Virtual Sex

A recent survey on the word most commonly used for Internet searches was the word sex. It said that men looked for web sites that featured pornography and women checked out opportunities to talk about sex. Either way, according to this research America's top priority as far as the Internet is concerned, is virtual sex in its many forms.

We shouldn't be surprised. This is not a new fascination, only a new way to satisfy it. We should, however, be concerned about this modern phenomenon for several reasons.

First of all, the availability of sexually implicit material without the "shame" factor makes it more appealing than ever before. Gone are the restrictions of getting "caught" going into a porn store, or risking the embarrassment of purchasing these things publicly.

The temptation to "peek" has just risen to an all time high now that the computer guarantees privacy and anonymity. As a result, more people will become addicted to the great power of pornography and other forms of illicit sexual activity.

Secondly, healthy sex is undermined. The only kind of sex the web can't deliver is normal sex; the kind of intimate relationship that is enjoyed by a man and woman in a loving marital relationship. We're getting more information about sex but the net result is a poor substitute for satisfying sex within marriage.

God designed sex to be at the center of a happy married life. We need to preserve His plan by not wasting our time on the make-believe sex that titillates the imagination but leaves the heart hungry.