Is watching porn in marriage sinful? Ex-porn star Brittani De La Mora and her pastor husband, Richard De La Mora, warned that porn negatively affects the soul and can have negative impacts on the body.
On their “Let’s Talk Purity” podcast, Brittani, who was in the adult film industry for seven years, said porn “is literally a drug” and leads to consuming higher doses to achieve the same results each time it’s used. She said, “Just because something’s available to you doesn’t mean you should utilize it. Just because cigarettes are available doesn’t mean you should smoke them. Just because drugs are available doesn’t mean you should use them. Just because it’s being produced for you, it doesn’t make it good for you.”
She warned, “Porn is, honestly, it’s a gateway. It triggers in your brain the same dopamine receptors as cocaine. So, it’s been proven to be addictive. Discussing porn’s slippery slope, Brittani said, “Just like that first line of coke. It doesn’t fill you anymore. So you have to go do more and more. And it’s the same with porn. You end up getting deeper and deeper into it.”
Richard also spoke negatively of porn, saying it’s a “gateway to pedophilia” and is harmful to a person whether they’re married or not. He said, “You’re objectifying a woman, or you’re objectifying a man. When they do watch pornography, they get these mental images, and oftentimes, they will find themselves undressing a woman or undressing a man in their minds. It’s like, ‘How did your mind get this perverted? How did your mind get this way?’ It’s because of what you’re in-taking. And now, you’re in-taking these images, and these images now are creating false fantasies, especially in your marriage.”
He warned that when men “watch a lot of porn and masturbate, it creates erectile dysfunction. So, it not only affects your soul, but it also affects your body.” Richard noted that porn can also impact a person’s relationship with God “because you can’t even go into a secret place with God without thinking about secret pleasures that you might have, all because pornography is affecting you.”
“This is one of the greatest distractions and traps of the enemy because the enemy wants to put these negative images in you. So, you don’t honor not only God, honor His people, but then you don’t even live a life of purity,” he continued. Brittni added that it’s “understandable” why some people would believe that watching pornography is morally OK or better than committing the physical act of adultery.
However, she said, the Bible teaches an entirely different set of standards for God’s creations, referencing Matthew 5:28, which says, “… anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” She said, “God is a heart person, not just an action person. Because it’s your heart that ultimately determines your actions. God is looking first at your heart.”
Richard advised married listeners who are struggling with porn addiction to try to uncover what the underlying issues are in their relationship and have meaningful conversations to uncover what the “heart issue” is at “the root.”