Using science, medicine and counseling in the battle against pornography and addiction “does not show a lack of faith,” Latter-day Saint apostle Patrick Kearon said Saturday, “and it is not at odds with relying on…Jesus Christ.”
God never intended for humanity “to confront our challenges alone,” the newest apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a video address to thousands watching in person and online at the Utah Coalition Against Pornograpy’s annual conference in Sandy. “Look about you today. There is help. Help can be found from others all around you, and help comes from above. We need both.”
As a keynote speaker, Kearon acknowledged he is not an expert in the fields of pornography or addiction, but he said he did have “painful and heartbreaking personal experience with loved ones entrapped by addictions.”
Instead, he was addressing the conference theme — “Hope, Help and Healing” — as a faith leader.
“Any habit, compulsive behavior or addiction that takes hold of our lives can feel like a never-ending battle, entangling mind and spirit. It distorts relationships, robs us of self-worth and separates us from the beauties of life,” the British apostle said. “...In terms of our religious conviction, the source of any and all hope is Jesus Christ.”
Christ’s “redeeming power is without limits and his ability to reclaim and restore souls is inexhaustible. Inexhaustible,” Kearon emphasized. “That eternal truth right there is a magnificent fountain of hope…[that] provides a way back from any loss, any wound, any pain, any heartache, any addiction or any habit, no matter what it is or how low we have sunk.”
Those at the conference — therapists, counselors, family members — provide “help,” Kearon said. “You bring together the best of science, research, counseling and medicine. And perhaps most importantly, those of you who are now winning your own battle bring life, even your own vibrant life beyond all the pain.”
How the church helps
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Latter-day Saint apostle Patrick Kearon speaks via video at the Utah Coalition Against Pornography's conference in Sandy on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
The Utah-based faith “strives to assist with resources, counseling, mental health support and growing efforts to provide inspired ministering,” he said, pointing to its worldwide “Addition Recovery Program.”
The apostle assured family members — “who experience feelings of betrayal, hurt, anger, helplessness and perhaps worst of all, a sense of guilt” — that they are not responsible for their loved one’s destructive behaviors.
“You are not responsible for, nor can you control, the actions, behaviors or emotions of others,” Kearon said. “You are responsible for and can control only yourself.”
It may be an arduous process, he said, but healing is possible.
“When loved ones work together in a healthy, supportive and nonblaming manner, the path to healing is accelerated for all,” the church leader said. “Critical elements are: open, honest communication that removes secrecy and shame, an increase in the understanding of the nature of the behavior and the creation of healthy boundaries and personal accountability for all involved. Then trust can begin to rebuild, and relationships can start to heal.”
‘Protect women’
Kearon shared two anecdotes from people who struggled to overcome pornography addiction. Each found healing and health through therapy and theology.
“God’s love is real,” a former addict said in the story, “and the cleansing power of Jesus is available to all of us.”
Said another: “Prioritizing health became key. I exercise frequently, eat healthily and study scriptures daily. I also practice deep breathing, meditation and mindfulness. This has helped me tap into my best self and refocus. … I’m about to celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary with my wife, and we have four children. My addiction has taught me to protect women and virtue.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah Coalition Against Pornography's conference in Sandy on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
Several other Latter-day Saint apostles have addressed this group.
In 2016, Jeffrey R. Holland called pornography “a public health crisis; like an infectious, fatal epidemic; like a moral plague on the body politic that is maiming the lives of our citizens.”
Four years later, the Church News reported, Holland was the keynote speaker in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and quipped, “Well, I guess we’d better be careful what metaphors we use because we have been given such a plague.”
Last year, according to the Church News, apostle Dale G. Renlund said the church condemns “pornography in any form.”
It draws believers “away from God and impairs our ability to feel the influence of the Holy Spirit,” Renlund said. “Because all forms of pornographic material are unhealthy, opposition to its production, dissemination and use is warranted.”
