Pornography destroys families

Did you know that 12 percent to 15 percent of all websites are pornographic? It is becoming so prevalent that you almost can't avoid it.

Thirty years ago, the U.S. porn industry brought in $75 million in revenue; it has since grown to $13.3 billion. By comparison, Major League Baseball makes $7 billion, t he NFL $9 billion, and the NBA $5 billion. Pornography also doesn't have any of the prime-time advertising, big-time merchandising, or the massive arenas.

This isn't just affecting adults; it is savaging our young people. The average age that children first see porn is 11; 70 percent to 80 percent of 15- to 17-year-old children accidentally see porn on the net. One survey said that more than half of our youth deceive their parents (and themselves) about porn, as they are able to get it so easily; then it preys on their curiosity, and pulls them into a horrific quagmire.

Sex addition is like heroin addiction. Pornography destroys families, the strength of any nation, and thus it destroys entire nations. We sin against our children and our own people by allowing it to happen.

Wendell E. Carr

Ottumwa