Is Masturbation A Sin?

[AnnaCzereda]

Do you hold masturbation to be a sin; and why or why not?

Of course, it's a sin, but it all depends on how many ****s you actually give.

Personally, I side with George Carlin: If God didn't want us to masturbate, he would have made our arms shorter.

 

[JoStories]

Deaden therefore you body members. Colossians 3:5
Romans 8:13
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Ephesians 4:19
Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
Romans 6:13
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

None of those verses specifically speak to masturbation. They speak to sin and the flesh. And, no, I don't believe masturbation is sin but then, I don't believe in the concept of sin to begin with. It is a man made concept designed to keep people hopping from one foot to the other hoping they are getting something right.

 

[JoStories]

I side with the Catholic Church that masterbation is an unhealthy use of genitals (I will add when done inappropriately and all the time) aka its a sin. Just as if I am rubbing my skin, the rubbing in and of itself is not wrong. Its what you are doing it for, how are youre doing it, your intent (pleasure or not).

The Church holds any sexual activity is only done within marriage (I am lesbian, so if I still were Catholic that bond of physical relations within marriage if is out).

In a committed relationship, I am al' natural. I see no problem with it in general as lesbians and gays cant quite procreate as thr Church teaches. I do agree sexual relations are best expressed in comitted relationships homosexual or not.

That is my take.

I would disagree that it's unhealthy. Masturbation allows us to know what pleases us and that can lead to a deeper and more pleasurable experience with our partners, if we can be open with them and tell them what does please us. How can we know what pleases us without having masturbated in the first place? It is a healthy expression of a natural sexual desire. If a woman knows exactly where she feels the most pleasure in order to achieve climax, she can share that with her partner and have a more intimate experience, whether that is a straight or gay relationship.

 

[JoStories]

For women you might have a point. But it has been shown to be healthy for men.

Its just as healthy for women. Women don't need to masturbate to the point of pain, unless they enjoy pain. Done correctly, there is no pain, no damage and it is as healthy are for men. Just so you know Leibowde!

 

[Mindmaster]

Why is it that every time I imagine that "don't spill the semen" thing I imagine some dip**** sucking on their bedsheets?

My theory is that if the need to do masturbation is stronger than gods word then those words were written by an idiot! If you haven't figured it out by now there is absolutely no way to avoid "sinning" as far as the literal text of the bible is concerned.

 

[BSM1]

I think this is an important question. Condemning masturbation as a sin, in my opinion, places a heavy burden on individuals, especially our impressionable youth. Even with religious connotations aside, masturbation is often considered "unmanly" or "unwomanly"; and those who are discovered participating in masturbation are often ridiculed and considered "lops who can't get the real thing"; or "perverts"; etc. These kinds of messages strike at the heart of human sexuality and have direct negative influences on our self-image and self-worth.

For this reason, I feel that this is an important topic to discuss.

I am a former believer. In fact, I am a former fanatic. For the purpose of this thread, I will respond as if I still believed as I once believed; and I will state my case based on the perspective I had as a former question.

So I ask: Do you hold masturbation to be a sin; and why or why not?

The only way it comes close to being a sin is if you practice on a farm animal first.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I agree with any sexual and natural intimacy between two commited people.

I disagree with any sexual actions that plesures oneself. To Me Only it like saying the please one gets from drinking alchohol and smoking bypasses the health risk involved with such actions regardless the motives.

I dont know about male parts, but over stimilation (by oneself, another, doctor, harry whoever) irritates the flesh. Just like any sensitive part of the body, it can cause brusing.

Just as smoking causes yellow teach and worse achohol later affects the liver.

I dont do these three things not because of what i may get at the moment, the high from achohol, the relief from nicatine erg by smoking, the please from masteration,

But what they lead to if I do so, drink, smoke, masterbate often.

Were like debating "if we do it ones its alright" yet the issue is, is the act itself wrong or is it more the obession

I would disagree that it's unhealthy. Masturbation allows us to know what pleases us and that can lead to a deeper and more pleasurable experience with our partners, if we can be open with them and tell them what does please us. How can we know what pleases us without having masturbated in the first place? It is a healthy expression of a natural sexual desire. If a woman knows exactly where she feels the most pleasure in order to achieve climax, she can share that with her partner and have a more intimate experience, whether that is a straight or gay relationship.

 

[savagewind]

I agree with any sexual and natural intimacy between two commited people.

I disagree with any sexual actions that plesures oneself. To Me Only it like saying the please one gets from drinking alchohol and smoking bypasses the health risk involved with such actions regardless the motives.

I dont know about male parts, but over stimilation (by oneself, another, doctor, harry whoever) irritates the flesh. Just like any sensitive part of the body, it can cause brusing.

Just as smoking causes yellow teach and worse achohol later affects the liver.

I dont do these three things not because of what i may get at the moment, the high from achohol, the relief from nicatine erg by smoking, the please from masteration,

But what they lead to if I do so, drink, smoke, masterbate often.

