Masturbation

This sounds very interesting. I always wandered if lust is only just a simple sexual thought or getting aroused from seeing something or someone that looks sexy.

I wonder if any Gnostic beliefs have seeped into Christianity.

Masturbation releases build-up of sexual feelings, and it also is a sign that the food eaten contains plenty of vitamins, carbohydrates and antioxidants from dairy, meat, fruit and vegetables. God combined masturbation and lust for sex between Adam and Eve until Satan told them to eat the fruit so that knowledge can extend love to self-love (masturbation) and omni-love (loving others). These two sinful pleasures can waste time of one's life.

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The sin of Onan was originally Onan fulfilling his marital duties by impregnating his brother's wife. He just withdrew his genitals from his new wife and ejaculated on the floor or ground. No masturbation was mentioned. This is in Genesis 38 I believe.

Therefore, I don't believe that masturbation by itself is not sinful towards God.

I know it is clear in the Bible that all sexual immorality is wrong and sinful. I also know that masturbation is an act that only promotes sexually immoral thought. But recently there has been a lot of research over masturbation, and it has many supposed health benefits for men and women who masturbate. I was wondering if these claims were true to be scientific fact. If they are, why would God refrain us from something that would be beneficial to our health? If they are not true, are these health professionals claiming a simple correlation rather than a hard fact? Are the health benefits of masturbation minimal?

even if there were health benefits, if the bible forbids it in principle, it is still wrong... so he ends do not justify the means...

secondly, we have to always know what the motivation and the worldview of the people doing the research is... as is sometimes the case with homosexuality, many of the researchers who try to justify homosexualuty for whatever reason, do so because they themselves are homosexuals and (sometimes desperately) want to find ways to justify the behavior as being a legitimate alternative lifestyle because it is genetic or whatever.... so their methodology is suspect form the beginning... so too I wonder if those who are claiming such benefits are just themselves people who are seeking to justify the behavior.

thirdly even if there were health benefits, God would have the wisdom to have us refrain from the practice if He knew that whatever health benefits that there were (granting for the moment that the research is valid and that there are in fact benefits), these benefits do not outweigh the psychological and spiritual harm that comes from masturbating, as it cheapens the sex act, as sexual intercourse was designed by God to be between a husband and a wife, and masturbation most often involves fantasizing about a person that is not one's spouse. This of course is in violation of Matthew 5:27 - 29 (ESV) 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell."
It seems that it is also wrong in that masturbation involves fantasizing about engaging in sexual activity with a specific person without that person's permission. So it seems to violate that person's rights in some way as well, as one would expect that many men and women would object to the knowledge that a person was masturbating while fantasizing about them, and would thus feel defiled.


blessings,
ken