Ministry Rebukes Oprah for 'Glamorous' Portrayal of Porn Industry
With statistics showing how millions of families are negatively impacted by porn in their homes, one ministry is sounding off against the on-air praise of a porn star Jenna James by talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Though the episode on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" featuring porn star Jenna Jameson originally aired in 2009, it was replayed about a week ago due to its high ratings – a move that the conservative American Family Association has criticized.
The ministry accuses Oprah of glamorizing the porn industry by overly praising Jameson's lifestyle.
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In the segment, Oprah complimented Jameson for her successful career, saying that Jameson "did it all" by mothering twin boys, starting her own business, and writing a New York Times best seller.
Notably, however, Jameson made her fortune in the sex industry.
AFA last week pointed out how Oprah failed to mention the "truth of pornography" and how it is "extremely harmful since it is proven to be addictive."
The harmful results of porn could be counterproductive to America's youth, the ministry said.
"Girls could be misguided into thinking this is a viable career choice," contended AFA.
Even Jameson, herself, while touting her successful career choice, may still not be comfortable with all the consequences of her own actions.
Some nights, Jameson said in the episode, "I wonder whether or not I made the right decisions by getting into the industry."
She also worries about how she will explain her past to her twin sons, who are still too young to understand her former lifestyle.
"The moment you become a porn star, you will always be a porn star for the rest of your life," she said. "I don't know exactly what I'm going to say to my sons…. I worry about what my sons think."
In addition to sounding off against the Oprah episode, AFA is encouraging its supporters to act. The ministry is guiding pro-family Americans to write letters to Oprah asking her to never replay the episode and to produce an episode that highlights the bad side of the industry.
According to Pure Life Ministries, which will hold their 2010 conference on the topic of porn later this month, over 50 percent of Christian men in America and 20 percent of Christian women struggle with porn.
Presently, Oprah is regarded as one of the most influential women in the world, with millions connecting to her through her TV show, magazine, and website for self-improvement tools.
In the United States alone, Oprah's show is viewed by an estimated 30 million people a week though her U.S. audience has fallen by half over the past 10 years.
