Several pastors outside and within the Corporate Area have raised the concern that greater access to lewd material because of cable television and the internet are key factors behind church members having sex before getting married.

The claim has come following a recent case in court in which a church brother was charged with manslaughter. The man was charged after the police began investigating claims that his church sister died after they had sex.

When contacted yesterday one pastor, Minister Blackman, from one of the Corporate Area's Pentecostal churches said the situation of members having sex before getting married (committing fornication) is one that he is confronted with "from time to time". He also noted that the practice has increased with today's easy access to cable television and the Internet.

"These are definitely factors that influence young people greatly. In addition to the music today, (in) days gone by we did not have them," he said. "As a result, the inflow of young people involved in the act is greater and it is due to these influences."

Another pastor from a church in the Central Village area echoed this point. The pastor, who did not wish to have his name or that of his church mentioned, said members who were more liberal in what they watch on the television or view on the Internet were the ones most prone to indulge in sex before marriage, despite professing Christianity.

"The mind is where the battle is won or lost so you have to be selective in what you feed your mind on. If you feed it on that sort of thing (pornography) your mind will be programmed," the pastor said.

While he was unable to say how many church members have confessed to being involved in sex before marriage in recent times, the pastor observed that according to several persons who have backslidden from the church, fornication was the main factor that lured them from the pews.

A pastor from Portmore concurred with the previous two. In fact, he went further to say that he has seen at least two cases since the start of the year in which members who were involved in premarital sex had stopped coming to the church.