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Is Masturbation A Sin?

Tumah

Veteran Member
Related to a post I made in a thread on another topic.
There is a concept in Judaism of G-d's Blessing to the world constantly flowing from Giver to Receiver in a chain stretching from G-d to the creation. Man, the pinnacle of creation, has the ability to affect these spiritual mediums of Giver and Receiver through his symbolic actions. You can understand the Divine Flow as beneficial energy. This is energy that G-d desires to give us. However, our actions are what dictate how much of this beneficial energy reaches us. The more we negatively effect the Divine conduit, the less of the Divine Flow we would receive. Consider that G-d is the archetypal Giver and the the creation, with an emphasis on humanity, the archetypal receiver. There is another element called, "the outside". That is, when the flow does not reach its intended destination (humanity), to our detriment.

This concept is represented in the male-female relationship. The male, is created with the physical component of the Giver and the female, the Receiver (this is dynamic, but as a general statement true). When the male puts his flow into the female, this is reflected in the higher spiritual realms where his Divine soul is connected and the Divine Flow progresses to its intended vessel, untimely reaching us.

Since the male generally represents the archetypal Giver, we only find prohibitions related to this idea by men, such as in Gen. 38:9 and Lev. 18:22. Since men generally represent the Divine Flow, these prohibitions will only be relevant to them. While we find that women, who represent the Divine vessel have more Laws related to maintaining their purity such as the menstruation and post-pregnancy impurity laws (Death impurity, dead animal impurity, leprosy impurity and abnormal discharge impurity are shared by both).

In respect to the issue of the OP, wasting one's seed then causes the Divine Flow to go "outside" the vessel, so that it never reaches us. Imagine pouring a drink of water, and the water going everywhere but inside your cup. Not only do you have no drink, you also have a mess to clean up.

This is the responsibility of humanity, the pinnacle of creation made in the image of G-d. We are given the power to control the success of the world.

That is how I understand it.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
But why? Too much salt and chocolate have negative affects on your health. In general, that's not true with masturbation. We're not talking about people with sex addictions here, just people who masturbate.


Wisdom, or maturity? There are some incredibly intelligent kids in the world. But I'm guessing you mean in a more "common sense" manner, right? In that sense, you could say that wisdom comes from experiences. I agree, though, that teaching kids to feel shame over what their body does is a net bad.


See, when I hear that, I hear that god has a problem with pleasure. Why is god's will not that you should feel pleasure? Wouldn't it be better if the 2 went hand in hand?
I have never said it is against the will of God to pleasure yourself. I am saying it is wrong to bring up pleasure or to live for it. "There is a time for everything", even pleasure. Ecclesiastes 3
 

beenie

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
I have never really understood why masturbation is considered sinful. It causes no harm to anyone... not everyone can just "get married", and most married couples have different libidos, so... what's the harm again?
 

NewGuyOnTheBlock

Cult Survivor/Fundamentalist Pentecostal Apostate
Its like any part of the human body. If you "irritate" (regardless the motive pleasure or not) any part of the body you can cause redness of the skin.

That just puts too fine a point on things.

Coitus can cause redness and swelling. Yet coitus with a spouse is not considered "sinful". Snow skiing can cause swelling and discomfort in the knees. But skiing is not considered sinful. Physical exertion can cause pulled muscles, tendons, soreness, skin irritation from sweating; yet not only is working "not" considered sinful, it's considered a virtue.
 

Marisa

Well-Known Member
I have never said it is against the will of God to pleasure yourself. I am saying it is wrong to bring up pleasure or to live for it. "There is a time for everything", even pleasure. Ecclesiastes 3
That just doesn't make sense to me. I'm not trying to be obstinate, and I'm really not judging. Thank you for indulging my questions!
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
That just doesn't make sense to me. I'm not trying to be obstinate, and I'm really not judging. Thank you for indulging my questions!
Does it not make sense to you that there is a time to masturbate and a time not to masturbate? I volunteered in an elementary school. I saw a young girl do it at her desk. I would say that is not the time to masturbate. I would not call it "a sin" but I think it was not appropriate to touch yourself like that is the class. Was it? Class is for paying attention to learn and she was doing something else.

Whenever a person masturbates instead of doing something else he should be doing it is wrong or "a sin". I think wrong means sin.

Is all masturbation wrong? I do not think so. Is all masturbation right? I do not think so.

Some people say that to spill semen is wrong but in an over populated city or world it would be right. Wouldn't it? I think so.
 

Marisa

Well-Known Member
Does it not make sense to you that there is a time to masturbate and a time not to masturbate?
Well I said as much in my first comment when I said we need to teach kids about privacy. Beyond that? What doesn't make sense is that there is a god who cares whether I masturbate or not, regardless of the reason. But I come from a place where I'm not concerned with whether or not I'm offending or pleasing a god. My concern is whether or not I'm offending a person. If something I do impacts a living, breathing human being, that is of major importance to me. I could give a fig about gods.

I volunteered in an elementary school. I saw a young girl do it at her desk. I would say that is not the time to masturbate. I would not call it "a sin" but I think it was not appropriate to touch yourself like that is the class. Was it? Class is for paying attention to learn and she was doing something else.
I would agree. And what's more, we do seem to agree that the appropriate thing to do would not have been to shame the child, or to tell her that what she does was wrong, but that it would be better to do in private.

Whenever a person masturbates instead of doing something else he should be doing it is wrong or "a sin". I think wrong means sin.
I can go as far as mismanagement of time, but no further. I don't think mismanagement of time is good or bad, but it definitely has consequences. :D

Is all masturbation wrong? I do not think so. Is all masturbation right? I do not think so.

