Why is it a sin to masterbate?

Question

Is this a church doctrine or is it in scripture? If its in scripture can you elaborate with a quote?

Answer 1

This is Church doctrine (that is, the Catholic Church), and the answer is nowhere near as simple as that. The Church's understanding on this is not specifically stated in Scripture, but is drawn from it. Certainly there is a reference in Romans 1:24 about dishonoring one's body, which could be taken to refer to masturbation.

Section 2352 of the Catechism states that masturbation has always been understood, in Christian tradition, to be "an intrinsically and gravely disordered action". The reason given is that "the deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose" (that is, the purpose for which the sexual capabilities were created). Thus we are understood to be misusing the wonderful gift of sex that God gave us by seeking only our own pleasure. It could also be considered a straightforward act of immorality, because it is engaging in sex outside of marriage.

But the Catechism goes on to state that whether masturbation is a sin or not depends on several factors. It is a sin if the person is completely morally responsible for choosing to do it, knowing it is wrong. The Catechism states "one must take into account the ... immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that can lessen ... moral culpability."

Answer 2

Masterbation was not considered a sin until Augustine & codes of chastity. Granted, there has always been those that have called for the keeping of the seed for the use of reproduction only but it was Augustine that really started the push for the church to look for celebacy.

make your auditors adulterers of their wives when they take care lest the women with whom they copulate conceive. They take wives according to the laws of matrimony by tablets announcing that the marriage is contracted to procreate children; and then, fearing because of your law [against childbearing] . . . they copulate in a shameful union only to satisfy lust for their wives. They are unwilling to have children, on whose account alone marriages are made. How is it, then, that you are not those prohibiting marriage, as the apostle predicted of you so long ago 1 Tim. 4:1–4

Wasting the seed designed for the creation of God's children is therefore a sin. Same idea behind the denial of birth control devices!

Answer 3

I've heard two different explanations. You can decide which to believe.

One is that in order to masturbate, then you need to fantasize about someone that you are not married to (unless you are thinking of your wife). In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said that if anyone looked at a woman with the intent to lust after her, then that person was committing adultery in his heart (presumably he was talking about married people looking at someone that they were not married to). There are similar passages in the Old Testament that suggest that looking at women you are not married to with a lustful intent is a sin.

The other is that it has always been traditional Jewish belief that it is that it is wrong to "spill your seed" (I suppose that they think that it is wrong to waste sperm). Some Christian denominations also teach this.

Answer 4

Who is the idiot that fed you that line of bull?
There are many references to other sexual issues in the bible, and referencing them as either a "Sin", or an activity that should be avoided. Some are "Beastiality,Incest,Unwedded Sex,Infidelity,and Prostitution"
But, I am not aware of any specific scripture that specifically says that masturbation is a sin.
If there is, another member could kindly post it & I'll be glad to read it.

Answer 5

The powers of procreation are God given and are not to be mocked. To spill our seed on the ground, waste it instead of using it as it was intended is to mock the procreative powers. Onan, the son of Judah, in the Book of Genesis, refused to give seed to his sister-in-law according to the custom of raising up children to the dead brother. So he spilled his seed on the ground, whether masturbation or coitus interruptus, is unimportant. The point is that he did not do as he was supposed to do and wasted his seed. God was displeased and struck him down. Masturbation has been considered a sin at least since that time.

Answer 6

let's review, shall we! God created woman to be with man. Correct? Now God also had said that man/woman should cherish life above all, for God has created the universe and all life in it. Right? Therefore the sin be that you are wasting the very gift of life which God has given to you, by seeking only pleasure for yourself.
"Give them not your pearls, should they reep the fruits of your labour"
The undersatanding would be that if you are only gratifying yourself, you are therefore giving away all of that which you have worked for to those whom God never intended to be blessed. Call them what you like, but next time you hit the hand, think about what your doing.
This can also be applied to womanizing.

Answer 7

I've never heard it taught that masturbation is a sin.
You find adultery, fornication (pre-marital and extra-marital sex with a partner), same-sex acts mentioned as sin; adultery being the worst as its smashes families and wrecks lives.

Answer 8

It's not a sin. Why would God make a sin out of something that's so much fun to do?

Answer 9

Masturbation itself is not a sin, but Lust is a sin and People masturbate because they are motivated by Lust, if it wasn't for lust being involved, masturbation and lust are co-existent you cant have one and not the other,if you don't lust you feel no need or want to masturbate, so it is a sin because it is motivated by lust., if it wasn't motivated by lust then it would be ok but since its impossible for it to not be motivated by lust it therefore counts as a sin, because if it wasnt motivated by lust youd not have any need or want to do it.

Answer 10

In my opinon, if we weren't supposed to do the act, why wouldn't our arms be shorter?

It's not the act, as much as it is the thoughts.

Much like the act of sex is not bad. But your wife thinking about the man she just met at work while you're making love to her is!