Porn has more of a negative effect on Conservative Christians mental health

They don't. They follow money and power, and have their inspiration in what Jesus called "the prince of this world" (maybe you know it differently because I am Italian).
They embrace the "liberal" belief which states that religion is oppressive.

 

Did porn warp my mind about Christianity or did it help me see it more clearly for what it really is? A big game.

Maybe I’m wrong but here’s my current status.

I used to be a very conservative Christian yet had my porn problem.

Not deep into Christianity now although I still believe in God.

The church I used to attend was very much against psychology so I didn’t go to one until I left the church and hit rock bottom.

The psychologist was a great help.

I’m now very skeptical about church since they advised me against psychology which is what helped me. Praying more, reading/studying the Bible more, and more sermons didn’t help me.

In addition,

There are only two other Christians I interact with regularly and that’s quite enough for me. All my other friends are non-religious. I think now that a lot of Christians together is bad news. There’s lots of manipulating, bickering/fighting over theology, and constant games to get control over others. No thanks!

I prefer to have my Christianity a very private practice as I read the Bible daily and try to apply what I’ve read into daily life.

As of today I have zero desire to attend church or be a member of one.

But even having stated that I’m open to the idea that maybe my mind is warped and I’m seeing things incorrect.

 

I'm no psychologist but I'm certain it's the whole forbidden fruit thing. If you are a man raised to believe all sex is inherently evil (and in extremely conservative belief systems, that certain sex acts are sinful even if mutually consented to within marriage), and that every attractive woman out there is a vile temptress bent on leading you to destruction, then the only sensible course of action is to stay away from "dangerous" women in real life while F-ing them vicariously on the screen.

To make the analogy to another "vice," it's a known fact there are more alcoholics per capita in the U.S. (where consumption is legally prohibited before age 18) than in numerous other countries where no such laws exist. Why do you think so many American college students go off the rails drinking even if they drank little or not at all to that point? #1 because college for most coincides precisely with legal drinking age and #2 mommy and daddy aren't around to check up on them. It's the perfect storm.

Porn is a huge problem among Christian men, whether conservative or liberal, and the shame factor has kept it underground for at least a full generation if not two. When I was a younger man, the absolute last place I would have wanted to come clean about porn addiction was to someone else at church. Thankfully, while my current church involvement is more at the level of observation than participation, I'm starting to see progress on that front more recently. Christian men are finally getting real with other about this and are starting to extend grace and support to each other rather than guilt and condemnation... and it is well past time, in my opinion.

 

Christianity says porn is a sin implicitly (maybe explicitly, I never read the bible but I doubt Playboy was around then). Stands to reason that Christians commiting sin don't feel great about it. Meanwhile secular men who both consume porn and don't understand the negative effects don't give a shit.

 

This might be off topic, but have you ever tried a mainline denomination? I don't know which denomination you grew up in, but being against psychology sounds more on the evangelical side of things. I grew up in the evangelical church and have since "converted" to a more mainline version of Christianity.

In my opinion evangelical Christianity has made a massive idol out of conservative politics, to the point where right wing politics and their faith seem indistinguishable. Mainline Christianity has been a huge breath of fresh air for me and I don't see myself ever going back. So many of the things that people find off-putting about evangelical Christianity - the judgmental attitudes, the anti-science stances, the rigid and hyper-literal interpretation of the Bible - are not present in many mainline churches. I think it's sad that their attendance has slipping in recent years because I think a lot of disgruntled former evangelicals might find solace there.

Anyway, that's it for my soapbox.

 

I'm glad I was freed from religion a long, long time ago. But yeah, I def can see, specially if you're christian, how having an all knowing entity that judges you all the time might affect your mental health if you fap in secret.

 

I think religion if done right is freedom and porn and addiction is slavery