What does the bible say about masturbation, also is masturbation ok to do?

Answer 1

Literalists will refer to Onanism (as several have tried to do -- badly) as being masturbation (Genesis 38:7-9). It isn't, its railroading, but only people who have had a fair amount of sex might know that.

The Bible realistically says nothing about masturbation. Even if it did though, what would it matter?


The Bible says that the world has corners (Isaiah 11:12) and that it sets on pillars (I Samuel 2:8). It says that God accepted a human sacrifice -- he may have prevented Isaac's, but he allowed a general to sacrifice his own daughter without even a murmur, the text giving tacit support to the idea that having given his word, the man had to kill his child. (Judges 11:30-39). It clearly maintains that genocide is often commanded by God (Joshua 10:40-42 and I Samuel 15: 2, 3 and 8) and that, after killing all the adults in a race, taking the female children as sex slaves is permissible (Numbers 31: 17-18).

The God revealed by the Bible is not only both a liar who doesn't know the natural laws of his own world, and a monster, as shown above -- but he has no real regard, even for his own people, whom he forces into cannibalism (Leviticus 26: 27-29) when he is mad at them; or his priests, whose faces he wipes with dung (Malachi 2:1-3).

It is not only gays and lesbians that are hated by bible-god. This monstrosity also suggests killing kids who eat or drink too much (Deuteronomy 21: 18-21), and says that if he is angry with parents he will kill their children (Leviticus 26:22) and he blames things upon children whose great-great-great grandfathers committed the things being blamed on the kids (Exodus 20: 5).

Putting it in a word, bible-god is a monstrosity, a horrific demiurge of evil. Something that even he admits ( Isaiah 45:7 ) [Furthermore, the word used in Hebrew for evil, the word ra' is widely conceded to mean a number of different things: It can mean "wickedness," "mischief," "bad," "trouble," "hurt," "sore," "affliction," "ill," "adversity," "harm," "grievous," and "sad." So no matter what particular interpretation is given of this word -- it has profoundly negative implications. The idea that god is sovereign over the affairs of man makes this even worse, because no matter what interpretation it has, it indicates that bible-god deliberately does harm.]; evil about which he sometimes changes his mind (Exodus 32:14). What a font of unchanging morality -- that almighty God can decide to kill an entire people, and then be talked out of it by a human servant... Furthermore, it is obvious, if God can change his mind, then even if the Bible were not full of errors and horrors, you could not trust that God had not changed his mind on any other issue in it.

So, yes, I suppose if one wants to take as truth a book that says that beetles have four legs instead of six (Leviticus 11: 21-23) and that rabbits chew their cud [which they do NOT] (Deuteronomy 14:7) and if you are willing to, having accepted it as truth, overlook the fact that bible-god routinely changed his mind (I can show you other instances if you wish) then yeah, I suppose its words would matter and gays are therefore going to hell.

I on the other hand, while a Christian (as in Christ follower) am NOT a literalist, and do not think that a book of bronze age myths owing heavily to the Sumerian and Egyptian myths in the Old Testament and to a collection of pagan faiths, particularly Mithraism in the New Testament matters at all.

Christianity is centered around love, faith in Christ, and Eucharist. At best the Bible is sacred because of its place in the life of the early church and should be regarded as holy myth -- stress on the myth.

I don't expect anyone I know who is gay will be going to the mythic hell it talks about. And I certainly don't expect that anyone who masturbates has anything to worry about.

The average 14 year old masturbates almost 4 times a day on average I read in some study. I was only good for about 3 at that age. That level of masturbation is average and continues well into the 20s. It feels good cause its supposed to. Every boy should get rid of the guilt and just enjoy it. No matter what their age is, in my humble opinion.

Kind thoughts,

Reyn
http://www.rebuff.org
[e-mail]

Answer 2

Religious attitudes towards masturbation are varied. In some, such as Catholicism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Judaism, some forms of conservative Protestantism and Islam, masturbation is regarded as an impure practice. In others such as Wicca, Hinduism, and Vajrayana, it is encouraged as a healthy, normal practice that can lead to higher spirituality.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists masturbation as one of the "Offenses Against Chastity" and calls it "an intrinsically and gravely disordered action" because "use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose."

In a law code for the Puritan colony of New Haven in the 17th century blasphemers, homosexuals and masturbators were eligible for the death penalty. Protestant theologians only began revising previous teachings toward the middle of the 20th century with some today even taking pro-masturbation viewpoints. Masturbation, however, is still viewed by some denominations as an act of self-indulgence and a sin of the flesh, making it a contentious issue to this day.

Answer 3

According to the bible, masturbation is wrong because it doesn't allow for creating children. The bible mentions that "dropping your seed" anywhere that is not a vagina is wrong...

Answer 4

Who cares what the bible says! Masturbation is normal and healthy.

Answer 5

The bible says its a bad thing, but that hasen't stopped anybody, and they live happy lives. Its natural, its healthy, in fact, you have to do it to release fluids in your body that can get built up and can be harmful if they do.

Answer 6

Not sure but I think it says it's a bad thing, but I don't think anyone can follow "every" rule in the bible and I feel it is harmless....to me it's a good thing :)

Answer 7

I can't find anything in the Bible about masterbation. But it does talk about premartial sex (masterbation is sex with self) and it talks about "impure thoughts" (thinking about sex) as being "sinful".

Answer 8

The Bible is CRAP! Do what comes natural,not what a bunch of zealotous fools tell you to.

Answer 9

To the best of my knowledge self gratifaication is ok, but lust isn't. So you can touch yourself if you don't think of anyone while doing so.

Answer 10

children do it when they are discovering their bodies. its a natural process. does the Bible condemn them too? I think not!