masturbation? (Christians)

[Violetta]

I've got one point just for the sake of argument there. What if you have no spounse, and do it not out of desire, but to relieve your own sexual tension? Especially when the alternative is something like pre-marital sex? If you believe that's a sin, which is then the worse sin?

 

[BigNorm]

if you think of it logically, whack your snake, but a prostitute out of business, so that's gotta be good, right?

 

[Betchass1]

I remember hearing that its better for the seed of a man to fall into the belly of a whore, rather than onto the ground..

Please don't think I got that from a realiable source however.

You mean the belly as in.... the stomach?

 

[Betchass1]

Norm, The Sisters Of Our Lady Of The Sacred Beano Will Pray For You....downwind.... Last Time I Checked, There Were No Farmer's Daughters Wanting Anything From Gt. Hell, If Self-service Is Good Enough For The Oil Companies..... And It Does Save You Some Money Sometimes....ok Bad Example.the Eleventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Staff Thine Own Rod...shake Thine Own Snake....wiper Thine Own Viper.... You'll Put 1-800-concibine Out Of Business

Pack a blister on thy mister.

 

[Betchass1]

I've got one point just for the sake of argument there. What if you have no spounse, and do it not out of desire, but to relieve your own sexual tension? Especially when the alternative is something like pre-marital sex? If you believe that's a sin, which is then the worse sin?

I think in the time and place the books were written, it would have been considered pretty unnatural and harmful to society to not marry when you were able to marry. What God has joined together let no man put asunder.
Seriously, whether you try to follow the book or not, it is obvious that, at the time it was written, people were far more dependent on their neighbors and on their entire extended families than modern first-world folks- most of our food, clothing, and transportation is provided by anonymous people we'll never meet. So today, if some couple decides not to have kids, whatever. But when everyone is struggling to survive, and more children means more people helping with the work, then it's threatening for someone not to "do the natural thing". Like it or not, this is how societies all over the world functioned for a long time, and still today in lots of places.

 

[Betchass1]

If you read the chapter, he wasn't masturbating but pulling out before he ejaculated in her (I believe the correct term is coitus interruptus, but I may be wrong there). Onan was stuck down by God for this act of selfishness.

Wow, I would also call this a sin.

So, if you're doing it because your wife/husband is not accessible due to prlonged distance, illness, etc. then you are fine. However, if you are doing to avoid contact with or otherwise deny your spouse, that is wrong. If you do it fantasizing about someone else (neighbor, old flame, secretary, pin up girl on that website...), that is adultery. If no spouse, it's adultery, period. As it says in Proverbs 23:7, as a person thinks, so is he (how he behaves). If you can't stay faithful mentally, physically isn't many step further down the path.

"Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things."

 

[Betchass1]

The big question, is masturbation a sin? I have heard it is, only if you are thinking about impure thoughts (such as sex, nudity) But is it considered a sin if you watch tickling and masturbate? Lets say fully clothed, foot tickling.

Male libido is largely physical. There is physical pressure from the millions of sperm you produce every day. Sin or no sin, they will come out.
If you are concerned about non-marital ejaculation being a sin, get married ASAP to the first girl who comes along and stay faithful to her for the rest of your life no matter what. Have fun.

 

[Cbarton]

I think in the time and place the books were written, it would have been considered pretty unnatural and harmful to society to not marry when you were able to marry. What God has joined together let no man put asunder.
Seriously, whether you try to follow the book or not, it is obvious that, at the time it was written, people were far more dependent on their neighbors and on their entire extended families than modern first-world folks- most of our food, clothing, and transportation is provided by anonymous people we'll never meet. So today, if some couple decides not to have kids, whatever. But when everyone is struggling to survive, and more children means more people helping with the work, then it's threatening for someone not to "do the natural thing". Like it or not, this is how societies all over the world functioned for a long time, and still today in lots of places.

Good and accurate point, Betchass. Also, more boys meant that property (land and livestock) would stay in the family, rather than have to be lost to dowries (portion of property given to the incoming son-in-law when marrying off the daughters). In the case of Tamar, being his daughter-in-law made her equivalent to his daughter in the customs of the times, so if she remarried outside of Judah's household, he may have been required to supply a dowry for her. Hence the desire for her to stay in the fold as well.

Whereas today, families are spread all over the place and the need to keep everyone close for sheer sake of protecting property gains is not a factor. The closest thing you'll see today is in some farming communities where the family farm is passed on to sons and/or sons-in-law.

 

[GuldenVleugel]

The spam-thread about Jews has been removed. I hope it was for spam. Otherwise I'd like to add: poor America!

