Masturbation... is it wrong?

[Spyr]

The reason being that I can't prove that masturbation involves lusting is also the same that I can't prove that somebody is plotting a murder in their heads. But...I can however go on a personal based judgement and on books I have read regarding the issue at hand. You don't get turned on from lookin at your wallpaper. You get turned on by the opposite sex. Sexual stimulation which brings us to the act of masturbation.

Sexual stimulation doesn't necessarily come from thinking of the opposite sex (or from someone of the same sex for that matter). Please get turned on for many reasons. Maybe an article of clothing is arousing to the person or perhaps a sound (ex: a moan or even a scream). Sometimes smoke turns someone on because of the look and elagance as it dances in the air. The desire to be aroused can also be enough for someone so that no imagination is needed. Is that still wrong?

There is no commandment in the Bible regarding masturbation. However, we do have a clear command from Jesus, concerning sexually lusting after a person who is not your spouse.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28.

That's important that the bible doesn't say masturbation is a sin; it's lust that is. What if you just make up a person in your head?

Dennis Rupert said:
Most people that I have spoken to on this issue, touch using pornography, images or imagination to lust after someone who is not their spouse. Sexual excitement starts in the mind, not your sex organs. We'd like to think that fantasies are harmless and hurt no one. This is simply not true. As a man thinks in his heart, so he is. (Proverbs 23:7). [as i was saying earlier].

Who is Dennis Rupert and why do I care what he thinks? I'm not insulting him, I just don't know who he is.

 

[flicka]

Thank god I'm not a teenage boy.

 

[Razielz]

touching yourself Is Not Wrong In Itself But What People Let Themselves Fantisize About During The Act Can Be Wrong

 

[WittyBanter]

The idea of lust being a sin is absurd. If you ever want to have a normal, healthy sexual relationship with your husband/wife i would hope lust is a part of it. The context that lust has to be this filthy overbearing quality is inaccurate - arousal on both the male and female part is required to have sex. It is how God made us.
Therefore, it's logical to conclude that since when we are hungry we eat, tired we sleep, and aroused we copulate/touch. The idea of our sexuality needing to be a repressed quality has caused all kinds of bad things : ie Catholic church scandals, young sexually repressed kids going sex-crazy 'cause they are repressing their natural urges so much. Let me ask you this - would you rather your 14 year old daughter pleasures herself or has sex with actual people?

WB

 

[invisible trousers]

The idea of our sexuality needing to be a repressed quality has caused all kinds of bad things : ie Catholic church scandals, young sexually repressed kids going sex-crazy 'cause they are repressing their natural urges so much.

In my opinion it seems like the church teaches us to be ashamed of our bodies, and feel extreme guilt with anything sexual (outside the church guidelines of course). Sex and genitals are dirty; we should be ashamed of ourselves for thinking dirty thoughts. Every time you touch God kills a kitten, maybe even two.

Do wet dreams tie in to all of this? Some of us could try as hard as we can to not touch, but God sometimes decides that we need an [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] in our sleep. This leads me to believe that our bodies will rid themselves of pent-up sexual energy (for a lack of better phrase), whether we want it to or not.

Say for instance, they saved themselfs for you, tried not to think pervertedly about anyone else to save all their sensual love for you. Will you be able to present the same dedication, will you be able to say that yuo've saved all your thoughts for them? No, and that can be emotionaly hurtfull to your spouse.

If that were true, then nearly every relationship would be damaged by masturbation in the past. Yet, for some reason that doesn't happen. Perhaps there is absolutely no correlation between masturbating and dedication to your spouse?

Galatians 5:19 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery

Funny how masturbation doesn't quite fit in with the whole requiring another person bit.

Masturbation opens the door to the deceiving influences of lust.

Really? What path does masturbation take us down, and is there clear evidence of this happening?

Thank god I'm not a teenage boy.

shhh girls touch too

 

[CM]

rofl. :X

Meh, I have nothing against it, and I beleive you can do it with 0% lust.

Then again, I could do it thinking of toast but we won't go there..

The Bible doesn't mention masturbation at all...don't ya think that's a sign he really doesn't care?

 

[Fledge]

In point of fact, the Bible does refer to masturbation on one occasion, albeit indirectly.

Leviticus 15:16,17

16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

Now while it is true that this passage is part of the ceremonial law, I think that it makes it clear that masturbation is not genuinely harmless. Also, even though it is referring specifically to the masculine form of masturbation, I think that we can be pretty confident that if it is a sin for men, then it is a sin for women as well.

In my own personal experience, masturbation is always accompanied by lust, by which I mean strong sexual desires for a woman, usually involving graphic, explicit fantasies. Again, speaking from personal experience, masturbation has produced a number of problems in my life that have made it very difficult for me to live my life the way I want to live it. From this, I can confidently state that masturbation has produced nothing good in me while simultaneously producing a great deal of bad. So in closing, I'd like to quote Matthew 7:17,18

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

 

[IsaacTrumpsJael]

My opinion: sin.

Sin is something that brings us away from the Lord, something that separates us from our God. Separation from God is not of Christ, which is what we're called to be. It is the complete and utter opposite of it. So, in a sense, anything that causes us to draw away from God, to separate ourselves from the Lord is a personal sin. God has not laid out a specific doctrine in Christianity that says "Do these acts and you will gain eternal life," because there is nothing that we can do to earn it.

So, in your walk with God, if you come across something that makes you feel a separation from God, whatever it is, be it masturbation or otherwise, ask for strength from God to turn away from it. The goal of Christianity is to have a living relationship with God.

