REXBURG, Idaho — A video produced by BYU-Idaho uses a wounded soldier as a metaphor for a person who is addicted to pornography.
“Wounded on the Battlefield” has been interpreted as an anti-masturbation video, but a BYU-Idaho spokesman said that was not the intended message.
“We regard addiction to pornography as a harmful and destructive vice. We also regard each other as brothers and sisters and believe we have a Christian obligation to watch out for the spiritual and physical well-being of those around us,” a statement from BYU-Idaho’s media relations office said. “The sole purpose of the video is to illustrate those principles for BYU-Idaho students as well as to encourage them to reach out in a spirit of love and concern if someone they know is struggling with any form of addiction. Any other interpretation of the video is inaccurate and unwarranted.”
The message of the video draws from a 2008 speech called “The Power of the Holy Temple” by BYU-Idaho President Kim B. Clark. Excerpts of Clark’s speech are used as voiceover in the video.
“Wounded on the Battlefield” was posted on a YouTube channel for the school’s Housing and Student Living department on December 6. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, it has been viewed more than 36,000 times.
