Many are those studies and research that deals with the subject of pornography and its various effects on human aspects, and it is natural that these studies address their health and mental effects, but what is surprising is the existence of a relationship between pornographic follow-up and the level of religiosity in humans.
A new study by American researchers reported that watching porn movies more than once a week enhances the religious commitment of the people who watch them. The reason for this, according to the researchers, is that these people feel that they have committed a great sin, and so they come close to the religion and use prayer and perform other religious duties to get rid of feelings of guilt.
During the study, Dr. Samuel Berry has been analyzing data for nearly 1,300 Americans over a 6-year period, seeking to discover how pornography affects the religious aspect of them, and Berry says in his interview with The Independent:
“It became clear to us that frequent viewing of pornographic films pushes a person to adhere to prayer, and worship places more frequently than people who watch porn movies moderately. People who watched it for one or more times a week during 2006, later it became clear after six years that they had increased their eagerness to perform the rituals Religious compared to those who watch it once or less per month. ”
On the other hand, the scientific study published in the Journal of Sex Research concluded with other more logical results, regarding the traditional aversion to religious pornography, as it showed that people who refrained from viewing pornography were more pious, and less skeptical about their religious beliefs. Generally, the study confirmed a direct correlation between watching pornography a few times a month and the low rate of religiosity in people over time, as their prayers decreased and their attendance to places of worship decreased.
These results were in line with Perry's expectations, who commented on this matter:
"American religious people believe that pornography contradicts their view of sexual ethics, which poses a major dilemma for them, especially for people who watch it consistently."
But, unlike what one might imagine, Dr. Perry discovered that the spiritual side and religious suspicions of people who are pursuing pornography at high levels (once or more per week) have decreased, compared to those who follow it in moderation.
Dr. Perry has formulated several theories to explain this, most of which are due to the guilt of people when watching these materials, because people who are addicted to pornography return to religion in pursuit of repentance and remorse, and Perry completes his speech explaining that these people view their religious rituals as means of compensation Of the disobedience they committed when they viewed such pornography, but in other cases their commitment to religious rites may be due to their lack of guilt as a result of combining it with watching pornographic films.
Dr. Perry explains this idea:
“People who are addicted to pornography are reaching a stage when they are able to separate religion and porn within their minds, no longer causing any cognitive dissonance. Also, they may have become accustomed to following pornography so that it becomes a routine for them, such as: cleaning teeth or exercising, and this explains, of course, why they seem religious even in light of their addiction to it.
In conclusion, Dr. Perry confirms that his study has never concluded that religiosity is a reason for people to pursue pornography, but rather indicates the surprising and surprising demand among those who follow these subjects for the performance of religious rites.
