To learn more about what is going on between Pornhub and sex trafficking, we encourage you to read Part 1 here.
Porn fuels sex trafficking. But what fuels porn? Lust is one obvious answer. But there’s a second culprit that’s equally to blame, particularly when we think about the porn industry as a whole: greed.
The Two-Headed Monster of Greed and Lust
The Apostle Paul refers to the connection between greed and lust repeatedly throughout the New Testament, and especially in Ephesians 4:19, “They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.”
In the original language “with desire for more and more” is literally “in greediness.” Written almost 2000 years ago, Paul’s words perfectly describe the dynamics at work in the modern porn industry:
1. A hardhearted callousness toward the victims of sexual exploitation
2. Giving themselves over to every possible form of degrading lust
3. A love of money that turns this into a self-perpetuating cycle
The heart of Big Porn is greed. And Pornhub has demonstrated how the toxic combination of greed and lust creates a powerful two-head monster. This monster is responsible for all kinds of evil—including sex trafficking.
Chopping Off the Head
How do you fight a monster like this?
The figurehead of Big Porn, Pornhub, is a business that has long used the power of lust to fuel its greed. However, because their business partners are taking a stand against sex trafficking, Pornhub is in very real danger of going broke.
News broke that Visa and MasterCard have severed their business relationship with Pornhub, and are no longer processing payments or the porn giant. This comes a year after PayPal stopped supporting payments to porn models.
The big gears of the money-printing factory that is Pornhub are grinding to a halt and could stop altogether.
Anti-porn advocacy groups have long used a combination of social and legal pressures. This has included everything from protesting adult stores, persuading Walmart to stop putting objectionable magazines in the checkout aisle, and high-profile lawsuits that have pushed businesses to change their policies.
However, the recent developments with Pornhub reveal what may be the industry’s greatest weakness: its heart of greed. By attacking the cash flow, one of the two heads of Big Porn is severely wounded.
Making It Personal
PayPal, MasterCard, and Visa have taken big steps here against porn and sex trafficking. We should follow their example.
In Colossians 3:5 Paul says, “Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.”
Paul’s command to “put to death” is directed at the twin heads of lust and greed in our personal lives. Here are some simple, practical steps that you can take to chop off porn’s head of greed!
1. Thank Visa and MasterCard for having the courage to stand up to Big Porn, and encourage them to keep doing more. You can use this form from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
2. Find an ally to keep you accountable in your commitment to stay away from porn.
3. Block and report ads with pornographic content. You can do this on major websites such as Google and Facebook.
4. Check out this article from our friends at Fight the New Drug for more information on how to combat sex trafficking.
