is masterbation a sin? (salvation, divine, people, world)

[HsvMike]

Good post June. And by the way, it always cracks me up when someone refers to themself in the 3rd person.

[Miss Blue]

June comes "outside" the box to think....Good lesson...

[denverian]

I kept picturing June Cleaver saying all this, but otherwise it was a great post!

[june 7th]

Originally Posted by HsvMike

Good post June. And by the way, it always cracks me up when someone refers to themself in the 3rd person.

Thank you. It cracks June up too.

[june 7th]

Originally Posted by denverian

I kept picturing June Cleaver saying all this, but otherwise it was a great post!

June 7th is far more adorable than June Cleaver ever was...

[yhwhshalomjr]

Originally Posted by SavedByTheGrace

is masturbation a sin?

what do you guys think? any input will be appreciated.

Yes, it falls under the category of self-love which is idolatry

[bigthirsty]

Originally Posted by yhwhshalomjr

Yes, it falls under the category of self-love which is idolatry

Just about everything we do on a daily basis is self love.

I eat.. because I love me.. and don't wanna die.

I take a shower.. because I love me.. and don't wanna stink.

I work.. because I love me.. and would like to eat (see number 1)

I give to charity.. because I love me.. and feel better about myself

I diet.. because I love me.. and don't wanna feel fat

I wear socks.. because I love me.. and don't want my feet to smell

I brush my teeth.. becasue I love me.. and don't want my teeth to fall out


So given all that.. is it really idolatry. Just trying to see your perspective.

[Alpha8207]

Originally Posted by june 7th

Here's the difficulty I have with this whole topic:

It just makes no darn sense to me. Now granted, June isn't exactly walking around with a bible tucked under her arm, or storming churches on Sundays. By the same token, June has nothing against the bible, churches, or Christianity in general. No reason to be. However, there comes a point where even open minded June finds herself going: "WHAT!?"

Here's what is bugging me: We're all human beings, folks. And for the purposes of this post, I'm thinking gender neutral. Men do it, women do it, young kids do it. It's a part of human sexuality. Now granted, more often than not, people get freaked out over "human sexuality." (June does not, as she has to hear about it, deal with it, etc., etc., all the time. Hence, June has a dramatically different perspective.) --But June also seems to recall growing up and hearing how (mostly for men) masturbation would cause everything from blindness to a direct ticket to hell. That men who masturbated were "killing thousands of potential Christians." Even at a young age, June just couldn't wrap her mind around that one. So she didn't.

What June has an even more difficult time trying to wrap her mind around is the seemingly disconnected aspect between "belief" and acceptance of who we are as human beings. If, (according to the bible and Christianity) we are all made in god's image and likeness, and if god exists in each and every one of us, and if god truly loves us for who we are in our very human state, then I, for one, just don't get it...

I suppose I need someone to explain to me this whole notion/concept of sin and how one reconciles that with the fundamental, underlying aspect of our humanity. Explain to me why your god makes you fully human, and yet is somehow requiring you to deny your own humanity. --Because sexuality is nothing if not very, very human.

Are we actually confusing doctrine, dogma, and the accompanying notion of inherited shame with something altogether different? Explain to me how I should strive or remain open to a religious belief system that tells me such vastly contradictory things. Explain to me why I should be interested in something (this beautiful belief system that is based on nothing other than love) that at the same time asks that I deny a fundamental aspect of my own humanity, as well as label certain aspects of sexuality as being "sinfull."

June just doesn't get it.

If anything, June sees the "perils" of what transpires when people deny who they are and attempt to discredit their own humanity. Can people become addicted to masturbation? Yeah, they can/do. But it's not the act itself as much as what exists/drives it that is underlying the compulsion of the act. Human beings can become addicted to sex/pornography. Masturbation is the secondary behavior/act. This much June suspects: Try and inhibit that which is a natural, instinctual drive, label it as "sinful!" and then you're asking for difficulty...

Does god deem masturbation "sin?" Is every human being reading this thread going to hell? June hasn't got a clue. But this much I do know: Shame based belief systems seldom produce good results. Denial of who we are as human beings and the accompanying shame come out in other ways.

