If you’re going to use the internet, it is ESSENTIAL that you use an effective filtering device. Otherwise you don’t stand a chance at recovery. A recovering alcoholic doesn’t keep a stash of beer or wine in his/her refrigerator. A recovering cocaine addict doesn’t keep cocaine powder around. You remove the addictive substance/option from you as far as you are able. If you don’t, then there is an unwillingness to abandon the sinful behavior. I’d go as far to say that using a filtering device or eliminating internet usage altogether is an absolute prerequisite to genuine repentence from pornography. It’s necessary for a firm purpose of amendment.
Once again, I just wanted to drop a line here. I am also recovering. I also use the internet frequently, both at the office and at home on my personal laptop.
My road to recovery did not include any filters, administrators, or other form of artificial oversight. So, I know firsthand that one can recover without such measures. So please do not say that “you don’t stand a chance at recovery”…without “an effective filtering device.”
I agree whole heartedly that a recovering addict must dispose of his stash. So, an alcoholic must pour out his drinks. A cocaine addict must destroy or dispose of his powder/crack. A porn addict must delete his porn folders from his hard drive and porn sites from his “favorites” folder. Etc. BUT the internet is not a “stash”. Instead, the internet is like a city with its good and bad corners. You cannot filter the bad corners.
In my opinion, such measures do not address the problem: the desire to look at porn.
Thus, you still commit a mortal sin when you attempt to look at porn on the internet but are prevented from viewing the porn by a filter. To continue my analogy, you still commit a mortal sin by getting into your car, and driving down to the bad corner (i.e. looking for hookers) only to find that the city erected a giant wall around the bad corner. Note, you can still be arrested for attempted solicitation.
Thus, Mortal sin consists of the intent and the action to further the intent, whether or not you achieve the fruits of your action. After all, porn websites or images do not pop-up during usual web browsing. (If they do, then you have a computer virus and should get your computer checked. I once ran into a virus while surfing for porn sites that destroyed my computer.) You have to look for them: type in an address, click on a link in a clearly dubious email. Now, if you use a search engine to search images (such as Google) and search almost any non-pornographic topic you may find yourself viewing pornographic or indecent materials. Only THEN does a filter work. But this too takes away responsibility. The solution is to be careful in your search, be aware of what may come up, and when something comes up…turn the page…avert your eyes.
Now, here’s my take on the alcoholic analogy. To quit an addiction to alcohol, you stop going to bars. Thus, if you use the internet solely to view porn, you stop using the internet. However, the alcoholic does not stop going to the grocery store that also sells alcohol. He does not have a supervisor with him or a “filter” that stops him from seeing the alcohol. Instead, he avoids the aisles that contain alcohol. If he must go into such an aisle, he averts his eyes from the alcohol and does not stay any longer than necessary. The same applies to internet usage. You can use the internet without any filters. Just don’t go looking for pornographic materials.
We cannot treat porn like smoking. You cannot go “cold turkey” and be cured. It is not based solely on chemical reactions and dependency. It includes mental reformation and discipline.
Knowing that I can use the internet without going to certain sites is empowering for me. We live in a very sexualized society. We cannot filter those around us at the malls and other arenas. Instead, we must learn to resist the temptation. We must learn to “not look.” This skill cannot be learned (in my experience) when there’s a filter in place.