Were like debating "if we do it ones its alright" yet the issue is, is the act itself wrong or is it more the obession

I think most people might agree that masturbating as an obsession and often is not good. But that is not what the thread is about. If it is A Sin then it is a sin always and for everyone. Is that your stand or do you believe it is a sin for you but not always for others?

 

[SomeRandom]

I agree with any sexual and natural intimacy between two commited people.

I disagree with any sexual actions that plesures oneself. To Me Only it like saying the please one gets from drinking alchohol and smoking bypasses the health risk involved with such actions regardless the motives.

I dont know about male parts, but over stimilation (by oneself, another, doctor, harry whoever) irritates the flesh. Just like any sensitive part of the body, it can cause brusing.

Just as smoking causes yellow teach and worse achohol later affects the liver.

I dont do these three things not because of what i may get at the moment, the high from achohol, the relief from nicatine erg by smoking, the please from masteration,

But what they lead to if I do so, drink, smoke, masterbate often.

Were like debating "if we do it ones its alright" yet the issue is, is the act itself wrong or is it more the obession

What health risks does masturbation have, precisely? You want to speak of health reasons, which are related to Biology specifically, go on then. Please inform me of the exact health risks normal masturbation has to people.

Irritation? Only if you're too rough and do it too often. No one recommends that (unless you like pain.)
And that would preclude you from even scratching yourself when itchy. Doesn't seem like a very good reason to stop altogether to me.
Then of course one extreme is not always the best solution to another extreme. I mean sexual frustration is a thing and is considered quite unhealthy.

Of course, over indulgence could lead to harm in many ways. But you can say that of eating freaking fruits even!! So should we abstain from mandarins, because if you eat enough of those, you can get diabetes? Should one abstain from eating meat, because if one eats nothing but meat you could end up with Scurvy? Should one never have a mobile on them (even for work purposes) because over use has been shown to cause cancer? Should one never run, because if you run too much you risk your body shutting down or even heart attacks?

If we lived our lives based on the absolute worst scenario (in this case over indulgence) we would have to sit in a quiet room all day doing nothing. Which isn't that beneficial and potentially harmful in and of itself even.
Of course if one has an addictive personality they should be careful of literally everything they do (you can get addicted to cereal even.)
But I think the rest of us are safe to partake in anything we want, so long as it doesn't become a problem in our lives.

Oh and as for health concerns masturbation in both male and females has consistently been shown to reduce risk of developing some cancers.

Happy news! Masturbation actually has health benefits

 

[Unveiled Artist]

@savagewind @SomeRandom and guys.

Ima exnay out this topic.

My last thoughts.

I dont agree with it. I find it impure. It is against my morals and beliefs.

Ciao

 

[Thana]

Interesting.
My experience has been that each person has their own personal version of god.

Exactly.
And that's why finding God is supposed to be a personal journey.
If you listen to others you'll keep hearing about their version of God, which will most likely turn you off, and you'll never find your own version of Him.

 

[savagewind]

If humanity might be one entity and all the people are a part of it and only one part of it is convinced something is a sin it becomes a sin for all the other parts. My two cents.

 

[Thana]

After much contemplation, I must take great issue to this. To find a spouse for the sole purpose of sexual release and pleasure is abominable. It reduces our fellow human beings to the status of blow-up dolls. FURTHER, if one is "unable to help themselves", this speaks of impulse control or compulsive issues. Entering a relationship with these kinds of issues present can only lead to heartache at best; a victim of sexual abuse at worst. If you "can't help yourself", don't get a spouse; get medical and psychological help.
.

Abominable? Bit dramatic, don't you think?
And as far as I know, marriage has only been about 'love' for the past maybe.. 200 or so years? It's almost always been about heirs, land, dowry, money, political alliances and of course, sex.

So I think marrying someone because you can't keep your hands outta your pants is probably one of the least awful reasons.

 

[gsa]

Abominable? Bit dramatic, don't you think?
And as far as I know, marriage has only been about 'love' for the past maybe.. 200 or so years? It's almost always been about heirs, land, dowry, money, political alliances and of course, sex.

So I think marrying someone because you can't keep your hands outta your pants is probably one of the least awful reasons.

I think it depends on what your social status was. If you didn't have property, it was probably about sex and love and maybe in many cases providing legitimacy to some accident that was already on the way.

But why exactly would marriage be preferable to masturbation? Particularly if marriage is regarded as the least good option, a la Paul?

 

[NewGuyOnTheBlock]

Who has condemned masturbation as a sin? I ask because I've never seen it done.

I think sometimes masturbation is offending the self. Some people on the forum seem to think it is always offending the self. I do not agree that it is always wrong. I think when it becomes a substitute for working out things within one's self and between people it becomes wrong.

In this case, I find lust very addictive. Its the Lust behind the action that makes it religiously (not medically if not obsessive) sinful. It is the obsession to the point of harming the body that makes it sinful medically.

I dont know about male parts, but over stimilation (by oneself, another, doctor, harry whoever) irritates the flesh. Just like any sensitive part of the body, it can cause brusing.

