SHELBY — According to a proclamation issued by Shelby mayor Steve Schag, Pornography Awareness Week started when one Pennsylvania woman heard a sermon against pornography in 1987 and decided to mobilize citizens and churches in her community to combat the pornography industry.
Locally the City of Shelby first recognized the week in 2016.
One year prior, area pastors from 66 congregations throughout Richland County, Ohio called for a day of prayer, repentance, and fasting from the sin of immorality which included the “use of pornography.”
Two of those clergy from that collaboration were present at city council when Mayor Schag presented the proclamation.
“Three quarters of the folks I see with marriage issues have pornography issues as well,” says Reverend Kevin Evans of Ganges Liberty Baptist, located at 1248 Ganges East Road. Evans has been a pastor for 34 years and also serves as a counselor for Come to the Well Counseling. “The dysfunction pornography brings to individuals is profoundly devastating. The lives of those surrounded by the person with pornography addiction also suffer.
“As a result, the building block of society-the family, is torn apart and poverty eventually knocks on the door.”
The proclamation claims that the pornography industry annually makes more money off of addicts than the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball combined. Due to excessive social costs, seven states have officially declared pornography a dangerous epidemic and a public health crisis.
“Do I believe that we have a public health crisis regarding pornography? Yes I do,” says Reverend Walter Keib of Shelby First Baptist at 185 South Gamble Street. “Statistics show that rape rates are highest where laws governing pornography are least restrictive. As a husband of forty-eight years, I have seen people in the church delivered from this heinous addiction.”
Both pastors believe the “Porn Pandemic” has contributed to the denigration of women, to human trafficking, and to violence against women and children.
Ten municipalities and 13 townships inside Richland County passed restrictive laws in 2009-2010 regulating businesses selling pornography that not only provides state indemnification for local governments in the event of litigation, but also include restrictions thru zoning, licensing, isolation distances, and hours of operation.
Corporate giants like McDonalds, Starbucks and Hilton Hotels now block pornography from their WiFi networks and video on demand in response to public requests. This past year the sex ads website backpage.com was shut down by federal authorities.
“Do we have the fortitude to stamp out this scourge that is destroying our families and wreaking havoc on our society?” asks Evans. “Something has drastically gone awry when society censors religious content but approves pornographic content. On the whole, churches across this nation have allowed heaven to be censored by hell.”
“I remember in 2008 when a strip club one mile away from our church was shut down,” Keib said. “It wasn’t until our community said ‘enough,’ that the club shut down. Most certainly, the pornography industry metastasizes when good people remain silent.”
