Many Christians celebrated when two Onlyfans girls turned from porn to Christ recently, but why have they been met with a barrage of criticism online?
The Church has at all times welcomed repentant “vilest offenders” because the old hymn, “To God be the glory” put it: Mary Magdalene and St Paul were there right from the beginning. So when two women recently repented of sex work and testified powerfully to their latest faith on social media, many Christians celebrated together with them.
Yet each women have been forced to answer a bunch of accusations and condemnation online – including from some individuals who discover as Christian. What has happened?
Nala
Nala Ray is probably the most well-known. The pastor’s daughter grossed $9m in earnings from her sex work on OnlyFans but a growing relationship with a Christian helped her to rethink her life after an encounter with God: “[I thought] what is the point of all this money, after I do not have feelings… I do not have kids, I actually have nothing but materialistic things which can be cold and sitting in my closet?” she told Michael Knowles in a web based interview. “I used to be sobbing, I used to be taking a look at my fireplace, I grabbed the Bible… God decided to actually meet me where I used to be. And it is not like he was removed from me, it’s that I used to be removed from Him.
“I used to be like, ‘God, I would like a solution now, I really need a solution now’ and he gave me a solution… ‘all you ever needed was Me’.”
In the interview, she described a joyless life as an OnlyFans employee despite the cash – numb to emotion and experiencing poor relationships. “I used to be making thousands and thousands and I didn’t feel any different,” she said. “I could buy anything that I wanted and I still felt the very same… all that numbness was emptiness, like complete and total emptiness.”
She says that has all modified since her conversion. She posted a video of her baptism on Instagram on twenty sixth December and has since married, deleted her OnlyFans account and talks often of the change in her life.
Bree
The other dramatic conversion attracting attention is that of Bree Solstad or “Mistress B,” who reported on 1st January on X (formerly often known as Twitter): “While in [Rome and Assisi], I had what can only be described as a life-altering conversion. I actually have decided to quit sex work. To repent of my innumerable sins. To hand over my lifetime of sin, wealth, vice and vain self-obsession.”
She said she had been received into the Catholic church at Easter. She now repeatedly posts warnings against each making and using pornography and plenty of faith-fuelled posts.
She has told a part of her story to Catholic Vote. She describes being recruited as a sex employee: “I completely fell away from the religion into a way of life of drunkenness, recklessness and promiscuity,” she said. “I became one among the top-selling creators of this content almost immediately. This shouldn’t be me bragging in any respect. It is unquestionably not heroic to be the best narcissist.”
During a visit to Italy, she was drawn to the great thing about the churches and the crucifixes and had mystical experiences. But when she went back home, she felt deep shame. “I could not stop considering of all of the things that I had done and all of the lives I negatively affected through pornography,” she said. “I felt grotesque.”
A conversation with a priest helped lift the dark feelings and help her encounter the love of God. “After all that I used to be and all that I did, I’m still amazed that Jesus never turned his back on me. That translates for me into gratitude and joy in abundance.”
Criticism and online mobs
Both women have received much support online, including from well-known Christians. Where concern has been expressed, a few of it has their interests at heart: for instance, that top profile conversions have to be handled with care because an individual’s young faith might be harmed by celebrity – perhaps following the sad tale of Kanye West, who looked as if it would have a radical conversion to Christ but then began to specific bizarre and antisemitic ideas, and announced he’ll start a porn business.
But a variety of the criticism online is less concerned for the converts’ welfare, and more cynical about their authenticity, their dress or their motivations attributable to latest businesses they’ve began. One regular critic is Pearl Davis, a notorious female figure within the “manosphere,” who has made quite a few derogatory and sceptical comments, like, “I rarely drink, don’t smoke, don’t party, and yet Tradcon [traditional conservative] women tell me I’m ‘not an actual Christian’ while concurrently defending an ex Only Fans whore.”
Nala addressed these attacks recently: “I do know that you do not need me to be a part of society, clearly you do not need me an element of social media, but that is just incorrect, since the Bible is really talking concerning the word of your testimony,” she said in a video posted on Instagram.
Many Christians took to social media to support her and indicate that it takes time for people to grow in the religion and Christians are never perfect.
Solstad has also addressed the accusations. “The truth is, I’m not all for convincing you, or anyone, of the sincerity of my conversion,” she replied on XÂ to a cynical post. “My only purpose is to: Testify to the reality of Jesus Christ. To be used like a tool by Him to call people to repentance & beauty. To show His love & mercy to others.”
Many conversions?
Ray and Solstad are usually not the one sex staff who’ve publicly turn to faith, but social media perhaps puts latest converts within the limelight much quicker than the church has been used to previously. There are other former porn stars who’ve needed to face the world immediately through social media: Blac Chyna also became a born again Christian and deleted her OnlyFans account last 12 months. Another OnlyFans employee who deleted her account is “Gwen the milkmaid,” in keeping with The Sun newspaper. She now posts conservative “trad wife” content that may appeal to a special sort of man. But Gwen has been met with scepticism too with accusations she is in search of popularity somewhat than God.
No-one knows what is really in a heart, and only time will show the fruits of an actual encounter with Christ. With increasingly more high profile conversions going down, perhaps it is time for celebration somewhat than criticism, together with just a little wisdom and discernment.
Heather Tomlinson is a contract journalist. Find her at www.heathertomlinson.substack.com or on twitter @heathertomli
