LENEXA, Kan. ? It was the final session for the women at Westside Family Church?s Victory Over Porn Addiction group, and the youngest member, a 17-year-old named Kelsie, had not had a good week.
?I slipped two nights this week,? she said, to nods of support from the other women in the group.
?I decided that every time I?m tempted I?ll just let everything out to God,? she said, ?then pray specifically for someone else, do selfless acts, to get away from being selfish.?
The group?s leader, Crystal Renaud, offered gentle counsel. ?Pray for yourself, too,? she said.
To the wide array of programs offered by evangelical megachurches like Westside, the group adds what Ms. Renaud says is something long overdue. While churches have addressed pornography use among the men in their congregations and among the clergy, a group for women who say they are addicted to pornography is new territory, she said.
?In the Christian culture, women are supposed to be the nonsexual ones,? said Ms. Renaud, who also runs an Internet site called Dirty Girls Ministries, choosing the name to attract people searching for pornography. ?It?s an injustice that the church is not more open about physical sexuality. God created sex. But the enemy has twisted it.?
Ms. Renaud, who is taking a DVD course in sexual addiction counseling from the American Association of Christian Counselors, said she started the group and the Web site based on her own experiences. She became interested in pornography at age 10 after finding a magazine in her brother?s bathroom. After that, she said, ?I wasn?t able to get enough of it.?
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/us/03addiction.html