masturbation sin?

Actually, if we're talking Genesis 38, a plain text reading indicates he wasn't even masturbating. He would have normal vaginal intercourse and then pull out before he came. And it's left open on the text, but in context, it's more likely that he was smitten by God (I love putting 'smote' in the passive; it's hilarious) for disobeying, rather than for spilling the seed.

But yeah, plenty of Churches do consider it a sin.

 

In Judaism (moreso for Orthodox than the more liberal branches) male masturbation is both a sin and renders the masturbater ritually impure. The rabbis interpreted Onan's sin broadly and regarded any ejaculation other than in the vagina as sinful.

 

Its way to much fun not to be.

 

Actually, the Bible does mention masturbation, if only breifly. Remember the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus condemns looking at women lustfully. Just after this, he says that if your right hand causes you to sin, then cut it off. This is not to be literal of course, Christianity doesn't promote extreme self mutilation. However, just think, what would a guy be doing with his right hand while he was looking at a woman lustfully?

 

I have heard this interpretation before. Not to get too far off from the original subject of this thread but I'm not sure it's exactly in agreement with the exegesis of the Sermon on the Mount.

The Sermon on the Mount is in The Book of Matthew in the New Testament. In Christianity, it is called the Antitheses- it states Jesus' view of what is to become Christianity and it restates or reinterprets the Laws of Moses as stated in Leviticus.

The passage regarding the right hand is in Matthew 5:30. To fully understand this passage, you need to go backward a few verses.

These 6 verses are about adultery. I've bolded the key words for you. The passage you cited is in red.

This passage was originally written in Greek. The words are very specific in Greek and it is an example of hyperbolic allegory that has a much different meaning in the Mediterranean. The traditional punishment for theft in the Old World was to cut off the thief's right hand because the right hand was considered to be the one with which a thief was most likely to commit a crime.

The reference to the eye is setting up the premise that for a married person to look at another person (other than one's wife or husband) with lust is equivalent to commission of adultery. This is part of the basic for the teaching of Christianity that to have sinful thoughts is no different than committing the act of sin.

 

My problem with masturbation being a sin is that it comes from basically the same people who turned a blind eye to clergymen molesting children & the Holocaust. If it's just one group of men deciding what we can & can't do with our own bodies, the I reject their premise that it's a sin. I'm sorry, but I think it's a natural act & there's nothing wrong with it spiritually. Otherwise, why wouldn't God bother to mention this to Moses when he gave him the Ten Commandments. Also, primates in the wild probably practice some sort of masturbation I imagine & it's been well-established that homosexuality occurs in nature, but nobody says the animal kingdom is going to hell. Why? Because the priests the ministers & all the governing bodies of organized religion can't control us if they don't tell us what is & is not a sin. Can't ever remember anything in Bhuddism saying it's wrong either, but then again I'm not that familiar with Bhuddism...

 

I don't believe it's a sin. Especially in moderation. In itself, there's nothing wrong.

 

Lions kill their young. Praying mantises tear the heads off their mate after sex. Countless male animals fight for females, often times to the death. In short, nature is the last place where one should look if one if one is looking for good morals.

Most of the time, when one masturbates, one is thinking lustful thoughts.

 

But one is not necessarily married or thinking about married people. Hence, no contemplation of adultery.

 

If lust counts as adultery, then logic dictates that it would also count as fornication.

 

Lions kill the young of males they have over powered so as to assure that their genetics are not passed on and it also puts the females in heat which makes baby making easier. In species like the praying mantis sexual cannibalism is used because it greatly increases the chance of conception and the female eats the male during to reach this affect. Again the most powerful male will get his genetics passed on and although its not to the death humans fight for females just as much plus humans get all creepy and stalkerish sometimes. Morals are a man made concept. so yea looking outside of our species for morals is dumb but then again looking outside of ourselves for morals can be just as dumb. oh and to Kiersten primates like say the chimpanzee are one of the only species to have sex for fun or for reasons other than reproducing. oh and dolphins kill for amusement cause they fucking can

 

Just because Christianity teaches something, doesn't mean it is correct. Contemplate that the next time you're wearing mixed fabrics or eating pork.

Porphyrogenitus gets the point.

There's enough lust in the Bible to make it clear that lust wasn't considered particularly sinful. There's also enough sex in the Bible that it's clear that sex was just considered part of the human condition.

However, the Ten Commandments did make clear statements on adultery and coveting a neighbor's wife (hence the right hand and right eye reference). And that tenet of Mosaic Law is what is restated in the Sermon on the Mount.

 

My point of view is not religious at all but I dont think it is a sin at all! It is not hurting anyone and you are enjoying it!

 

hmm. If it is a sin because it wastes sperm, wouldn't menstruation be a sin too? its wasting an egg

 

There is a bit of sexism there, isn't there? Like there's value in one but not the other?

 

For one thing, this topic is about arguing whether or not masturbating is a sin. It is not a debate on whether or not Christianity is true.

And for another, a lot of the old laws, such as mixed fabrics and eating pork no longer apply. However, the idea that lusting about sex is just as bad as doing it, is stated right there on the Sermon of the Mount.

Just because it occured does not mean it was condoned.

 

i don't have a religion, so i never think it is a sin
i do it frequently just to kill time

 

Sounds like Cafeteria Christianity.

I'll have the mixed fabrics and the pork. Hold the masturbation and homosexuality.

 

This is definitely an old and long conversation, but I'll put my two cents in.

To start, if you are a Christian, Jesus addresses lust pretty clearly in the sermon on the mount - it's a hard thing to tackle. How do we express sexuality without lust?
I think lust is something that takes away/ignores the value of the person we are lusting over - it makes them less, it becomes about ourselves and not them - that's why I think relationships are so important. It's a tough road to walk, but we have grace.

As for masturbation, the Bible's few references provide interesting perspectives. The classic story of Onan "spilling his seed" has nothing to do with masturbation, but in the cultural context of the time, he was disobeying the law and the tradition of the community by not providing his sister in law with a child - gross and weird, I know but for her, it was a means of stability in both economy and society.

If you want a good view into a biblical understanding of sexuality - the Song of Songs is a pretty good place to look. It's erotic poverty at it's finest. Some argue at the layers of meaning, for some it's all symbolic or metaphorical, for others it's pretty straight forward - there's a lot of sex, even oral sex, both male and female, and a pretty solid plug at masturbation from the Shunnamite woman: Song of Songs 5

" 2 I slept but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3 I have taken off my robe—
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
must I soil them again?
4 My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
my heart began to pound for him.
5 I arose to open for my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened for my beloved,
but my beloved had left; he was gone.
My heart sank at his departure."

In summary - she was having a pretty sexy dream, and touching herself in it. Say what you will, but it's there.

This is celebrated! This whole book of the Bible is a celebration of love and sexuality.

There is the old adage that if God didn't want us to masturbate then we wouldn't have made our arms to be just the right length. It's a bit coy, but it holds true.

It all comes down to your own convictions, but I think God celebrates in our sexuality, I believe he intends it to be in wholeness, and not at the expense of others, so I definitely see masturbation as an essential part of that.

Besides, it's fun, safe (unless you go crazy), feels great, helps relieve stress and frustration, and helps us to better know ourselves. Have at it I say!

(BTW, not that it matters, but I am a Christian, I've majored in religion and will going back to school in a year to get my Divinity degree to be a pastor and counselor).

 

I say life begins at arousal lol