# Is female masturbation a sin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659 "2010-11-14T19:12:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/41 "2010-11-15T20:19:26Z")
Why does God care who fucks who and when and where and shit? For that matter, why does he care who doesn’t fuck who and when and where and shit? Is there any other single subject in the bible that gets as much attention as fucking? Or not fucking, as the case may be. (Fucking encompasses all sexual activity for the purpose of this question; it’s easier to type ‘fucking’ than to enumerate all the possibilities although the enumeration might be more fun but enumeration is probably considered fucking and is therefore forbidden.) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/42 "2010-11-15T20:38:05Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Is there any other single subject in the bible that gets as much attention as fucking? Quite a few of them, actually. There are plenty of religious **people** who devote a misleadingly large amount of attention to “fucking,” but it’s hardly the Bible’s #1 concern. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/43 "2010-11-15T22:04:15Z")
The Bible’s #1 concern seems to be foreskins. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/44 "2010-11-15T22:22:12Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > The Bible’s #1 concern seems to be foreskins. Doesn’t that play a big role in fucking? Or is that ‘foreplay?’ Or is there a difference? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/45 "2010-11-15T22:43:43Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > The Bible’s #1 concern seems to be foreskins. Chitlins? (chitterlings) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/46 "2010-11-15T23:25:16Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Why does God care who fucks who and when and where and shit? For that matter, why does he care who doesn’t fuck who and when and where and shit? Is there any other single subject in the bible that gets as much attention as fucking? Or not fucking, as the case may be. Um, is there any other single topic that occupies more of society’s attention? Human procreation and the social norms around it are a core aspect of civilization and how we relate to each other. In tribal cultures, it takes on even more importance. And still more when there is no birth control. I’d argue that one of the reasons religion even evolved in the first place was to codify our sexual/family relationships and build frameworks for social norms, enforced by the threat of punishment from a deity. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/47 "2010-11-16T00:48:10Z")
There is no such thing as a sin. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/48 "2010-11-16T01:11:37Z")
Masturbation is not a sin in the Bible. God looks at the heart and not the action. What is your thoughts during masturbation, is it selfish or a desire to Love the other person. God is Love so if it is Loved based there is no sin. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/49 "2010-11-16T01:31:09Z")
That puts an interesting spin on “love your neighbor as yourself.” Of course, the implication of that phrase is that you have to be able to love yourself first before you are able to love your neighbor. So, loving yourself during masturbation appears to be ok unless it’s lust for yourself. No wonder we have such a dysfunctional view of our sexuality. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/50 "2010-11-16T03:07:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > There’s some argument that the Bible actually includes oblique references to masturbation. I can’t remember the specifics, but it has to do with King Saul relieving himself in a cave, or something. That’s… a new one to me. Saul was merely relieving himself, according to the text and every interpretation I’ve ever heard. To add on to what **cmkeller** said, even in the Orthodox community there is a wide range of opinions. My friend went to a lecture by an Orthodox sex therapist, and _she_ said in order to have a healthy sex life, a girl should “experiment” before marriage to see what works for her and what doesn’t. As regards to Onan and onanism and all that- the rabbis interpreted that passage pretty broadly, as “All semen must go into a vagina. Semen outside of a vagina is bad.” Thus, you get your problems with masturbation, anal sex, birth control, and the like, all from Onan’s use of the withdrawal method. Mind you, Onan doesn’t seem like a nice guy who happened to play with himself on the side. The text says he was deliberately not getting his wife pregnant so as not to produce kids for his brother. (Okay, quick summery of levirate marriage: Brother A dies without any kids. Brother B marries A’s widow, and their firstborn kid is considered the heir of Brother A. Er marries Tamar, dies, no kids. Onan marries Tamar, doesn’t want to raise Er’s heir, “spills his seed”). ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/51 "2010-11-16T03:41:26Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Um, is there any other single topic that occupies more of society’s attention? Human procreation and the social norms around it are a core aspect of civilization and how we relate to each other. (I believe the amount of attention focused on our sexuality and/or sexual expression is precisely why the topic occupies so much of societies attention; if the attention wasn’t deliberately focused, the subject wouldn’t be so demanding of our time and energy—LB) > > In tribal cultures, it takes on even more importance. And still more when there is no birth control. (I’m not sure I agree; I believe there have been many cultures that basically practiced free love, for lack of a better term, or at least failed to obsess over fidelity. I believe the Polynesians and the Eskimo(?) peoples fell into this category. Children resulted from casual unions and the society at large served as parents----LB) > > I’d argue that one of the reasons religion even evolved in the first place was to codify our sexual/family relationships and build frameworks for social norms, enforced by the threat of punishment from a deity. (I would argue that the primary reason religion evolved was to provide priests with an easy living and a power structure that arose from fear. Emphasis was placed on sex simply because everyone had an interest.) How about if we re-cast my question so that the word “priest” is substituted for “God,” with the understanding that ‘priest’ includes all the words normally used with referring to shamans, pastors, preachers, etc., etc, lest I be accused of attacking the RCC exclusively. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/52 "2010-11-16T16:12:26Z")
