2 Responses to “Are sexual sins common among women?”
Jorge Delgado
2013-08-18 17:55:16
Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can overcome sin and death. (Reflections of Christ)
Hi sister. For reasons I don't understand, people like to imagine that women are not tempted by things like pornography and masturbation the way men are. They like to believe that women rarely cheat on their husbands or that they are rarely responsible for divorce. Then, when women like yourself make the unfortunate choice to commit sexual sins, you are made to feel abnormal or strange. The truth is, you've made the same mistake that many people, including many women, make. You need to repent just like anyone in your position, man or women, needs to repent. You're not abnormal, you're just sinful (like all of us are in one way or another). The path to spiritual recovery is arduous, but through Christ's atonement, you can be made clean.
It's excellent to hold women in high esteem. In many ways, women truly are incredible. They ought to be respected! But it's silly, inaccurate, and destructive to imagine that women are not prone to sexual sins the way men are. For example, a study conducted in 2008 revealed that 30% of all consumers of Internet pornography are women, and a full 17% of women admitted to being addicted to pornography. A 2012 study found that men and women are about equally likely to be unfaithful in their relationships. And women are far more likely than men to initiate a divorce.
We all need to be constantly vigilant, because anyone, man or woman, can succumb to temptation if she lets her guard down. Sexual sins are, it seems to me, becoming ever more common in our society. Both men and women need to control their urges, and both are in need of repentance when they violate God's laws. And both do violate those laws with alarming frequency.
I encourage you to chat with your bishop immediately. Don't let embarrassment keep you from asking for the help you need. The bishop is the one who God has authorized to help you apply Christ's atonement in your life.
God's love for you is infinite. His love doesn't depend on what you do or who you are. Because He loves you so much, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay for your sins. As you begin to feel Christ's atonement acting in your life, let it fill your heart with spiritual peace. One of the most beautiful verses in all of scripture is: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
God be with you as you begin the repentance process.
Jorge Delgado: Hi Pamela. It may just be my impression, but it seems like in general the church is moving away from focusing (almost) exclusively on men as users of pornography to a more gender-neutral approach. That's excellent in my opinion. There are certainly biological differences between men and women, but I think the idea that women are more sexually passive is in large part a social construct. When we pretend like women are unlikely to be attracted to pornography, we do them a great disservice. It makes repentance all the harder.
It's excellent to hold women in high esteem. In many ways, women truly are incredible. They ought to be respected! But it's silly, inaccurate, and destructive to imagine that women are not prone to sexual sins the way men are. For example, a study conducted in 2008 revealed that 30% of all consumers of Internet pornography are women, and a full 17% of women admitted to being addicted to pornography. A 2012 study found that men and women are about equally likely to be unfaithful in their relationships. And women are far more likely than men to initiate a divorce.
We all need to be constantly vigilant, because anyone, man or woman, can succumb to temptation if she lets her guard down. Sexual sins are, it seems to me, becoming ever more common in our society. Both men and women need to control their urges, and both are in need of repentance when they violate God's laws. And both do violate those laws with alarming frequency.
I encourage you to chat with your bishop immediately. Don't let embarrassment keep you from asking for the help you need. The bishop is the one who God has authorized to help you apply Christ's atonement in your life.
God's love for you is infinite. His love doesn't depend on what you do or who you are. Because He loves you so much, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay for your sins. As you begin to feel Christ's atonement acting in your life, let it fill your heart with spiritual peace. One of the most beautiful verses in all of scripture is: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
God be with you as you begin the repentance process.
Jorge Delgado: Hi Pamela. It may just be my impression, but it seems like in general the church is moving away from focusing (almost) exclusively on men as users of pornography to a more gender-neutral approach. That's excellent in my opinion. There are certainly biological differences between men and women, but I think the idea that women are more sexually passive is in large part a social construct. When we pretend like women are unlikely to be attracted to pornography, we do them a great disservice. It makes repentance all the harder.