Deception

Dear Brother,

If one of the adversaries titles is "the Great Deceiver," I have no problem in calling pornography his greatest deception. Look at all five of these definitions for the word 'deceive' and tell me that it does not describe pornography perfectly:

1. ensnare

2. a: to be false to b: to fail to fulfill

3. cheat

4. to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid

5. to while away

Pornography has ensnared us, has failed to fail our needs, has caused us to be false to our selves and others, has cheated us and caused us to cheat others, has shown us images that we have accepted as true but are false and invalid (see the clip below), has caused us to while away the precious gift of time. We have been deceived in so many ways--from the pictures we see, to the emotions we have felt, to how we have treated ourselves and those we love most.

In the most recent general conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard compared addiction to fly-fishing. He stated:

The goal of the fly fisherman is to catch trout through skillful deception. The adept fisherman studies trout behavior, weather, the water current, and the types of insects trout eat and when those insects hatch. He will often craft by hand the lures he uses. He knows these artificial insects embedded with tiny hooks need to be a perfect deception because the trout will identify even the slightest flaw and reject the fly.

He goes on to say:

Like the fly fisherman who knows that trout are driven by hunger, Lucifer knows our “hunger,” or weaknesses, and tempts us with counterfeit lures which, if taken, can cause us to be yanked from the stream of life into his unmerciful influence. And unlike a fly fisherman who catches and releases the fish unharmed back into the water, Lucifer will not voluntarily let go. His goal is to make his victims as miserable as he is.

The porn industry thrives on counterfeits. They nip this, tuck that, pile make-up over the top of all of it, and then finish it off by a heavy dose of Photoshop to smudge out leftover wrinkles, shrink bulging love handles, and enlarge lips so that before your eyes you see the perfect woman that only seems to exist on the page. A hand-crafted deception is made that lures us in. We are deceived in thinking that is what beauty means. But the hook that is embedded hurts because we knew better than to look. Satan deceives us through shameful feelings that tell us that we are our mistakes and that no one can truly love us because of our defects. As we buy into that deception, we create our own deception so that we won't be caught or discovered. Deception leads to deception.

Brother, please know that hope is not lost!

If anyone who is addicted has a desire to overcome, then there is a way to spiritual freedom—a way to escape from bondage—a way that is proven. It begins with prayer—sincere, fervent, and constant communication with the Creator of our spirits and bodies, our Heavenly Father. It is the same principle in breaking a bad habit or repenting from sin of any kind. The formula for having our heart, our body, our mind, and our spirit transformed is found in the scriptures.

The prophet Mormon counseled us: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love … ; that ye may become the sons of God; … that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48).
This and many other scriptures testify to us there is hope for the addicted, and this hope comes through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and by humbling oneself before God, pleading to be freed of the bondage of addiction and offering our whole soul to Him in fervent prayer. (Elder M. Russell Ballard, Nov. 2010 Ensign)

I personally know that through the Savior, you will learn to see through the deceptions that face you if you will turn to Him to him in prayer.

 Affectionately,