Perhaps that's the real "sin."

Take gentle care.

This is all true in a purely secular sense, but the thread is not on how we view something like this but rather how God does.

It might be my nature to be addicted to sex, to want multiple partners, to find other avenues to satisfy my completely natural cravings other than my wife and all those things might all be well and good in a purely secular sense. But what is 'ok' from a human nature and secular standpoint does not always line up with what is OK from a sin standpoint.

Yes sexuality is human nature and indeed it is a God-given gift. But only in the context He sees fit. We don't get to decide what we get a free ticket on because 'Hey, I'm only human'.

Is masturbation a sin? I'd say it can be. It depends on whether it's something done in the context of God's design for sex. If it is, then I'd say it's OK. If not, then I'd say it's a sin.

But that's just me, I might be wrong.

[Oakback]

Originally Posted by june 7th

Here's the difficulty I have with this whole topic:

It just makes no darn sense to me. Now granted, June isn't exactly walking around with a bible tucked under her arm, or storming churches on Sundays. By the same token, June has nothing against the bible, churches, or Christianity in general. No reason to be. However, there comes a point where even open minded June finds herself going: "WHAT!?"

Here's what is bugging me: We're all human beings, folks. And for the purposes of this post, I'm thinking gender neutral. Men do it, women do it, young kids do it. It's a part of human sexuality. Now granted, more often than not, people get freaked out over "human sexuality." (June does not, as she has to hear about it, deal with it, etc., etc., all the time. Hence, June has a dramatically different perspective.) --But June also seems to recall growing up and hearing how (mostly for men) masturbation would cause everything from blindness to a direct ticket to hell. That men who masturbated were "killing thousands of potential Christians." Even at a young age, June just couldn't wrap her mind around that one. So she didn't.

What June has an even more difficult time trying to wrap her mind around is the seemingly disconnected aspect between "belief" and acceptance of who we are as human beings. If, (according to the bible and Christianity) we are all made in god's image and likeness, and if god exists in each and every one of us, and if god truly loves us for who we are in our very human state, then I, for one, just don't get it...

I suppose I need someone to explain to me this whole notion/concept of sin and how one reconciles that with the fundamental, underlying aspect of our humanity. Explain to me why your god makes you fully human, and yet is somehow requiring you to deny your own humanity. --Because sexuality is nothing if not very, very human.

Are we actually confusing doctrine, dogma, and the accompanying notion of inherited shame with something altogether different? Explain to me how I should strive or remain open to a religious belief system that tells me such vastly contradictory things. Explain to me why I should be interested in something (this beautiful belief system that is based on nothing other than love) that at the same time asks that I deny a fundamental aspect of my own humanity, as well as label certain aspects of sexuality as being "sinfull."

June just doesn't get it.

If anything, June sees the "perils" of what transpires when people deny who they are and attempt to discredit their own humanity. Can people become addicted to masturbation? Yeah, they can/do. But it's not the act itself as much as what exists/drives it that is underlying the compulsion of the act. Human beings can become addicted to sex/pornography. Masturbation is the secondary behavior/act. This much June suspects: Try and inhibit that which is a natural, instinctual drive, label it as "sinful!" and then you're asking for difficulty...

Does god deem masturbation "sin?" Is every human being reading this thread going to hell? June hasn't got a clue. But this much I do know: Shame based belief systems seldom produce good results. Denial of who we are as human beings and the accompanying shame come out in other ways.

Perhaps that's the real "sin."

Take gentle care.

"sin" is a very offensive word to some. I don't think it should be.
It's merely a reminder that we are straying off the mark.
The "mark", being Love for our "neighbor".
Maybe a different word would help

[jonjj]

My rule of thumb for good vs. bad is: Does it harm another person or yourself? If it doesn't, no problem. If it does, do something about it. I don't consider the act of masturbating a sin unless for some reason it harms someone else. For example, if a person is masturbating in lieu of a spouse or significant other, than find out why. The act may be a sign of something more serious. Of course, where one masturbates is also important to consider.