Now, there are things which, by the word of God, are wrong and immoral. These should always be avoided. But in these grey area issues, you should really follow after what the Holy Spirit reveals in your heart to be the right course of action. For me, personally, I just do not see the Spirit telling me to go ahead and jerk it. So, be it a formal stated Sin or not, I understand that it is simply not within my walk and it causes me to stray from the path. This is why I pray for the strength to resist the urge to.

 

[comana]

In point of fact, the Bible does refer to masturbation on one occasion, albeit indirectly.

Leviticus 15:16,17

16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

Now while it is true that this passage is part of the ceremonial law, I think that it makes it clear that masturbation is not genuinely harmless. Also, even though it is referring specifically to the masculine form of masturbation, I think that we can be pretty confident that if it is a sin for men, then it is a sin for women as well.

In my own personal experience, masturbation is always accompanied by lust, by which I mean strong sexual desires for a woman, usually involving graphic, explicit fantasies. Again, speaking from personal experience, masturbation has produced a number of problems in my life that have made it very difficult for me to live my life the way I want to live it. From this, I can confidently state that masturbation has produced nothing good in me while simultaneously producing a great deal of bad. So in closing, I'd like to quote Matthew 7:17,18

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

I think you are reading too much into the bolded passage. It doesn't say anything about harm or sin.

 

[ade32]

From a Christian perspective I would have to say that it is a sin of Lust. It is not provoked by anything but thoughts of the flesh. You don't go masturbating for no reason, or when you don't feel Pardon my Language *Horny* you do it when you're horny. When you want some. How many Christians have been thinking about God and than gone, well I think I'll go touch now.

What if you're away from your spouse and your thoughts are about him or her?

 

[Chavez]

Yeh...I think I've said enough on the topic already.
I've pointed out numerous verses already.
It's just a matter of taking some time out to check em..

 

[Fledge]

I think you are reading too much into the bolded passage. It doesn't say anything about harm or sin.

I wasn't trying to read anything into the passage. I put it down there for two reasons.

1) The Bible does give masturbation a passing mention

2) The only thing the Bible says about masturbation is negative (it makes the masturbater unclean).

You are correct in stating that it doesn't mention harm or sin, but since it "generates" uncleaness, then it is clearly not a harmless action in the same way that getting a drink of water is harmless. If you have any objections to any of the rest of my post, please let me know so that I can attempt to clarify.

Fledge

 

[lummoxcooties]

rofl. :X

Meh, I have nothing against it, and I beleive you can do it with 0% lust.

Then again, I could do it thinking of toast but we won't go there..

The Bible doesn't mention masturbation at all...don't ya think that's a sign he really doesn't care?

The Bible doesn't mention snorting cocaine at all...don't ya think that's a sign he really doesn't care?

This is bad reasoning.

 

[Chavez]

Fledge? what passage is that you're on about??

And as for lummoxcooties..
spot on!

 

[sparklecat]

I wasn't trying to read anything into the passage. I put it down there for two reasons.

1) The Bible does give masturbation a passing mention

2) The only thing the Bible says about masturbation is negative (it makes the masturbater unclean).

You are correct in stating that it doesn't mention harm or sin, but since it "generates" uncleaness, then it is clearly not a harmless action in the same way that getting a drink of water is harmless. If you have any objections to any of the rest of my post, please let me know so that I can attempt to clarify.

Fledge

Doesn't the Bible refer to menstruation in a similar way?

 

[Ninja Turtles]

Leviticus 15:16,17

16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

To me this passage just says, "Hey guy, clean up after yourself."

 

[comana]

I wasn't trying to read anything into the passage. I put it down there for two reasons.

1) The Bible does give masturbation a passing mention

2) The only thing the Bible says about masturbation is negative (it makes the masturbater unclean).

You are correct in stating that it doesn't mention harm or sin, but since it "generates" uncleaness, then it is clearly not a harmless action in the same way that getting a drink of water is harmless. If you have any objections to any of the rest of my post, please let me know so that I can attempt to clarify.

Fledge

I didn't read it as a passage about mastubation, but copulation in general. Reads more like sex makes you dirty.

Leviticus 15:16,17

16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

I guess it is open to interpretation. Another example of the Bible being unclear. It would sure help if God could have inspired the writers to put down his word in a timeless fashion that would be clear for eternity.

 

[Ninja Turtles]

Sexual Healing, baby, is good for me
Sexual Healing is something that's good for me
And it's good for me and it's good to me

...

When I get this feeling, I need Sexual Healing (ad lib)

During the ad lib it is said the lyrics are...
Don't procrastinate, or I'll have to touch

 

[Chavez]

I didn't read it as a passage about mastubation, but copulation in general. Reads more like sex makes you dirty.



I guess it is open to interpretation. Another example of the Bible being unclear. It would sure help if God could have inspired the writers to put down his word in a timeless fashion that would be clear for eternity.

no...read on...
it then deals with sex afterwards.

Anywho....it does also talk about menstruation being dirty and whatnot..and they should not prepare food etc.
But...I don't think they apply.

 

[cvilleknight]

It is very wrong because it is complete lust. I read that somebody mentioned that you can do it with 0% lust, well then why do it? I don't think that is possible but even if it were do you think that God would approve of this use of the organs? The Bible is very clear that a person should not touch, if you would like to read the book of Genesis chapter 38 Onin wastes his seed on the ground and God is very displeased and kills him.