Printer Friendly Version

<= /TABLE>
LifeSiteNews.com Wednesday=20 February 1, 2006
35%=20 of Christian Families Have Been Harmed By Internet Material

By Terry Vanderheyden

NICEVILLE, Florida, February 1, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) =96 A = Christian=20 internet filtering company is warning that many families are at = risk of=20 exposing their children to unsolicited pornography while on the=20 internet.

American Family Online=92s (AFO) Executive Director Steve = Ensley told=20 AmericanDecency.org in an interview that, =93By all indications = from both=20 external and internal surveys, less than 35% of Christian families = have=20 Internet filtering of any kind.=94

Ensley added that many filtering companies still allow soft = porn, such=20 as lingerie sellers and some magazines. =93These sites and = thousands like=20 them are commercial sites that intentionally have erotic images = and=20 material on the sites. But the =91popular=92 filters will not = filter these=20 sites.=94 He also warned that homosexually explicit sites are = often not=20 blocked by filters.

Ensley reported about statistics conducted by the AFO. He = revealed that=20 74% of 465 people surveyed had been disturbed by pornography while = on the=20 internet. A whopping 35% of respondents said they or someone in = their=20 household had been harmed by the internet. The type of harm was = broken=20 down into physical, emotional, and spiritual harm, with over half = of=20 respondents indicating that they or a family member had been = harmed=20 =93emotionally=94 or =93spiritually=94 by internet content. = Twenty-one reported=20 the harm as =93major.=94

=93That percentage is higher than any other disease or morally=20 destructive behavior in our culture today.=94 said Ensley. The = greatest=20 cause of harm was reported to be from pornography, at 30%. The = research=20 also revealed that almost 10% of those affected by the internet = required=20 outside help for the effects. =93Equally telling, according to the = survey,=20 is the fact that two adults are harmed for every child that is = harmed,=94=20 Ensley explained. =93We tend to think of filtering as an issue for = children.=20 The truth is that the entire family needs protection and the = survey=20 confirms this fact.=94

A large study conducted in 2002 found that pornography viewing = results=20 in a host of problems. One of the most common psychological = problems is a=20 deviant attitude towards intimate relationships such as = perceptions of=20 sexual dominance, submissiveness, sex role stereotyping or viewing = persons=20 as sexual objects. Behavioural problems include fetishes and = excessive or=20 ritualistic masturbation. Sexual aggressiveness, sexually hostile = and=20 violent behaviours are social problems as well as individual = problems that=20 are linked to pornography.

Only about half of the AFO survey respondents said that they = have=20 internet filtering software installed on their computers.

Learn more about American Family Online=92s filtering services = at:
http:/= /www.afo.net">http://www.afo.net/

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Pornography Addiction = Destroying Lives, US Senate Told
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/nov/04111909.h= tml">http://www.li= fesite.net/ldn/2004/nov/04111909.html
Study=20 Proves "Pornography Is Harmful"
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/mar/02031203.h= tml">http://www.li= fesite.net/ldn/2002/mar/02031203.html

(c) = Copyright:=20 LifeSiteNews.com is a production of Interim Publishing. Permission = to=20 republish is granted (with limitation*) but acknowledgement of = source is=20 *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).

NEWS TIPS to=20 lsn@lifesitenews.com or call 1-866-787-9947 or (416) 204-1687 ext. = 444

Donate to LifeSiteNews.com at http://www.lifesite.net/cont= ribute/=20

Home | Previous=20 Page | Print

Source URL:=20 = http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06020107.html

