PPI: Personal Pornography Interview

In Elder's Quorum today, we had THE TALK. If you are a man, or if you are a woman who has ever been to priesthood session of General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you know what THE TALK is. THE TALK is when a priesthood leader pleads with his male listeners not to view pornography and exhorts those who are consumers of pornography to get ecclesiastical (and potentially professional) help. THE TALK is almost always uncomfortable, but I thought my Elders Quorum President, Matt Willis, did a phenomenal job today. More important, for the first time in a long time--perhaps since I got THE TALK on a monthly basis as a teenager--I actually heard a new idea for preventing pornography use: the PPI.

In Mormon culture, PPI stands for Personal Priesthood Interview, a (supposedly) regular meeting between men and their immediate priesthood leaders where priesthood holders give an account of their lives (in general terms--confessions of sins are saved for interviews with the Bishop) and receive encouragement in adhering more closely to the principles of Christ's gospel. But one member of my Elder's Quorum had a new suggestion that he had received from a relative.

That relative is a newlywed, and each month, he sits down with his wife, and she conducts a PPI--a Personal Pornography Interview--where she looks her husband in the eye and asks him whether he has viewed pornography in the past month. What a marvelous practice! Sexual intimacy is something that should be kept sacred and discussed (in any sort of detail) only between a husband and wife; but if the lines of communication are not kept open on a reliable basis, needed discussion about such a delicate subject may not be passed on. More importantly, I have to believe that such an interview would provide a powerful deterrent for those who are tempted to view pornography.

At any rate--it's a new idea, and if you've heard THE TALK before, you know that those are relatively rare.

Comments

Unknown said…
Great checks and balances.
Would I WANT to do it?!...
Becky said…
(feeling uncomfortable) but really, it's a great idea. I'm ON IT, Zach.

ps: thanks for updating my blog on your blog. makes me sleep better at night.:)
Joy said…
Ben and I have been doing this together and with our children for a couple of years now. We feel that in todays world you really can't start too early discussing such issues with your children. It's been a blessing to our home, and our children feel much more comfortable discussing issues with us.
Jo Jo said…
I know I don't need to have the TALK with my husband, and that is priceless. But it is something to think about with the boys.
Becky said…
zach...you need to add my ben's blog to your list. benjaminorton.blogspot.com

he's family too! ;) hey...where are you going for thanksgiving?
Anonymous said…
How ironic, the word verification I have to type in is, Undes. Anyways, I know a couple who lives in Provo and they watch porn together. He works for Comcast. So naturally, he gets every channel under the sun for free.
Anonymous said…
The idea behind this is great, but the reality is not. As a wife of a porn addict I can tell you that for the WIFE this is the worst possible thing to do. What if he slips? Is the her fault now?

If her husband struggles with pornography, this will increase the propensity toward codependence where she believes she can stop, help or save him from his addiction.

No, it's all on him. But he should talk to his wife daily about what he's facing, not monthly. Monthly is not near often enough to actually help if someone is actually struggling.

Popular posts from this blog

Jesus at Harvard, Mormons at Waco?

On Priesthood Blessings

Pre-Contact Amerindian Christianities?