A
male
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:I am a christian who masterbates. I want to know whether masterbation is a sin or not.please help.
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reader, anonymous, writes (11 September 2008): You are a young adult and you can decide for yourself.
However, masturbation is very normal and a very healthy form of release.
You can allow people with various religious dogmatic believes to convince you different, but finally it is for you to decide.
If we have to live by some of the "old testament" rules and laws then we had to live by them all. Please, I do understand and have respect for everybody and there religious believes, but I do believe that we are living in a more liberated world and I do believe that we are not placed on this earth as human beings with normal natural needs to be ignored.
No where in the Bible does it specify that it is a sin. Is it not merely a man made rule or assumption?
No, I do believe you should not listen to what others are saying, but you are old enough to pray about this and decide for yourself. Life is to short to live according to what other people believe. You need to do what you are comfortable with.
You have a healthy body and a healthy mind, allow that to guide you rather then to be influenced by other people.
Releasing sexual frustration with masturbation is NORMAL and HEALTHY.
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reader, anonymous, writes (11 September 2008): go to www.bettydodson.com and order her books she relieved me of all masterbation guilt having been brought up in a christian household and firmly believing it to be wrong, its not a sin its as natural as eating and going to the loo, trust me its money well spent
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reader, Danielepew  +, writes (10 September 2008):
 I think we should also recognize that Annalisa is a great and respectable woman. She simply speaks her honest mind, for the purpose of helping. She takes her (and my) religion into consideration. That doesn't make her bad.
Yeah, I'm Catholic too, so perhaps this is why I'm defending her. But -and I cannot resist this quote-, "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise".
Let's break the ice and have some fun. I always liked Saint Augustine. I knew that guy was onto something :-), like the nice eco-hippy of the extended family (everything was his brother or sister), Saint Francis. G. K. Chesterton has a book on him, a good one, and, by the way, not a religious one. I read an awful translation.
Oldfool (your nick should be "Young and smart"), I will borrow that phrase and I will put it in a t-shirt :-). Everyone says I have a priestly look. Now I can be mischievous and still pass for a saint :-). And then, if anyone asks, I can still say I'm just quoting Saint Augustine :-).
Annalisa, tutto il mio respetto, afetto, e ammirazione.
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reader, anonymous, writes (10 September 2008): Thanks oldfool,
I am glad you are here to remind me of the most important things in life. Christian or not, we all try to do our best and for that I am thankful. DC is a great place, where people spend a lot of time trying to help other people out for no payment at all. This question has brought up a range of views on the question of religion and masturbation and it has been good for everyone to discuss these things out loud. The range of views and opinions have been interesting, and again I say, the questioner has been give great advice by everyone which will allow him to solve his problem in the way that suits him best.
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reader, oldfool  +, writes (10 September 2008):
 "Annalisa, I also noticed that you had no trouble masturbating as a young single woman, and now seek to deny this pleasure to others."
Go easy on her! Wasn't it Saint Augustine who said: "da mihi castitatem et continentiam, sed noli modo" -- "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet". :)
I'm not an expert on the Christian, Muslim, or any other faiths. But I've noticed that "faith" can encompass many different degrees of strictness. Some people are completely strict and uncompromising in their adherence to their faith. Other people are more relaxed. That goes for any religion.
Whether you are rigorously strict or somewhat more forgiving of minor lapses doesn't seem to have anything to do with whether you are a good person or not. I am convinced that there are vicious and evil people who are entirely upstanding and moral in their religious practice, and good people who are not so exacting in their moral requirements. Nobody is perfect, and God is said to love humanity IN SPITE OF its many sins.
As far as sinning goes, I doubt that masturbation ranks up there with the worst. Lying, cheating, anger, abuse, hatred, rumour-mongering, and many other human activities are far more sinful and evil than masturbation.
It's up to the poster to figure out how important shame and guilt are in this minor matter -- and it IS a minor matter. Compared to the shame that some of the priests, supposedly Christians, have brought on the church with their molestation of boys, your solitary pleasures are a minor matter in the scale of things. To get so worked up about it shows that you are seriously trying to live up to an ideal, and no one should knock you for it.
If masturbation makes you feel so shameful, then I suggest you'd better not do it. But as others have stated, masturbation has many actual benefits, physical and mental, and it doesn't hurt anyone. If you should lapse, I wouldn't flagellate myself too much. As I said, it's a tiny lapse compared to the kind of sins (non-sexual but extremely destructive sins) that many so-called Christians commit on a daily basis.
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reader, anonymous, writes (10 September 2008): A quote from Annalisa's profile: "When it comes to sex, I have all the advise you will ever need and no fear to share it!"
Why are the rest of you wasting your time?