Some people say that to spill semen is wrong but in an over populated city or world it would be right. Wouldn't it? I think so.
Okie doke.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Well I said as much in my first comment when I said we need to teach kids about privacy. Beyond that? What doesn't make sense is that there is a god who cares whether I masturbate or not, regardless of the reason. But I come from a place where I'm not concerned with whether or not I'm offending or pleasing a god. My concern is whether or not I'm offending a person. If something I do impacts a living, breathing human being, that is of major importance to me. I could give a fig about gods.

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.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I try to live by natural means; so, when I do something, I dont want to cause harm in doing it. To do anything that causes my body harm is a sin to me. Its not just moral its medical too.

If I comb my hair, it is not a sin. If I do so to where I bleed, than yes, it is a sin.

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.

Combing my hair has nothing to do with lust (at least not with me). So, Im fine with that. If people want to masterbate for medical reasons, there is no problem.

I just dont care for it. To me, if I dont "need" and I stress need to do it, I wont. Lust is addictive and too much physically just as any part of the body can hurt the body medically.

That, and I am not familar with the male anatomy. Female anatomy has sensitive parts, so that is one main reason I dont care for it. It can be addictive and as such can one can harm oneself.


Ooh goos example!

Achohol. One or two drinks is fine. Wine on a full moon is cool. The "point" that you started drinking achohol to begin with can lead to acholism. To prevent that, dont drink. Its nof immoral to "drink" in and of itself. People donit for reasons thst may not be moral.

Masterbation included.


That just puts too fine a point on things.

Coitus can cause redness and swelling. Yet coitus with a spouse is not considered "sinful". Snow skiing can cause swelling and discomfort in the knees. But skiing is not considered sinful. Physical exertion can cause pulled muscles, tendons, soreness, skin irritation from sweating; yet not only is working "not" considered sinful, it's considered a virtue.
 

jojom

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

Marisa

Well-Known Member
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.
Now we're in interesting territory. I work in a psychology practice, but even if I didn't my first question would be: is it reasonable to think that teaching people that their body is a source of shame would cause a psychological difficulty that would cause the individual to suffer when masturbating? In other words, if we teach that masturbation is completely normal would people still suffer? If so, how?
 

A Vestigial Mote

Well-Known Member
Provided God exists, then he gave me the body and anything I choose to do with it that doesn't hurt anyone else certainly shouldn't be punishable, should it? I think the only real thing The Bible has to say on it is that it is wrong to "spill your seed in vain" or some such. But the reality (that our ancestors were likely ignorant of) is that the seed is constantly going to waste anyway and fresh batches being produced on a constant basis by our own bodies. Is letting the seed go to waste via the bodies own processes also a sin? It's going to waste either way - whether on the floor or reabsorbed into the body. Plus - women have no "seed" to be spilt via masturbation - so how does that one work out?

Provided God does not exist - there is no such thing as "sin".
 

jojom

Active Member
Catholicism.
I'll be damned!

"when is masturbation a sin? And how bad a sin is it?

The Catholic teaching on masturbation says that masturbation is a grave sin, what we call a mortal sin, by which we reject God's offer of life."
Catholic Teaching on Masturbation: Straight Answers
Not to take a swipe at Catholicism, its members, or leaders, but BOY! this doesn't leave the celibate clergy any release whatsoever. Seems to be close to self-flagellation.
 
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Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I am thinking of brushing hair, a repetitive thing. I am thinking of pumicing the feet which is repetitive and good. What about a massage? How can it be good but masturbation be bad?

If you keep messaging your foot fast enough, they can hurt. That and female genelia is more sensitive.
 

Marisa

Well-Known Member
I'll be damned!

"when is masturbation a sin? And how bad a sin is it?

The Catholic teaching on masturbation says that masturbation is a grave sin, what we call a mortal sin, by which we reject God's offer of life."
Catholic Teaching on Masturbation: Straight Answers
Not to take a swipe at Catholicism, its members, or leaders, but BOY! this doesn't leave the celibate clergy any release whatsoever.
I'm guessing because it denies the opportunity for conception? Despite the fact that intercourse and ejaculation (in the vagina) don't produce conception 100% of the time? And that conception does not equate to live birth? :D
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
OK ... why do you agree with it?
(My reasons in color)
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. Forms a bond within a commited relationship (formal marriage or not)

Outside of that, I dont see any use for it anymore than eating tons of chocolate when on a sugar beige.

Or drinking acohol. I dont care for achohol sonI dont drink it. Drinking in and of itself is not wrong. It is wrong (unhealthy) when one drinks too much. Can cause health problems if drinking is obsessive.

Masturbation included.
 

jojom

Active Member
I'm guessing because it denies the opportunity for conception? Despite the fact that intercourse and ejaculation (in the vagina) don't produce conception 100% of the time? And that conception does not equate to live birth? :D
Just because a male masturbates doesn't mean he is always without his vital bodily essence. It regenerates pretty quickly. And females don't lose a thing by masturbating.
 

leibowde84

Veteran Member
(My reasons in color)
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. Forms a bond within a commited relationship (formal marriage or not)

Outside of that, I dont see any use for it anymore than eating tons of chocolate when on a sugar beige.

Or drinking acohol. I dont care for achohol sonI dont drink it. Drinking in and of itself is not wrong. It is wrong (unhealthy) when one drinks too much. Can cause health problems if drinking is obsessive.

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