Is masturbation wrong?

[Pegg]

so do you disappear for 10 days or so when you're on your period...? according to god, that's appropriate...

if i lived in a time when men treated women like property, and had total control over the womans body, then yes, i'd want very much to disappear for 10 days or so while menstruating... absolutely.

some laws that seem silly to us are actually very logical if you think about them. I can see Gods loving care towards women in this law...it prevented men from putting their wives through unnecessary discomfort at that particular time of the month. Men were really being taught to respect the womans body...it wasnt just there for their pleasure and so they were being taught that they could not have total control over everything...some things were special.

 

[Nooj]

Or maybe because menstrual blood was considered ritually unclean by men, so that's why women and men were separated. I mean, that's what the text actually says. I don't really see the respect in it. But your interpretation is nice as well.

 

[savethedreams]

I thought masturbation was a healthy thing, take off stress and steam.

 

[Pegg]

Or maybe because menstrual blood was considered ritually unclean by men, so that's why women and men were separated. I mean, that's what the text actually says. I don't really see the respect in it. But your interpretation is nice as well.

God would not put a natural process in place and then call the person unclean for having it. No.

The menstrual cycle does not make a woman unclean. But the process of it requires some consideration because when the menstrual cycle begins, the womb opens and if impurities were to enter the womb, lets say through sexual intercourse, it could cause problems with conception later. Her 'source of life' could become damaged... so I believe this law was put in place to prevent sexual intercourse during the womans cycle. It is also an uncomfortable time for many women and to have sex during that time would not be pleasant for her...it would be most inconsiderate of a husband to demand sex during that time and in some cultures men can and do demand sex and woman are not allowed to say no.

Gods created the womb to bring forth life and he cherishes it and so should we.

 

[ninerbuff]

Gods created the womb to bring forth life and he cherishes it and so should we.

If that were true then IVF wouldn't exist.:yes:

 

[waitasec]

if i lived in a time when men treated women like property, and had total control over the womans body, then yes, i'd want very much to disappear for 10 days or so while menstruating... absolutely.

ha ha...
seriously, didn't god command this? it's natural, just like masturbation.
hey dr oz said "if you don't use it you'll loose it..." and he was talking about the female genitalia
and i don't want to loose out on any free entertainment

another thing is, for men, if they don't do it their sperm isn't as strong as the next batch...it's natures way of making sure those little guys are strong enough to make it to the egg.

some laws that seem silly to us are actually very logical if you think about them. I can see Gods loving care towards women in this law...it prevented men from putting their wives through unnecessary discomfort at that particular time of the month. Men were really being taught to respect the womans body...it wasnt just there for their pleasure and so they were being taught that they could not have total control over everything...some things were special.

but calling women unclean doesn't sound very loving to me.

 

[Pegg]

but calling women unclean doesn't sound very loving to me.

yes i can see how the terminology is a little offputting

but what is really being spoken about with regard to 'uncleanness' in the mosaic law is that which makes one 'religiously' or 'ceremoniously' unclean.

From Gods point of view, the jewish nation were created for a 'holy purpose'...as an instrument used in the worship of God they were to reflect Gods purity and cleanness and a reflection of his views. The menstrual blood itself is literally unclean because it is dead blood, and that is why she was to remain separate at that time. Nothing dead was allowed to be touched or was to have anything to do with the worship of God hence why only the priests were permitted to offer the sacrifices.


Gods view of blood as 'the source of life' also comes into play with the menstrual cycle. This law shows how serious a matter it was:
Lev 20:18 “‘And where a man lies down with a menstruating woman and does lay bare her nakedness, he has exposed her source, and she herself has laid bare the source of her blood. So both of them must be cut off from among their people.

Life is precious to God, as is the 'source' of where life begins. Blood is considered to be the 'source of life' Gen 9:4 “Flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.”


There is just so much more to it then we think and you have to really peer below the surface of whats written to get an understanding of it.

 

[waitasec]

yes i can see how the terminology is a little offputting

but what is really being spoken about with regard to 'uncleanness' in the mosaic law is that which makes one 'religiously' or 'ceremoniously' unclean.

