WHEREAS, Pornography is a major contributor to deviant sexual behavior and acts of sexual violence; and
WHEREAS, Viewing pornography creates sexual addiction in some people; and
WHEREAS, Pornography reduces people to objects for selfish pleasure; and
WHEREAS, Pornography devastates the relationship between husbands and wives and between adults and children; and
WHEREAS, Pornography violates God’s design of sexual union between a man and a woman in a committed marital relationship (Genesis 2:18-25; Proverbs 5:15-23); and
WHEREAS, Jesus said that anyone who lusts after a woman commits adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28); and
WHEREAS, Internet pornography is a growing multi-billion dollar-per-year industry; and
WHEREAS, The Internet has become a primary vehicle for the spread of pornography; and
WHEREAS, Pornography is easily accessible over the Internet by children and adults and has reached into our churches, our homes, and even our parsonages; and
WHEREAS, People can access pornography at many of our nation’s public libraries, creating the likelihood that children will view this material; and
WHEREAS, Some Internet service providers incorporate links to pornography on their home pages, demonstrating a lack of concern for the destructive effects of pornography on individuals and society; and
WHEREAS, People are viewing pornography while at work, robbing their employers of time and productivity and creating a dangerous sexual environment in the workplace; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 12-13, 2001, deplore the blatant disregard for moral values and decency and the total disrespect for God’s design of sexual intimacy exhibited by those who produce and convey pornography; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to pursue lives of sexual purity in thought and action (1 Corinthians 6:18) and that we encourage all Christians to make this same commitment (Philippians 4:8); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage all churches in the Southern Baptist Convention to observe Social Issues Sunday on August 5, 2001, or some other day of their choice, to address the problems of pornography; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge our churches to include education about the dangers of pornography as part of their ongoing church ministries and to avail themselves of materials such as those provided by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; and be it further
RESOLUTION NO. 5 (continued)
RESOLVED, That we call on the nation’s public libraries to protect their patrons from exposure to pornography on their computers by installing Internet filters and creating age-appropriate controls for users; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call on Internet service providers to eliminate all links to pornography from their home pages; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage every person who uses the Internet to install filtering software or to subscribe to an Internet service provider such as LifeWayonline that does not provide access to pornography (Job 31:1); and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we call on all government agencies to enact and to enforce laws that protect our homes and communities from the transmission of pornographic material over the Internet.