In a $57 billion industry, pornography producers won't be slowing down anytime soon. Porn revenue is larger than all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises combined, according to LaNae Valentine, director of BYU Women's Services and Resources.
Although porn is so accessible, there is also help available to addicts.
A conference on overcoming pornography and sexual addiction will be this Saturday, in Provo at the La Quinta Inn, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. The conference will offer a variety of solutions for those who minister to, or are spouses of addicts, said Joseph White, conference director.
But the conference is not limited to addicts or their spouses, White said. The workshops and breakout sessions can also be beneficial to other family members, religious leaders, mental health professionals, counselors, social workers, community leaders. The conference welcomes any others who want to be involved in the fight to overcome the negative effect that pornography has on society.
"Pornography and sexual addiction can threaten and destroy healthy relationships and individual well-being," White said. "People look for hope, yet translating that hope into a healthy, functional path toward recovery can be challenging."
The conference will feature four keynote and eight breakout sessions with approximately 14 professional presenters. Some speakers are part of LDS Marriage Network and will be coming from all over the nation. Most of the speakers hold masters or doctorates degrees and many are authors of books on how to overcome the addiction of pornography.
The topics range from compulsion to agency, relationships and grace in recovery, Christ-centered healing, essential tools for spiritual recovery, and the pursuit of healthy intimacy in marriage.
The "A More Excellent Hope" conference is made possible by the LDS Marriage Network, an international network of members of the LDS Church. They work to support individuals and couples in preparing for, developing and building healthy and happy marriage relationships, White said.
This is the first conference as part of the LDS Marriage Network, and will be taken all around the country, starting here in Provo. For more information on services provided by the network, visit the Web site, www.ldsmarriagenetwork.org.
When: Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Where: La Quinta Inn, 1454 S. University Ave., Provo. Register for the conference at http://www.amoreexcellenthope.org or contact Joseph White, conference director 402-202-1665, josephwhite.sr@gmail.com Cost: $75 per person, $140 per couple; student discount: $45 per student, $80 per couple
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