From Gods point of view, the jewish nation were created for a 'holy purpose'...as an instrument used in the worship of God they were to reflect Gods purity and cleanness and a reflection of his views. The menstrual blood itself is literally unclean because it is dead blood, and that is why she was to remain separate at that time. Nothing dead was allowed to be touched or was to have anything to do with the worship of God hence why only the priests were permitted to offer the sacrifices.


Gods view of blood as 'the source of life' also comes into play with the menstrual cycle. This law shows how serious a matter it was:
Lev 20:18 “‘And where a man lies down with a menstruating woman and does lay bare her nakedness, he has exposed her source, and she herself has laid bare the source of her blood. So both of them must be cut off from among their people.

Life is precious to God, as is the 'source' of where life begins. Blood is considered to be the 'source of life' Gen 9:4 “Flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.”


There is just so much more to it then we think and you have to really peer below the surface of whats written to get an understanding of it.

but we know so much more about our bodies today...
it really seems as though this is a product of the bronze age understanding of the female body. an orgasm during menstruation helps relieve the cramps, why would "god" set it up that way if he were disgusted with it?

 

[gnomon]

Explain.

I would say it's wrong to do it hunched over some pictures of aborted fetuses.

Something about that would just be..........wrong.

 

[Autodidact]

sorry guys but this man-thread makes me feel icky, so i'll be brief

masturbation is not directly condemned in the Bible but that doesn't mean it's harmless. Its a means of arousing ones sexual appetite and if your sexual appetite becomes too great, then you might find it difficult to resist the temptation to practice sex whenever you can and this will certainly put you at odds with Gods laws on sexuality and cleanness.

Do you have some actual evidence for this silly superstition?

Colossians 3:5-6 "Deaden, therefore, YOUR body members that are upon the earth as respects fornication, uncleanness, sexual appetite, hurtful desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of those things the wrath of God is coming.

Man Christianity makes me sick. It takes something healthy and beautiful and makes it sick and dirty.

Christians need to be found acceptable to God and if we loose control of our own sexuality by developing a sexual appetite that we cannot control, then we will likely stand disapproved.

Yet another good reason not to be a Christian.

Is a few seconds of pleasure really worth it?

If it only takes you a few seconds, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Autodidact]

of course if you consider any rules about sex to be repressive, then i can understand your point. But like everything else from driving cars to buying houses, some rules are beneficial to our well being.

Yes. However a rule against masturbation is not one of them, quite the contrary.

Paul said that if one feels the need to be sexually active, then find a mate and marry because that is better then committing fornication and breaking Gods laws. No one is being told they can never have sex...its natural and normal to want sex, but it is also something which should not be abused and if you take away all rules surrounding it, then it will inevitable be abused.

Poor Paul had serious issues. No one is advocating taking away all rules, Pegg, just those that make no sense.

 

[Autodidact]

some have developed a sexual appetite for young children... is that good too?

Now put on your thinking cap. Can you find any significant difference between masturbation and child abuse?

 

[Gaura Priya]

Just to add to the religiosity to the conversation, masturbation is also considered wrong in (Vaishnava) Hinduism. Not because it is a sin per se, but rather that sexual pleasure is the most mundane, least spiritual type of pleasure one can ever experience in this earthly realm.

Whilst in Christianity, sex does have its allowed place, in Hinduism, the sex act can never be dedicated to God. It can cause us to lose our spiritual life, and become addicted to succumb to this mundane platform. It's total abstinence, EVEN in marriage, is considered the highest ideal. Lust, greed and anger (kama, lobha, and krodha) are considered the three gates of Hell.


"It is lust which instigateth him. It is passion, sprung from the quality of rajas; insatiable, and full of sin. Know this to be the enemy of man on earth. As the flame is surrounded by smoke, and a mirror by rust, and as the womb envelopeth the foetus, so is the universe surrounded by this passion. By this - the constant enemy of the wise man, formed from desire which rageth like fire and is never to be appeased - is discriminative knowledge surrounded. Its empire is over the senses and organs, the thinking principle and the discriminating faculty also; by means of these it cloudeth discrimination and deludeth the Lord of the body. Therefore, O best of the descendants of Bharata, at the very outset restraining thy senses, thou shouldst conquer this sin which is the destroyer of knowledge and of spiritual discernment."

