Idolizing Sex: Disregard and Destruction of the Marriage Covenant

While this book is focused on sexual idolatry, it is certainly appropriate for all forms of idolatry and addictions. How addictions begin and their origination is the same. With the understanding that this book is directed toward men, it seems to downplay the level of participation women have in this corruption. Women are equally guilty of all the evil portrayed by men in this book. Also, as we have seen with Tiger Woods; many women totally disregard the institution of marriage and deserve as much condemnation as men.

Women are much more discreet in their pornographic activities, usually having men purchase items they want or through catalogs and online. Many innocuous looking emails with links in them direct you to web sites where primarily women are displaying themselves and soliciting memberships to their private "clubs" or personal web pages. A quick tour through YouTube and MySpace and you will see that men do not predominate within these mediums. A few decades ago this was not the case but it certainly is now and that is from personal experience. None are innocent and all are equally guilty.

I like what this book offers. It is direct and gets right to the point about sexual addictions; all addictions are and how they develop. It was particularly brave of the author to share his personal experience on such a level. It illustrates what can happen to you and those around you over and it also displays the light of hope possible along, a dark tunnel of pain. Many of the situations described can be related to at some level by everyone. We all are aware of the methods used by which Satan exposes our weaknesses and how we succumb to the temptation of the world and making justification for it.

This book can bring some troubling sinful issues to light, inducing guilt with the realization that you may have suppressed certain behaviors begun years ago. It exposes how comfortable you have become living in sin and like all addictions, how painful it is and painful and difficult it will be to break out of it. The hope is that you're not alone and there is a way out as the Lord's promises and you are willing to accept Truth and the truth about yourself. Combined with the work book and its' minor frustrations at finding the answers, it solidifies and ingrains the Scriptural response to our corrupt justifications for staying comfortable in sin in spite of the obvious damage to self and family and your relationship with God.

Gallagher, Steve, At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry, 20th Anniversary Edition, Pure Life Ministries / 2000