Malleus, Incus, Stapes: > [@](#): > > As regards to Onan and onanism and all that- the rabbis interpreted that passage pretty broadly, as “All semen must go into a vagina. Semen outside of a vagina is bad.” Thus, you get your problems with masturbation, anal sex, birth control, and the like, all from Onan’s use of the withdrawal method. Actually, the Rabbis have no problem with heterosexual anal sex. It’s not “all semen must go into a vagina”, it’s “all semen must go into a woman.” By the same token, not all methods of birth control are outright prohibited by Jewish law (for a person who has already fulfilled the commandment to “be fruitful and multiply”), only condom usage. Pills (and, presumably other drug-delivery methods, like that needle that gets implanted into a woman’s arm for a month’s dosage - I forgot the name), diaphragms and sponges are permitted (although “family planning” is discouraged, as large Jewish families are much desired by the Jewish religion). ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/53 "2010-11-16T16:34:53Z")
That’s why I said problems, not prohibitions. I suppose the word I should have used would be complications. But thank you for telling me about the rules on hetero anal sex. I did not know that. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/54 "2010-11-16T17:07:32Z")
“Sorry, but God says you can’t spit it out.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/55 "2010-11-16T17:14:05Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Onan marries Tamar, doesn’t want to raise Er’s heir, “spills his seed”). Ah, but early withdrawal is not a guaranteed method of birth control because sperm is present in pre-ejaculatory fluid. Ergo, Herr Onan could err by launching his man chowder into the air, perhaps an errant dab landing in mujer Tamar’s hair, but in error have already created Er’s heir. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/56 "2010-11-16T17:21:03Z")
Even worse, he could have gotten it in 'er eye. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/57 "2010-11-16T17:40:54Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > “Sorry, but God says you can’t spit it out.” HA! Post of the month!! :D:D:p ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/58 "2010-11-16T18:06:05Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > When did Jews start to count Jewishness through the mother’s line? > **[Matrilineality in Judaism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrilineality_in_Judaism)** > > In modern Rabbinic Judaism, the traditional method of determining Jewishness relies on tracing one's maternal line. According to halakha, the recognition of someone as fully Jewish requires them to have been born to a Jewish mother. A person who is born to a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father is regarded as Zera Yisrael (lit. 'Seed of Israel') and will only be accepted as ethnically Jewish and not as religiously Jewish. Thus, being Jewish through the paternal line typically necessitates con... ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/59 "2010-11-17T16:25:52Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Why does God care who fucks who and when and where and shit? For that matter, why does he care who doesn’t fuck who and when and where and shit? Is there any other single subject in the bible that gets as much attention as fucking? Or not fucking, as the case may be. (Fucking encompasses all sexual activity for the purpose of this question; it’s easier to type ‘fucking’ than to enumerate all the possibilities although the enumeration might be more fun but enumeration is probably considered fucking and is therefore forbidden.) Ownership. God wants tithing payers. God is short of cash, and apparently, a poor money manager. So he wants to make sure that people don’t fuck out of wedlock. Because then we might not be able to tell who the biological father is. And the father might not want a not-his-son to inherit his property. So if you want to be assured of inheritances and property transfer, you create a fear-based control system. Control the sex and you control the money. Now the pope can afford a pretty new hat whenever he wants one because you had sex with your wife and only your wife and she had sex with you and only you, so we all know whose kid it is. And you will now raise your kid to be a good tithing payer in whatever church it is that you attend that expects tithing. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659/60 "2010-11-17T19:06:27Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Ownership. > > God wants tithing payers. God is short of cash, and apparently, a poor money manager. So he wants to make sure that people don’t fuck out of wedlock. Because then we might not be able to tell who the biological father is. And the father might not want a not-his-son to inherit his property. So if you want to be assured of inheritances and property transfer, you create a fear-based control system. Control the sex and you control the money. Now the pope can afford a pretty new hat whenever he wants one because you had sex with your wife and only your wife and she had sex with you and only you, so we all know whose kid it is. And you will now raise your kid to be a good tithing payer in whatever church it is that you attend that expects tithing. Neither marriage of tithing will guarantee the fidelity of either husband or wife. I don’t doubt the fear based control aspect; I suspect that’s the only thing most churches have going for them but the fear has to come from other areas. I think; you might be more right than wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-female-masturbation-a-sin/560659.md?page=4)