-- Krishna (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3)

 

[Pegg]

but we know so much more about our bodies today...
it really seems as though this is a product of the bronze age understanding of the female body. an orgasm during menstruation helps relieve the cramps, why would "god" set it up that way if he were disgusted with it?

i must not have made myself clear, he's not disgusted with it in the slightest.

If the bible laws surrounding menstruation were simply created by men, then im pretty sure those laws would not be there at all. I really dont think most men would put a little blood loss ahead of their own sexual pleasures if you know what i mean.

the laws were put there by God to protect a womans 'source of life'. We do know a lot more about our bodies today and the fact is that when the womb is open as it is during menstruation, then the risk of infection is high.

But religiously, the loss of blood, or any other body fluids, made one 'ritually unclean' under the law...both men and women were unclean if they had any discharges so God is not picking on women with regard to the menstrual cycle.

 

[Pegg]

Yes. However a rule against masturbation is not one of them, quite the contrary.

Poor Paul had serious issues. No one is advocating taking away all rules, Pegg, just those that make no sense.

it does make sense for a person who wants to be in control... masturbation can lead to addiction and once you become addicted to something, you become a slave to it. There are people who have needed rehab because of sexual addiction...some famous names come to mind

 

[Mr Spinkles]

I think the religious view is wrong on every possible level:

(1) Sexual pleasure is not sinful any more than eating or breathing is sinful.
(2) It's not something that needs to be controlled, it's something that needs to be enjoyed (with some reasonable degree of moderation).

(3) Why would anyone assume that masturbation increases desire, instead of relieving desire? If I'm starving, food is the only thing I can possibly think about. If I eat a good meal, it relieves my hunger and I now have more freedom and self-control, not less. Yes, from a certain point of view I am "addicted" to food but who cares? I enjoy food and as a human being, I suffer without a regular supply of food. When I can satisfy my hunger on a regular basis I am happy and fully capable of thinking about things other than food, which I cannot do when I am starving.

I think sex works in a similar way, having a satisfying sex life gives the average person more control and freedom, as well as happiness. OTOH, I am sure that it is possible to heap on enough guilt and shame and superstition to dull a person's sexual desire, and turn people into inhuman robots who never feel an enjoyable emotion outside of Sunday prayers. But why would we want this?

Only religion could possibly convince people that teenagers ought to be horny, sexually-frustrated, and ashamed, instead of enjoying their own bodies in the prime of life. I know from talking to people that many American girls miss the experience of orgasm during their early years, because they have the idea in their head that masturbation for girls is shameful. This is sad, they are missing one of the most unique and remarkable experiences a human can experience in life, for no good reason.

 

[The Neo Nerd]

the laws were put there by God to protect a womans 'source of life'. We do know a lot more about our bodies today and the fact is that when the womb is open as it is during menstruation, then the risk of infection is high.

Got anything to back this up with?

 

[Madhuri]

How exactly can you masturbate without meditating and entertaining the notion of the opposite sex?

As a female, I really don't need to think about men..or anything. I don't know if I'm alone on this.

 

[waitasec]

i must not have made myself clear, he's not disgusted with it in the slightest.

If the bible laws surrounding menstruation were simply created by men, then im pretty sure those laws would not be there at all. I really dont think most men would put a little blood loss ahead of their own sexual pleasures if you know what i mean.

the laws were put there by God to protect a womans 'source of life'. We do know a lot more about our bodies today and the fact is that when the womb is open as it is during menstruation, then the risk of infection is high.

But religiously, the loss of blood, or any other body fluids, made one 'ritually unclean' under the law...both men and women were unclean if they had any discharges so God is not picking on women with regard to the menstrual cycle.

then this source of life mentality is flawed...
what is god protecting, STD'S?

read this..

Sex and Menstruation - Sexual Health - EverydayHealth.com

 

[Gaura Priya]

As a female, I really don't need to think about men..or anything. I don't know if I'm alone on this.

Nope, I'm the same way!

Not like I'm proud of it or anything...