# Vows not to masturbate. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212 "2004-06-02T05:09:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212/41 "2004-06-03T03:42:51Z")
“When you pry my cold dead fingers off” - Oh wait, that’s a different quote. No vows here ever, and glad of it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212/42 "2004-06-03T03:51:11Z")
> [@START](#): > > I stopped for 2 weeks for the purpose of having a really big ejaculation at the end of the two weeks…and all I can say is “wow”. Jeez, now I feel like I have to do that just to see what the big “wow” is all about. And it will probably be too built up and I’ll end up disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212/43 "2004-06-03T15:02:19Z")
5 months. 5 months and maybe 2 weeks, to be more precise. The absolute longest I’ve ever gone – before that, the longest had been maybe a couple of months. I stopped for reasons involving my religion and guilt, and then I just caved. That was last month. It’s always been an issue I’ve struggled with – is it or is it not a sin, and how bad is it really if it is a sin? After all, children do it before they even know what sex is, so it can’t be that bad, right? I’ve reached the conclusion (for the time being, at least) that it’s a matter of looking at the effects. If it’s hurting your marriage or something – if you’d rather touch yourself than your spouse – it’s a bad thing and you should try to stop or at least cut back. In my case, I’m not in a relationship anyway, and it truly does not affect my relationship with my friends/family/God or myself, therefore there are no evil fruits, therefore it’s not an evil act. And if my conclusion is wrong, well, I’ll probably figure it out eventually. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212/44 "2004-06-03T16:21:46Z")
About two weeks, occasionally in my teens, due to either religious guilt or visiting at someone else’s place. And I have since concluded that while the content of some fantasies can be morally problematic, masturbation itself is a moral non-issue \*no pun intended 😃 \* The Bible condemns fornication, same-gender sex, adultery, incest & bestiality, but never gets around to masturbation (Jesus’s words in Matthew 5 against lust & one’s hand causing sin can stretched as a condemnation, but it really is quite a stretch- again no pun intended, tho this time with a :eek: ). If it really bugged God that much, I’m sure it would be explicitly clear. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Disguise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9f8e36/32.png) [@No\_Disguise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Disguise)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212/45 "2004-06-04T08:19:01Z")
> [@Logitech](#): > > Don’t hold out, tell us where you had to do it! I’d tell you, but I don’t want any death threats. If you really want to know, send me an email. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212/46 "2004-06-04T09:58:30Z")
I also tried giving it up for Lent a few times, but, unlike **Skopo** , I don’t think I ever succeeded, even allowing for the Sunday loophole! :o CJ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vows-not-to-masturbate/248212.md?page=2)