Is the Fight Against Porn Only Religious?

Due to our sexualized culture, it’s easy to think that arguments for healthy intimacy and against pornography are only made by religious organizations. For instance, when talking about the sex addiction movement, psychologist Dr. David Ley says:

“Most of the leaders of the sex addiction movement are themselves recovering supposed sex addicts and religious folks. That’s fine, it’s fine for them to be advocating, but what they’re advocating for is a moral system, not a medical one.” (This quote from Tracy Clark-Flory’s article “Don’t Believe the Sex Addiction Hype” appears in The Porn Myth by Matt Fradd.)

Is what Dr. Ley said true? Are Christians and other religions with strong sexual and moral systems the only ones fighting against pornographic harm?

Let’s find out.

3 Secular Organizations Fighting Against Porn

The following are just three of many secular organizations that exist to fight pornography because of its relational harm and sexual exploitation.

1. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is a non-profit organization leading the way in national awareness. They’ve labeled pornography a national health crisis and have opened up a Law Center to combat the detrimental harm of pornography. Each year they also create a Dirty Dozen list, where they name and shame twelve companies that profit from sexual exploitation.

In fact, NCOSE’s Dirty Dozen List is the reason Walmart no longer sells Cosmo Magazine–a magazine endeavoring to teach their readers about casual, fun sex–in their checkout lines. NCOSE confronts companies like Google and Netflix by challenging their content and platform filters.

2. Enough Is Enough

Enough Is Enough is a secular activist organization whose first goal is to combat internet pornography. Thanks to this organization, companies like Starbucks and McDonalds no longer allow the use of pornography on their WIFI networks. This has gone a long way in helping to protect our kids from explicit content and from guarding against public internet abuse.

In fact, the work of Enough Is Enough and NCOSE have encouraged states, such as Florida, Utah, and more, to declare pornography a public health risk.

3. Fight the New Drug

Fight the New Drug (FTND) is another organization committed to fighting pornography—porn being the new cultural drug. FTND has nearly four million social media followers. They create awareness apparel and publish news articles, interviews, and research about pornography and its immeasurable damage to individuals and society.

When it comes to social awareness, Fight the New Drug is leading the way in educating the world about the harm caused by porn.

The Fight Against Porn Crosses Religious Affiliation

Pornography rips husbands and wives apart from each other, it tears mothers and fathers from their children, and it stunts relational growth between individuals. Across the board, pornography has been shown to be deeply harmful. Organizations like the ones mentioned above are responding to the research and are working to create a healthy sexual ethic built on safe intimacy and healthy families.

These organizations and so many others help us to see the detriment of porn and that the fight against porn is not merely a religious battle. Organizations all over the world exist to fight pornography because of the direct links between pornography and sex trafficking, relational abuse and exploitation, as well as pornography’s damage upon personal health.

The Call to Partnership

Jesus made the statement, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Jesus calls us to partner with those who fight for the dignity of others. In this fight for human dignity, Christians are not alone and the fight for human dignity is not simply a religious one. On the flip-side, secular organizations are not alone as they fight for what research and intuition continues to show us: human beings are made for safe intimacy.

The natural revelations of science, relationships, and conscience bear witness to the special revelation of Scripture that sex is intimate and powerful. When used rightly, sex carries the ability to create life, and when used incorrectly, it can enslave an entire culture.

Your fight against pornography, toward a beautiful sexual ethic, is a fight being fought across generational, cultural, and religious boundaries. You are not alone and your purity matters.

Shane O’Neill is the Editorial Director for Proven Men Ministries, a non-profit, sexual integrity organization that partners with individuals, churches, and organizations to see men, women, and families discover Jesus’ freedom. Shane is currently working on a graduate degree in apologetics at Liberty University’s Rawling School of Divinity.