Can heterosexual porn lead to homosexual desires?

Last updated on October 1, 2020

Question:

I’ve heard that heterosexual porn can lead to homosexual desires. Is this true?

Answer:

Heterosexual pornography can indirectly lead to homosexuality. The problem is that sin tends to be progressive. A part of the appeal to sin is the excitement and novelty of it. To illustrate: if you ride a roller coaster, it is thrilling the first time. But each time you ride it, it becomes less so. Eventually, it will feel almost boring. This is why people search for new and bigger roller coasters. The same thing happens with pornography. The first time it is shocking, but over time it is less, so the person looks for more. Yet, after a while, they all begin to be the same, so the person searches out more twisted forms, such as homosexual themes, multiple partners, or those involving domination.

Paul describes this progression:

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Romans 1:24-27).