Why? (Part 2)

Why? (Part 2)

I credit Relevant magazine with help on this article.

The most common addiction among spiritual leaders is pornography, although substance abuse is just as gripping in its consequences. 40 percent of evangelical Protestant leaders in the U.S. struggle with pornography. Whatever the substance, the nature of addiction is relatively universal in how it develops, takes control and bears consequences.

Addiction among pastors is rarely seen or heard of, but when it does get out, it stirs shock and anger in loved ones. Fear and shame drive the addiction into secrecy where it thrives. In this hidden vault of guilt, addiction is preserved until a catalyst forces it out, but it’s a problem far larger than the individual.

-Shame is often both the consequence of giving in to an addiction the last time, as well as the precondition for giving in to it next time, resulting in more shame.

-Shame, defined by personal and collective expectations, pushes addiction to seemingly hopeless depths. It’s this psychology, assumed by both pastors and their community, that must be critically examined to unravel addiction’s tight coils.

Addiction comes in many forms: pills, liquids, powders and pixels, but one doesn’t simply fall victim once these things rear their ugly head. One accepts them as small seeds and hates them once they grow larger than the afflicted imagines they ever would. Eventually, an addicted person realizes they’re no longer in control and that their ability to resist is gone despite their deepest desires to rid themselves of this routine sin.

We can understand when addiction arises from medicinal drugs, creating a dependency. But why can’t people just quit watching porn?

Here are some some biological facts. 

-The addictive “high” is produced by four chemicals: serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and norepinephrine. 

Many drugs artificially induce the release of these chemicals, and your brain develops tolerance with extended use, and as tolerance is increased, the brain begins to believe it needs more to create the same initial effect. Pornography stimulates similar euphoric reactions, but the addiction itself is largely psychological.

-The preconditions for addiction begin early through a childhood trauma or an early start with pornography often resonates into adulthood. 

Maturation, marriage, family and work can straighten out bad habits, but the urges may already be hardwired at this point and harder to resist.

-Porn taps into physical and emotional desires, spiritual leaders are surprisingly susceptible.

The media is quick to publicize pastors caught in a moment of hypocrisy. Names like Ted Haggard and Eddie Long in recent years lend ammunition to anti-religious groups and shame Christians worldwide, and perhaps the pastors who struggle with pornography are afraid they’re no better.

Should all pastors who struggle with addictions be compared to these sensational figures? 

Absolutely not, but public reaction to Christian hypocrisy certainly doesn’t help pastors admit their wrongs and seek recovery. Fear of losing their position as a pastor, disgracing the Christian faith and endangering family life drive their addiction into secrecy and often lends itself to an even greater tragedy when it is discovered.