 

[Gray]

Ok, may one of use Christians that all of you seem to love to bash give some input? ( 😉 ) Esp. since the question is directed to believers?

Camel, you are 1/2 right about the reference to Onan. Onan was the second son of Judah, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, who later became Israel. Judah's oldest son, Er, has been slain by the Lord for his wickedness (Genesis 38:7). What did he do? Don't know, the Word doesn't say. Perhaps the oral or written Jewish histories record it, but Genesis doesn't. The tradition back then (for those of you who didn't go to Sunday School or catechism (sp?), this was before Moses and the Law), if a man died and left a widow and no children, the next oldest son was to take her into his household, "lay with her" (King James for sexual intercourse), and cause her to concieve, creating a blood line for the dead man and his wife. Onan did not want to do this, since the child would be considered Er's child and not his. so he spilled his semen on the ground (Gen 38:9). If you read the chapter, he wasn't masturbating but pulling out before he ejaculated in her (I believe the correct term is coitus interruptus, but I may be wrong there). Onan was stuck down by God for this act of selfishness. He was not killed for mastrubating, but for denying Tamar (Er's widow) children. Turns out Judah's entire family was really messed up sexually if you read the rest of the chapter, but suffice it to say that masturbation was not his sin, but selfishness.

The root that one needs to analyze is not the what, but the why. Why masturbating? If you are "doing the deed by hand" as you think about your wife/husband because she and you are several cities/states/nations apart and have been for a while, and you are thinking about him/her, then it's a way to keep one's self from being tempted by others.

I Corinthians 7:1-6 discusses it well. The body of the wife belongs to her husband, and the body of the husband EQUALLY belongs to his wife. So, it may be attached to you, but in the scriptural sense, it belongs to your spouse. Therefore, sexual activity is to fulfill the husband and the wife. Dr. Tim LaHaye (more known now for the "Left Behind" book series) wrote a book that in some parts is a 'sex manual' for Christians called "The Act of Marriage". No, it doesn't describe technique or positions, but the mental and spirtual aspects to bring completeness to the sexual life for the Christian.

If it's not your spouse? Then Christ says it very straightforward in Matthew 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said 'Do not committ adultery'. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully in his heart has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Sexual focus on someone other than your spouse is wrong. Is it easy to do? Nope, but He never said it would be. I fight it all the time. I do my best not to and stop myself if it starts.

"But...But...what if I'm not married" Then don't expose yourself (no pun intended or implied..😉 ) to anything that leads you down that path. My sexual life started on my wedding night. That's God's intention for marriage.

So, if you're doing it because your wife/husband is not accessible due to prlonged distance, illness, etc. then you are fine. However, if you are doing to avoid contact with or otherwise deny your spouse, that is wrong. If you do it fantasizing about someone else (neighbor, old flame, secretary, pin up girl on that website...), that is adultery. If no spouse, it's adultery, period. As it says in Proverbs 23:7, as a person thinks, so is he (how he behaves). If you can't stay faithful mentally, physically isn't many step further down the path.

Easy standard to follow? As a believer in Christ, I can attest it is not easy to do. That's what prayer and the Holy Spirit are there for, to help get you through.

Popular opinion? Of course not, for the thinking of this age is do whatever one wants, not what is right in God's eyes. But, that's what His Word says. What's right isn't always popular. What's popular isn't always right. But for those seeking an informed opinion based on scripture, that's what is says.

Hi, this is my first post and i find this fascinating. Did you know there was hundreds of sections that never made it in to the final cut of the bible.The bible is written in mens opinion and the editing and content decisions were done by men. So if you are looking for the guide of what God has decided is sinful you are probably asking the wrong people.
How would they really know for sure?
The bible was edited to apply to the times then and incorporated pagen similarities to keep everyone happy. this is a book to guide people in moral choices certainly but that does not mean it is accurate in Gods eyes.
I do not have a particular faith and i am not sure if i have any faith at all, but if i do i would think the bible is the last place i look. God (or whatever) created everything in the beginning and us in his image. So we have a similarity to God. So look to yourself for the answers, as they are inside you.
When you do it, do you feel guilty. If the answer is no then chances are God is ok with it otherwise you would feel guilt. God maybe all forgiving but has a temper too and is unlikely to let you get away with it in the short term even if your judgement day is not looking rosy. As for those with no guilt, I am sure that should there be a God it has reasons for them. Maybe serial killers are gods way of quickly removing 10 people that will grow up to be tyrants. Who knows the answers. NO ONE!! Not with any degree of certainty so just try to lead a guilt free life (should this include masterbation of any variety so be it) and should you be judged and i am wrong blame me. I'm going to hell anywat 🙂

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Sin or no sin, they will come out.