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reader, anonymous, writes (9 September 2008): PS: Annalisa, I also noticed that you had no trouble masturbating as a young single woman, and now seek to deny this pleasure to others. You now regret your previous experiences, even though you have admitted you can see no laws against it mentioned in the Bible, the supposed "word of God". Instead you recommend the teachings of one branch of religious human teaching, and refer to the opinions of a human man. Please remember your branch of Christianity may not have any relevance to the beliefs of the original person who has asked this question, and in his religious faith, masturbation may be fine.
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reader, anonymous, writes (9 September 2008): Annalisa,
I wasn't going to respond, because I felt this poster has been given enough answers to make up his mind about whether or not he will restrict or develop his sexuality and his own religious beliefs, but you keep stating as if you know for a fact that people on this board have never read the bible. I know for a fact in my own case I am very familiar with the bible, and have studied and read it and discussed it from the moment I could talk. You make assumptions about peoples background which there is no evidence for. You don't know who has religious knowledge as much if not greater than you. I would suggest you step back and take my advice which I give to all "so called Christians" read the bible, the word of your God and stop taking your instruction (and the interpretation of the scriptures) from any human man. As you say, we are not perfect and we can all make mistakes, and I would assume you would include yourself in that statement as well.
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reader, anonymous, writes (9 September 2008): Masturbation is a sin in the Catholic church because you are to, paraphrase the Bible, spilling your seed on the ground without the intention of impregnating your wife. Plaine and simple - if we guys buy into that then we had better tie our twinkies in knots until we get married!I would be willing to bet that Popes jerk-off as do priests and of course more delicately nuns must masturbate.Finally, docs will tell you that to masturbate keeps the ole prostate cleaned out and functioning well - especially when you are not having sex with a special lady-friend. And it helps to prevent prostate cancer - so in order to prevent prostate cancer is why I do it - besides with all that free porn out there - I'd have to be crazy not to!
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reader, Danielepew +, writes (9 September 2008):
I am in line with Daletom. Sort of.
First of all, the statement of bias: I was raised as a seriously observing Catholic, and am a former altar boy and wanted-to-be priest. Nowadays, I am away from my religion in some practices, I never attend mass, confession, et cetera. That doesn't mean I have lost all of my Catholicism.
If you are committed to a religion, then your behavior should be led by what that religion states. To use a less controversial example, we Christians don't find a reason not to eat pork. Moslems and Jews do. I say, let them NOT eat pork while we happily increase our cholesterol levels.
If the poster's religion states that masturbation is a sin, and he wants to follow his religion, well, he already knows what to do.
I also understand the opposite point of view. The Aztecs believed that they had to sacrify a number of people every year, in order to keep their whimsical gods at bay. These gods could have the whim of bringing the world to an end if they weren't given human sacrifices. That was why the Aztecs were happy to do them. In this case, I wouldn't say that's just a matter of personal religion. I would oppose human sacrifices on the basis of my personal convictions, and I'm sure the Aztecs would find me unholy. Maybe they would want to sacrify me, the sooner the better :-).
For a large number of people, masturbation is but the release of natural sexual tension. Some people say masturbation can be bad when it becomes an addiction. My opinion is that the act itself is not the problem, in any case. If you think of it, working hard is a good thing, but, if you use it to compensate for areas of your life where you're lacking, then it can become a very bad thing.
I suppose we could discuss about masturbation forever and ever, and we wouldn't find the middle ground.
I guess that, for those of us who think masturbation is no big deal, the poster is free to do it. For those of us who think it's a sin, the poster has to stop his practice. Let us leave it at that.
I would also like to say that maybe the poster is feeling guilty about masturbating and wants some support in that sense. "Support" being "no, you're not doing anything wrong and you're not going to hell". I think I would take an intermediate position. According to your faith, and we don't know what it is, perhaps masturbation is a sin. I don't think you will burn in hell for that, however. I would reserve hell for more important matters. BUT, that's my opinion.
Like so many people before you, you're in a situation where your wants conflict with your religion, and only you can decide what you will do.
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reader, daletom  +, writes (9 September 2008):
First of all, I commend you for looking to your faith as a source of guidance in how to conduct your daily life. That in itself displays a contradiction of the "myself, my affluence, and my pleasure" attitude prevalent among many people.
Without engaging the question of what constitutes a "Christian", I can say the Roman Catholic Church condemns masturbation as shown by Pope Paul VI, in "Persona Humana - Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics," issued by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on 1975-DEC-29:
"...masturbation is an intrinsically and seriously disordered act...the deliberate use of the sexual faculty outside normal conjugal relations essentially contradicts the finality of the faculty. For it lacks the sexual relationship called for by the moral order, namely the relationship which realizes ‘the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love.’ All deliberate exercise of sexuality must be reserved to this regular relationship."