I think most people might agree that masturbating as an obsession and often is not good.

What health risks does masturbation have, precisely?

I am not talking about sexual compulsive behavior, which can indeed cause bruising, blistering, scratching, infections and other medical issues. To be frank, I have fought my own battle with compulsive masturbation and perpetual erections (not as fun as it may sound; it gets horribly painful) and did, indeed, injure myself and required professional medical and psychological assistance to overcome. Masturbation to the point of pain is not as abnormal as we make it out to be during that fantastic and horrible time in our lives called "puberty"; but for those past puberty, it is certainly not the norm. Because it is not the norm and because we are speaking about compulsive issues here, that is not the behavior in question with 'is masturbation a sin?"

What I am asking about is someone who masturbates in the privacy of their homes with a frequency that remains within the normal range of human behavior, in a safe and sanitary manner ... Is this sinful?

Abominable? Bit dramatic, don't you think?

No. Not in the slightest. It is against the moral standards of the day. Reducing a person to a mere receptacle for one's reproductive fluids is abominable.

 

[SomeRandom]

I am not talking about sexual compulsive behavior, which can indeed cause bruising, blistering, scratching, infections and other medical issues. To be frank, I have fought my own battle with compulsive masturbation and perpetual erections (not as fun as it may sound; it gets horribly painful) and did, indeed, injure myself and required professional medical and psychological assistance to overcome. Masturbation to the point of pain is not as abnormal as we make it out to be during that fantastic and horrible time in our lives called "puberty"; but for those past puberty, it is certainly not the norm. Because it is not the norm and because we are speaking about compulsive issues here, that is not the behavior in question with 'is masturbation a sin?"

What I am asking about is someone who masturbates in the privacy of their homes with a frequency that remains within the normal range of human behavior, in a safe and sanitary manner ... Is this sinful?



No. Not in the slightest. It is against the moral standards of the day. Reducing a person to a mere receptacle for one's reproductive fluids is abominable.

That's what I was asking Carlita. What health risks were there in normal usage of masturbation, if you will. Because she cited Biology as a reason against it. I wasn't saying that if one does it to an extreme level that there won't be adverse affects. But again, you could say that about literally everything. Even drinking too much water isn't recommended.

Also, ewww Christine O'Donnel. She's ****ing creepy as hell.
I do like the look of absolute concern and pity Dawkins has when he's interviewing that anti masturbation guy. It's like he was saying "Oh you poor soul. Porn and your hand wasn't the problem, religion was for shaming you. You ought to see medical professionals."

 

[Thana]

No. Not in the slightest. It is against the moral standards of the day. Reducing a person to a mere receptacle for one's reproductive fluids is abominable.

And yet we do it all the time. Literally, all. the. time. No one even bats an eye at the mention of having a one night stand.
Compared to that, Marriage is a thousand times more respectful and morally upright. And it has the possibility to become something much more.

 

[jojom]

jojom said: ↑
Who has condemned masturbation as a sin? I ask because I've never seen it done.

Yeah. I know there are some very misguided people out there, but none in the videos condemned masturbation as a sin.

 

[JoStories]

What health risks does masturbation have, precisely? You want to speak of health reasons, which are related to Biology specifically, go on then. Please inform me of the exact health risks normal masturbation has to people.

Irritation? Only if you're too rough and do it too often. No one recommends that (unless you like pain.)
And that would preclude you from even scratching yourself when itchy. Doesn't seem like a very good reason to stop altogether to me.
Then of course one extreme is not always the best solution to another extreme. I mean sexual frustration is a thing and is considered quite unhealthy.

Of course, over indulgence could lead to harm in many ways. But you can say that of eating freaking fruits even!! So should we abstain from mandarins, because if you eat enough of those, you can get diabetes? Should one abstain from eating meat, because if one eats nothing but meat you could end up with Scurvy? Should one never have a mobile on them (even for work purposes) because over use has been shown to cause cancer? Should one never run, because if you run too much you risk your body shutting down or even heart attacks?

If we lived our lives based on the absolute worst scenario (in this case over indulgence) we would have to sit in a quiet room all day doing nothing. Which isn't that beneficial and potentially harmful in and of itself even.
Of course if one has an addictive personality they should be careful of literally everything they do (you can get addicted to cereal even.)
But I think the rest of us are safe to partake in anything we want, so long as it doesn't become a problem in our lives.

Oh and as for health concerns masturbation in both male and females has consistently been shown to reduce risk of developing some cancers.

Happy news! Masturbation actually has health benefits

Thanks Random. You said what I would have but you said it much better. I cannot fathom why masturbation would be so self harming.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I rather doubt anything is a sin that does not harm others or any part of creation.

Sexual activity with willing partners or none, is not sinful.
However it may be illegal or frowned upon, but that is another matter, and perhaps more important in a social context.

The various world religions are constantly updating their position on sex and personal relationships. Some are extremely rigid in their positions and attribute their decisions to the word of God. Never-the-less a majority of these positions have changed in detail over time.