Or be consumed by the body's cleanup crew, i.e. macrophages (A type of white blood cell).

Don't mind me...*Wanders off*

 

[morgandee]

it's funny how people look to external things to devise morals and principles instead of find out how to reason things for themselves

it's a great learning experience but it's an even funner zombifying method to take all the responsibility off your own shoulders and onto the guy who wrote some book about what you should think and do like

 

[Betchass1]

Or be consumed by the body's cleanup crew, i.e. macrophages (A type of white blood cell).

Don't mind me...*Wanders off*

I'll be damned. I learned something new today. So those yogis aren't lying when they say they channel their sexual energy completely into other areas.

 

[Betchass1]

it's funny how people look to external things to devise morals and principles instead of find out how to reason things for themselves

it's a great learning experience but it's an even funner zombifying method to take all the responsibility off your own shoulders and onto the guy who wrote some book about what you should think and do like

I wouldn't be averse to another thread for this.
Two of my favorite things to talk about, masturbation and Christianity, but somehow I don't feel like going into them on this thread.
There was a time, when I was a teenager, when I had the exact same dilemma as this thread is about. Ironically, in a way, my fantasies were more thrilling when I struggled not to have them.

 

[Cbarton]

Did you know there was hundreds of sections that never made it in to the final cut of the bible.The bible is written in mens opinion and the editing and content decisions were done by men. So if you are looking for the guide of what God has decided is sinful you are probably asking the wrong people.
How would they really know for sure?
The bible was edited to apply to the times then and incorporated pagen similarities to keep everyone happy. this is a book to guide people in moral choices certainly but that does not mean it is accurate in Gods eyes.

Time and space does not permit me to be able to respond to this as I would prefer. Just suffice it to say that those arguements, spurred by the "Da Vinci Hoax' are as historically accurate, let alone the same old atheistic sludge I've heard the past 30 years.

 

[ftmench]

No...but you will go blind.
D

 

[yeeow]

Back-Woodsy

Hey! You must be from the same hick woods I'm from. Old people said that,( better in the belly of a whore etc) all the time when I was young, ESPECIALLY some older men I knew who made regular visits to "The widow down by the river" to be sure and avoid having their seed "spill on the ground".
They even used to say it was in the Bible, but it's not. It's an "old wives tale" or more accurately an "old man's excuse".
The story about Ornan in the Bible is about obedience, not about God killing a man because his semen missed the mark.
Masturbation is natural, and the Bible says "If a man's seed chances him by night, he shall wash his garments and his blanket, and " be unclean 'til evening", (Bible term for practicing hygiene); it's just common sense.
So God knows our seed is going to come out, and sometimes when we are especially horny it causes us to be frustrated and distracted until we get release. Just as long as it doesn't become a "several times a day" obsession, I think masturbation is healthy, just like tickling is very healthy!
The Bible says "Laughter does good like a medicine", and being tickled is excellent medicine!:laughing:

 

[cletus-factor]

Some smart people here, but I would add that there are a few things I've come across in my studies that are with this argument. The first is the saint Augustine (I think his name was anyway). One of the early church fathers, had a real problem with being horny, and hated it, so he added a few ideas of his own to christianity which became embedded in the religion. And then there was something about either losing the life essence or something about going wacky that was on TV the other night about masterbation in the 1800's and how they tied those ideas together.

 

[polakyyyy]

HAHAHAHAHA, dont worry bout wat other people think . wait now that i think of it alot of potential babys of mine have landed on a kleenex.oh well.

 

[alf1]

d'oh !

i like this thread it's a funny read 🙂

 

[kirrrin1]

i just can't stop myself from doing it. i need serious help

 

[Kittamaru1]

If you want to get really techincal...

living is a sin...

For me?

Bible = Guidelines... after all, times change and the bible WAS written how long ago?

Live a good life, do the best you can, and if God faults you for it well... *shrugS*

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Old thread is old.

 

[Cavum]

i just can't stop myself from doing it. i need serious help

Why?? It's healthy! hehe.
The more you do it, the better. So don't think "to much" and enjoy yourself. 😉

 

[Sorcerer Lance]

well, a recent study says doing it helps prevent a certain type of cancer in the future...In any case, I'm Catholic and I do it regardless what the Bible says...I'm not gonna get into a religious debate, but my personal thought on the matter is, it's better to masturbate in the privacy of your home, than to attempt rape to quell your raging hormones.