections on the rise and the strive for physical perfection among our teens, there needs to be more than “the feel good drug” of sex.

References
Hock, Roger R., (2012). Human Sexuality (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Fowler, F. G., H. W. Fowler, and George Van Santvoord. The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English. New York: Oxford UP, 1927. Print.
Essert, Matt. "14 Mind-Blowing Facts About Porn in America." Http://www.policymic.com. N.p., 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Bridges, A., & Wosnitzer, R. (2007). Aggression and sexual behavior in best-selling pornography: A content analysis update. International Communication Association.
Gahyun, Y., & Yang, D. (2012). Effects of exposure to pornography on male aggressive behavioral tendencies. The Open Psychology Journal, (5), 1-10.
Pornhub. 2013 Year in Review. Pornhub, Web. in-review/>.
Malamuth, N. (1986). Repeated exposure to violent and nonviolent pornography: Likelihood of raping ratings and laboratory aggression against women. Aggressive Behavior, 12(2), 129–137.
Carroll, J. S., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Nelson, L. J., Olson, C. D., McNamara Barry, C., Madsen, S. D., (2008). Generation XXX: Pornography acceptance and use among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23(1), 6-30.
Paintbottle. (2013). Everyone you know watches porn. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/03/internet-porn-stats_n_3187682.html
Internet Filter Review (2006). Internet pornography statistics. Retrieved from http://internet-filter- review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. (2013). Key facts. Retrieved from

http://www.missingkids.com/KeyFacts
Flood, M., (2009). The harms of pornography exposure among children and young people . Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society.
Bridges, A. (2006). Pornography's effects on interpersonal relationships. Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas.
Dines, G. (2013, August 01). A rare defeat for corporate lobbyists. Retrieved from http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/01/a-rare-defeat-for-corporate-lobbyists/
Sex Tracker. (2012). Stats. Retrieved from www.sextracker.com