Every time a woman masturbates, God gives the world a puppy. 
Hmm. I don’t have any “seed” (see above statement), so I guess it’s just fine for me to continue masturbating. I was raised Catholic, but I despise their politics and I haven’t been to a church in 4 years. No one ever told me masturbation was wrong or immoral; to me, it’s just a natural function of the body. Not to mention that (possible TMI alert) a good orgasm really does help with bad cramps!
Contrary how?
You’re taught masturbation is damaging to a relationship? Or it prevents couples being happy if one of them masturbates?
I understand that sexual morals are harder to explain because the result of the immoral behavior feels good and presumably doesn’t hurt anyone. I can only pass on what it taught.
Sure, if morality means what effect you have outwardly. In a religious sense, there’s a relationship with God and morality means being true to that relationship, so just because no one else knows about something doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an effect on one’s relationship with God.
Former Christian, now atheist.
If god didn’t want us to masturbate, why’d he make it possible? Few things are immoral in and of themselves.
Masturbation is not immoral, but if you do it in a public bathroom, it is kind of creepy.
My observation is that the religious harrumphing about masturbation really comes from the general harrumphing done among puritans (small p) about pleasures of the flesh. Since Biblical injunctions against physical pleasure tend to be vague, purtans point to the Old Testament injunction against spilling one’s seed on the ground (although, as I look for it right now in BibleGateway.com, I’m damned if I can find it.)
The only other doctrinal basis for masturbation being immoral is the Roman Catholic doctrine that a sin imagined is the same as a sin committeed, and the only way (in the RC way of thinking) that a person can masturbat is to imagine having sex with someone he/she is not married to (otherwise, why masturbate when you can legally fuck?). The Roman church is quite simple-minded in its approach to sex (at least in my experience, being married to a Catholic girl for 35 years.)
You’re 16. Jerk away. Enjoy. Believe me, you’ll enjoy the “real thing” a lot more when you get there.
Absolutely true. If God didn’t want us to masturbate, He would have created us with shorter arms that wouldn’t reach the genitals. What I am quite sure He does not want us to do, using the same criterion, is to suck our own dick.
Found it! Genesis 38:9 – “And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.”
Bear in mind, there’s no indication within the scripture about the morality of fucking your sister-in-law, only that if you do, you should withdraw before ejaculating. Maybe that’s where the immorality comes in – the only way you can cuckold your brother and not give him another heir (??) is to pull out before … my head hurts!
Certainly “is not the same thing”, but I don’t think “contrary” works. That would tend to imply that masturbation would be instead of sex in a marriage, or that the former would mean not the latter. One is not opposed to the other, so it’s not contrary. It’s probably just a semantic difference.
I think the sin mentioned in Genesis is that of direct disobeadance to a personal command of God, to provide a heir for his brother - normally very unpleasant things happen to those who get a direct command from God and decide not to follow through. Adding insult to his act is that he enjoyed the sex but pulled out. It like your parents sending you to the store to get a loaf of bread, instead of outright refusing to go, you go all the way there and purposely through the bread money down the sewer (and enjoy doing it).
I think a much better way of looking at it is looking at the thoughts of the person during masturbation, and how to reconcile them with scriptures. If you were just thinking about masturbation while doing it I don’t know if I could find anything scripturally against it.
Yeah, the only mention of “spilling seed” in the Bible is in the story of Onan, which doesn’t have anything to do with masturbation, although many have mistakenly thought it does. See posts #36 and #39.
I think you have it backwards. The scriptural “morality” of the situation was that Onan was supposed to give his dead brother an heir.
I agree, but, the thing is, is it really possible to masturbate without having lustful thoughts? I know it’s nigh-impossible for me, which is why I try to avoid it.
This makes absolutely no sense to me, seeing as masturbation does absolutely nothing to affect one’s ability to create children.
Coming from a Christian perspective, my own vote is, No, there us absolutely nothing immoral or harmful about masturbation per se, and no reason to feel guilty or ashamed for doing so (leaving open the possibility that there might be certain circumstances under which it’s not a good thing). There’s a lot less chance for harm or sin in fingering your own genitals than in some of the other things you could be doing with them.
I would WAG it may be possible, but that could corrupt your views on sex which would be problematic as you would need to fanticise about some activity that you would then link to sex in your mind.
Right. Also note that Ruth, who married her brother-in-law under this rule, was the direct ancestor of King David, and thus (for goyim) of Jesus.
Is there an actual or implied ban on masturbation before Paul? I don’t know if Paul was against it, but I’d sure bet that old sex hater was.
All we’re missing now is for Tom to drop in to quote some obscure Papal Bull about how the Church isn’t really against it after all. 
I think the rule is that you’re not supposed to have any sort of sexual pleasure without the possibility of pregnancy resulting.
Lucky for us they found that path from the mouth to the womb.
Or they’d be behind us.
How about mutual masturbation, on the subway, with a stranger?
He gave John Holmes a special dispensation.
And a really ugly mustache to offset it…