------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C627F1.20F72FF0 Content-Type: text/css; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.lifesite.net/includes/LifeSite.css P { FONT-SIZE: 80%; MARGIN: 12px 10px; COLOR: #000000; LINE-HEIGHT: 130%; = FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: = none } P.content { FONT-SIZE: 80%; MARGIN: 12px 18px 12px 10px; COLOR: #000000; = LINE-HEIGHT: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; = TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-DECORATION: none } DIV.content { MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; COLOR: #000000; = FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: = none } LI.content { FONT-SIZE: 75%; MARGIN: 12px 18px 12px 10px; COLOR: #000000; = LINE-HEIGHT: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; = TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-DECORATION: none } H1 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 130%; MARGIN: 10px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: = uppercase; COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, = Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 3pt } H1.content { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 130%; MARGIN: 12px 0px 12px 10px; = TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, = Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 3pt } H2 { PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: = small; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #ff9900; FONT-FAMILY: = "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: = 2pt } H2.content { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: small; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: = uppercase; COLOR: #ff9900; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, = Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 2pt } H3 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 90%; MARGIN-LEFT: 15px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: = capitalize; COLOR: #ff9900; MARGIN-RIGHT: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet = MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 2pt } H3.content { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 90%; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: = capitalize; COLOR: #ff9900; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet = MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 2pt } H4 { MARGIN-TOP: 6px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 80%; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; = TEXT-TRANSFORM: capitalize; COLOR: #000000; MARGIN-RIGHT: 10px; = FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif } SPAN.h1 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 130%; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: = uppercase; COLOR: #ff9900; LINE-HEIGHT: 120%; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; = FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; = LETTER-SPACING: 2pt } SPAN.h2 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: small; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: = uppercase; COLOR: #ff9900; LINE-HEIGHT: 130%; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; = FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; = LETTER-SPACING: 2pt } SPAN.h3 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 90%; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: = uppercase; COLOR: #ff9900; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet = MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 2pt } .linkSite { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #ffffff; LINE-HEIGHT: 12px; = FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif } .linkFeature { FONT-SIZE: 90%; MARGIN: 10px 10px 10px 5px; COLOR: #000000; = LINE-HEIGHT: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; = TEXT-DECORATION: none } .linkNews { FONT-SIZE: 70%; MARGIN: 10px 15px; COLOR: #002266; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, = Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif } .menuSpotlight { MARGIN-TOP: 6px; PADDING-LEFT: 13px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; = LIST-STYLE-POSITION: outside; FONT-SIZE: 11px; LIST-STYLE-IMAGE: = url(http://www.lifesite.net/images/template/Arrow.gif); MARGIN-BOTTOM: = 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 13px; COLOR: #ffffff; LINE-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: = "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif } .menuSpotlight LI { PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; FONT-SIZE: 11px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px } .menuGrey { MARGIN-TOP: 6px; PADDING-LEFT: 18px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; = LIST-STYLE-POSITION: outside; FONT-SIZE: 85%; LIST-STYLE-IMAGE: = url(http://www.lifesite.net/images/template/Arrow.gif); MARGIN-BOTTOM: = 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 18px; COLOR: #002266; LINE-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: = "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif } .menuGrey UL { PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 85%; PADDING-BOTTOM: = 10px } .menuGrey LI { PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 80%; PADDING-BOTTOM: = 10px } A:link { COLOR: #003399; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A:visited { COLOR: #002299; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A:hover { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A:active { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A.linkSite:link { COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A.linkSite:visited { COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A.linkSite:hover { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A.linkSite:active { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A.content:link { COLOR: #003399; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A.content:visited { COLOR: #002299; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A.content:hover { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A.content:active { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A.bold:link { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 110%; COLOR: #003399; TEXT-DECORATION: = none } A.bold:visited { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 110%; COLOR: #002299; TEXT-DECORATION: = none } A.bold:hover { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 110%; COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: = underline } A.bold:active { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 110%; COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: = underline } .menuSpotlight LI A:link { COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .menuSpotlight LI A:visited { COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .menuSpotlight LI A:hover { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .menuSpotlight LI A:active { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .menuGrey LI A:link { COLOR: #003399; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .menuGrey LI A:visited { COLOR: #003399; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .menuGrey LI A:hover { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .menuGrey LI A:active { COLOR: #ffbb22; TEXT-DECORATION: none } OL { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Sans-Serif } UL { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Sans-Serif } LI { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Sans-Serif } ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C627F1.20F72FF0--