by Sam Meier
This past summer, my wife and I had the opportunity to speak at a Catholic conference along with a former Playboy photographer, a former pornography star, and an Ivy League psychologist.
The event was organized by Steve Bollman, who founded a large Catholic ministry called That Man is You! that is thriving in our area and throughout the country.
Donny Pauling had earned up to $50,000 per month as a producer and photographer for Playboy magazine and several other pornography companies before his miraculous conversion. He spoke about the physical and sexual abuse that often takes place on set during the filming of pornography, which is edited from the final product. Pauling admitted that he would threaten to not pay women until the pornographic scenes looked convincing. He said there were times when women had to be taken to the hospital after being filmed to surgically repair the damage that had been done to their bodies.
A beautiful woman named Christina gave a heartbreaking testimony about her modeling in pornographic movies, along with her inspiring conversion story. Christina would drive home sobbing after being filmed in pornographic scenes. She broke down crying during the conference and said, “I wanted someone to rescue me.”
Dr. Mary Anne Layden, an internationally respected psychologist from the University of Pennsylvania, discussed pornography’s effects on the brain and marital intimacy. A short video with some of the most emotional parts of this conference was recently posted on YouTube and is linked on the home page of our Web site at: www. LoveIsFaithful.com. The two to three hours of DVD footage for the entire conference is available by contacting That Man is You.
The truth about pornography needs to be exposed, and we need more stories from people who have broken out of the industry, along with practical ways to protect families and heal marriages. One of the best antidotes to pornography is a collection of new Catholic teachings on sex, love, and marriage. Catholic resources about sex have exploded in the last 10-15 years thanks to Pope John Paul II, who wrote nearly two thirds of what the church has ever taught about sex and marriage in the theology of the body (TOB).
There are TOB classes at many local Catholic churches, and many youth ministers are using TOB resources to help their teens understand God’s amazing plan for sexuality. We have put several links on our site to incredible CDs, books, and Web sites: PureLoveClub.com, imagodei-tob.org, TheologyOfTheBody.net, and ChristopherWest.com.
I will spend time in future columns writing more about TOB and ways to experience better intimacy. Despite the darkness of pornography in our culture, I have great hope for the future.
