I have a question.

[BeckyRose1998]

My friend, Spencer, is a heavy Christian. He's 17, and he said that's he's never masturbated. (Don't ask why he told me, I don't know.) I asked him why and he said that he thinks its a sin.
Its a FAQ, but is it a sin?

 

[fallingblood]

My friend, Spencer, is a heavy Christian. He's 17, and he said that's he's never masturbated. (Don't ask why he told me, I don't know.) I asked him why and he said that he thinks its a sin.
Its a FAQ, but is it a sin?

If one considers sodomy to be a sin, then yes. However, sodomy basically refers to anything that isn't penile vaginal intercourse that is for procreation. At one time, it even referred to a black man being with a white woman. So sodomy is quite vague, and really, isn't a good translation anyway.

Besides that, there is usually a verse in the OT that speaks of this man having sex with a woman (I believe it was his sister-in-law. The reason being that his brother died, did not have a son, so in order to continue the brother's line, this man had to sleep with his brother's wife and have a child), and he pulls out and spills his seed on the ground. He is then struck dead.

Some have taken this as a condemnation of masturbation, but it really isn't. The problem was that this man didn't impregnate (or attempt) his sister-in-law.

To sum up, no, masturbation probably is not a sin.

 

[McBell]

Seems to me that this question is much more complicated than most people are willing to accept.
Is the act of masturbation itself a sin?
I have not found any reference to masturbation in the Bible at all.

Now i know there are lots of people who think the Onan story is about masturbation, but in reality it has absolutely nothing to do with masturbation.

Is thinking about someone you are not married to in a sexual manner a sin?
if it is and you are unable to masturbate without such thoughts, then I can agree that masturbation is a sin, at least for you.

 

[BeckyRose1998]

I gave my friend the link for this page.

 

[fallingblood]

Is thinking about someone you are not married to in a sexual manner a sin?
if it is and you are unable to masturbate without such thoughts, then I can agree that masturbation is a sin, at least for you.

If one takes what Jesus said literally, then lusting over someone would be a sin (the sin of adultery).

 

[BeckyRose1998]

Spencer asks: Is there any proof that it is not considered adultery or fornication?

 

[idav]

If one takes what Jesus said literally, then lusting over someone would be a sin (the sin of adultery).

In context the adultery spoken of sounds more like adultery of someone who is married. As in the commandment not to covet neighbors goods wife etc....

Pauls answer to the struggle was marraige, of course not someone already married, but if you take it as far as not even thoughts allowed nobody could ever get married.

 

[Skwim]

Spencer asks: Is there any proof that it is not considered adultery or fornication?

Tell him to look up the definion of each and see if masturbation fits.

 

[Me Myself]

Well, either Spencer has an unshakable will (and I mean completely off the charts. NEVER masturbated?), he is lying to you or he is asexual.

In any case I would say the regular mainstream Christianity interpretation of it is that it is a sin.

I´ve also heard that it is adultery towards your future spouse (which sounds absolutely ridiculous to me) on some Christian lingoes.

The way I see it, this is one of those cases when doing the little sins would help you avoid the big ones. If you battle a boner to bed every night without falling into temptation, it is going to be extra HARD (pun intended) when an actual flesh and blood woman makes it clear she wants to get it going with you.

Let´s hope Spencer is ugly

 

[Amechania]

My friend, Spencer, is a heavy Christian. He's 17, and he said that's he's never masturbated. (Don't ask why he told me, I don't know.) I asked him why and he said that he thinks its a sin.
Its a FAQ, but is it a sin?

Is Spencer also Lutheran? I think the Lutheran Church holds that masturbation is normal for teens but once adulthood is reached it is considered sinful. Confirmation is the sign of adulthood for Lutherans, so if Spencer is a confirmed Lutheran he would be sinning in the eyes of the church. In God's eyes, probably not, but that's just my opinion.

 

[gnomon]

My friend, Spencer, is a heavy Christian. He's 17, and he said that's he's never masturbated. (Don't ask why he told me, I don't know.) I asked him why and he said that he thinks its a sin.
Its a FAQ, but is it a sin?

I think he's lying.

 

[Me Myself]

I think he's lying.

He could also be asexual.

 

[gnomon]

He could also be asexual.

I'm playing probabilities.

Most likely he's lying.

 

[Me Myself]

I'm playing probabilities.

Most likely he's lying.

truth.

 

[Amechania]

Whether he is lying or not is irrelevant to the question asked. Must we be suspicious of everything? For all we know the OP is entirely made up and a fourteen-year-old boy want's to know if he will go to hell for giving himself pleasure. I'll play the probabilities, and say the OP is upfront and honest, and so is the young man in question.

 

[McBell]

If one takes what Jesus said literally, then lusting over someone would be a sin (the sin of adultery).

Even your spouse?
I ask because some people think that any and all lust is a sin.

 

[Alceste]

I can't say whether it's a "sin", because that seems like an entirely subjective question. If you think it's a sin, then I guess it is, since you're the one who decides what a sin is at the end of the day.

I can say masturbation is psychologically, emotionally and physically healthy behavior for both men and women. It reduces stress and anxiety, aids sleep, enhances self esteem, lowers the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease, helps balance sexual relationships where one partner desires sex more than the other, and when done as a couple reduces the risk of STDs (if that's all you're doing) and helps couples map each other's pleasure centres.

I think women should be wary of partners who disapprove of masturbation, because it's very common for women to be unable to climax from vaginal intercourse alone. A relationship with a partner who disapproves of either of you manually stimulating your clitoris may turn out to be a relationship where you never experience sexual satisfaction. Ever. It's not worth the risk, IMO.

 

[SteveGrayFTW]

My friend, Spencer, is a heavy Christian. He's 17, and he said that's he's never masturbated. (Don't ask why he told me, I don't know.) I asked him why and he said that he thinks its a sin.
Its a FAQ, but is it a sin?

Spencer is probably lying.

He may not want to admit to masturbating, either because somewhere in my mind he believes it is sinful (which, I don't think it is), or he's just embarrassed to admit it, but I find it hard to believe that is has never happened.

If he said he hasn't though, I'd just let it go. If he wasn't embarrassed before, he definitely is now that you put it out there on an internet forum.

 

[Father Heathen]

My friend, Spencer, is a heavy Christian. He's 17, and he said that's he's never masturbated. (Don't ask why he told me, I don't know.) I asked him why and he said that he thinks its a sin.
Its a FAQ, but is it a sin?

According to some religions, it's a "sin" (as is eating pork, drinking tea, etc.), but in rational reality it's perfectly fine and healthy.

 

[Shuddhasattva]

99%+ of men have masturbated. 90% of men masturbate.

99.9999% of men who like to tell you they don't masturbate - without being asked - masturbate. What to say of 'haven't ever'?