Program

Doctor of Ministry

Number of Pages

165

Year Approved

2023

First Advisor

Carroll, Joshua

Abstract

This research underscores that pornography addiction is an addictive disorder that poses extremely serious threats to the lives and wellbeing of many people worldwide. Pornography addiction is a type of sexual addiction characterized by it compulsive nature that harms many areas of the life of an addict. Shame and addiction are deeply interconnected, making it extremely difficult for an addict to realize his or her value and self-worth. Moreover, the research purports that people who are religiously committed suffer more severely from the emotion of shame than those who are nonreligious. Shame-proneness reinforces emotions of self-loathing and despair, leading to further self-defeating behaviors. As a result, this project links a robust positive relationship between religiosity and shame related to pornography addiction that is mediated by a moral disapproval of the behavior. Therefore, this research establishes that the Sacrament of Repentance and Confession, according to the rite of the Coptic Orthodox Church, can serve as a non-shame-based treatment for pornography addiction. The project investigates three primary concerns, which are: (a) the impacts of shame on the persistence of the use of pornography for sexual gratification, (b) the need for the concealment of the behavior and the avoidance of participation in the Sacrament of Repentance and Confession due to shame, and (c) on the intensification of the use of pornography within the Coptic Orthodox communities in the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia. The research findings were based on three primary data sources, which are biblical-theological reflections, related literature, and field research, while describing a series of integrated conclusions.

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

Document Type

Doctoral thesis

Download

Share

COinS