On the other hand, about two generations ago the Presbyterian Dr. Charlie Shedd wrote in "The Stork is Dead" (and echoed in other books) that masturbation is not just a neutral activity that people may undertake for either good or evil purposes, but may actually be a gift from God. He argues that it can be used to avoid truly sinful sex, or that it can become a compulsive, degrading and harmful addiction.
As embarrassing as it is, your question really needs to be answered by leaders within your own denominational circle. Some of them, like the Roman Catholic position, will have reasoned answers based on a systematic theology and time-tested precedent. Others have not developed an extensively integrated theology so they will rely more on the personal opinions of whoever is standing in the pulpit.
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reader, anonymous, writes (9 September 2008): Hi Annalisa,
Your contribution on the view of the Catholic faith is most helpful. However the poster has said he's a christian, he doesn't actually tell us which branch of the faith he follows. He could be a Jehovah Witness, he could be a protestant, he could be a Baptist, a seven day Adventist or even a Mormon, so in the case the Catholic view is as useful as any other views and opinions.
You are right that Jesus rejected those that claimed to be righteous but were empty at heart. However Waz is perfectly right when he explains the Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus were described in exactly these terms in the Testimonies of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus was very clear about his disgust at the Jewish leaders and their hypocrisy towards religion and money. Remember the Jewish leaders let the "money lenders" (forbidden under ancient laws of usury) into the church. Therefore Waz is correct when he explains that Jesus was against organised religion and Christianity actually developed after he died. Jesus followers and the places they meet to hold worship were actually very informal. Jesus gave teachings in peoples houses, in the streets, on top of mountains, he never held his teachings in any church, mosque or synagogue.
Anyway back to the masturbation problem. I don't see how masturbation can be a sin or impure, because it seems it is necessary to give good health especially in men. If you don't masturbate the sperm will still come out in the form of a wet dream whilst you are sleeping. Seems your body was designed to gain sexual pleasure, whether people say it's a sin or not. Masturbation is fine, and indeed it is necessary for health in men. The dangers of trying to stop this perfectly natural practice leads to the dangers of guilt and shame, and problems with delayed or premature ejaculation because you have no experience of what to do about sex. This is disastrous in married life and harms normal sexual relations between women and men.
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reader, anonymous, writes (9 September 2008): If you listen to what the church says, then yes, masturbation is a sin. However, you have to consider what it means to commit a sin. A lot of theologians agree that a "sin" is an act that separates us from God. If you're a believer, then your job on this earth is to love God and strive to be close to Him, i.e. to not sin. So I think it's a fair definition. The argument that masturbation is a sin because it is sexual satisfaction for self-gratification has some merit, but I find it hard to believe that a young guy like yourself, at the peak of your sexual drive, for you to not masturbate seems like a tall order, and I think God would understand that. What's important for all sins and all behaviors is that we don't let them become consuming. You can't let behaviors, and it includes masturbation, porn, drinking, gambling, etc. get in the way of your obligations to your friends, family, and God. I don't know how I would've survived this long if I couldn't jack off and let some steam off every once in a while. And if one considers casual sex to be a bigger sin than masturbation, well I think God would prefer the lesser of two evils too. My point is, don't beat yourself up if you need to masturbate. We all do it.
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reader, claireleatherdale  +, writes (9 September 2008):
 look it is not a sin all men do it ok if u become a monk or some thing then yes it is but if your an ordaniry man with christian beliefs then no it's not this world is hard enough with out some people taking away the few pleasures we get for free be your own person do what you want to do and believe what you want to believe for you can only truely answer if pleasing yourself is a sin
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reader, anonymous, writes (9 September 2008): Masterbation is not really a sin because you don't do anything harm to other.
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reader, miss know it all +, writes (9 September 2008):
hello ive just been reading a few things to your question and to my suprise it doesent mention anything about masturbation for a christian. My advice to you is to try and dig out some research and take it from there but im pretty sure that there is nothing at all sinful about a christian masturbating and if i were you i wouldnt start worrying until you find out the answer.
good luck hunny
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reader, anonymous, writes (9 September 2008): It's a sin to waste your sexual tension outside of a woman. Get yourself a gal and do it properly, or you'll go straight to hell when you die.
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reader, BigSis +, writes (9 September 2008):
 I can't see any harm in it either, and If it were a sin, in any religion, then nearly everyone ~ including the Hierarchy and their mother will be joining a very long queue 'downstairs'.If it's worrying you that much, go with what Tremor suggest, if anything, for peace of mind.Good luck.BigSisxXx
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reader, Tremor +, writes (9 September 2008):
 I'm pretty sure it's frowned upon in Catholicism, but since you said Christian, then I'm assuming that isn't the case. As far as I'm aware, it's perfectly fine - you're still saving yourself, so where's the harm in releasing the tension that will inevitably build up?
Best to consult your bible or your pastor for clarification.
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