is it a mortal sin to masturbate? is there any reference about this in the bible?

Question

is it a mortal sin to masturbate? is there any reference about this in the bible?

Answer 1

?

Answer 2

The bible answer's this question a few times. On the bible say " It is better to let your seed fall in the belly of a whore then on the ground." That does not mean go buy a whore it's just mean masturbation is a horrible thing to do. The bible also tell's a story of a man that God told to go have sex with his wife and make a child. Instead the man masturbates which makes God angry. In the end the man is punished by death.

Answer 3

Onan refused to obey God in Genesis but the sin (i think)was disobeying i know of no other reference to masturbation in the bible,mortal meaning deadly i suppose any sin w/o repentence would be deadly

Answer 4

vegaluna and neal9jsg (and others) need to know their Bibles better. I find no such references in the Bible. Not even one about "wasting seed." This is like Eve saying that they were not even supposed to touch the fruit or they would die. God didn't say that. But, here is what God *did* say:

Deu 4:2 "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it..."

Hey, Rain (in the post just above)... Lev. 15:16 is referring to natural "nocturnal emissions" (and, thus, why it is not condemned) -- which only a sexually inactive male experiences -- and not to manual manipulation.

Answer 5

Just my opinion, but...If it were a mortal sin to masturbate, there would be a lot less of it going on.

The only harm comes in being obssessed with doing it. This quote from a previous answer makes a very good point:

“When you masturbate, you dwell mentally on wrong desires, and all that does is increase your appetite for them.” So do it in moderation.

Answer 6

Quick supplements to the other answers, several of which are quite good.

The gravity of a sin can be assessed only by God, who completely knows the sinner. There is a passage I cannnot find at this instant somewhere in C.S. Lewis's writings something like this: God may deem as more courageous one who walks into a room despite extreme claustrophobia than another who charges an enemy machine-gun emplacement. And only God can assess this. The categories of mortal sin and less-than-mortal sin are mentioned in the Bible but not everyone (only the Catholic Church?) has a written categorization of sins.

Again, according to C.S. Lewis (whom I cite because he is highly regarded by many varieties of Christians) in general the fleshly sins (sex and the like) are the least bad, and definitely that pride is the worst. The fleshly sins may be the most visible to us other humans and pride the hardest to perceive reliably. Very often we are way off in our judgments and this is one reason for us not to judge others. God can see and judge accurately (and not merely as an outsider, since Jesus was tempted as we are).

The commentary I most recently read :-) said, as I recall, that Onan's sin was not wasting his seed but failing to carry out his familial duty of fathering a child on behalf of his dead brother.

Anyone who is able to point me to that C.S. Lewis passage is welcome to do so, via email via my profile.

Answer 7

Overview of Bible passages about masturbation:
One passage, in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), describes the death of Onan. It was a widespread belief that Onan was killed by God because he masturbated. This event was the source of the term "Onanism" -- once used as a synonym for masturbation.
The second passage is from the Christian Scriptures. It refers to a unknown form of behavior. The meaning of the original Greek phrase has been lost. Bible interpreters have assigned various meanings to the term in the past two millennia. Originally it was believed to indicate a lack of a strong moral sense. Later it was believed to refer to masturbation. Among many conservative Protestants today, it refers to homosexuality. To our knowledge, no Christian group today interprets the passage as referring to masturbation.
A third passage which may deal with masturbation is part of the Mosaic Code, and is contained in Leviticus 15. Verse 16 may be interpreted as referring to masturbation in a matter-of-fact manner. The passage does not condemn the practice. We have only seen one reference to this verse on Christian web sites.

Answer 8

It is not a mortal sin to masterbate....it isn't even a sin. Masturbation is a natural act that everyone does. Religion does and should not enter into it.....

Answer 9

There is nothing said in the Bible about masturbation..The one story that is often sited, Genesis 38:8-10. Onan, is about a Man that refused to obey the Leverite Law and give a woman a child. He didn't want to split his inheritance with the child so he spilled his seed on the ground.

Answer 10

Let me please make a point. Whether I masturbate or not, I am still a sinner. Whether I am Gay or not, I am still a sinner. Whether I cuss or not I am still a sinner. The condition of being a sinner is what I need to be cured of. The individual sins are merely manifestations of the sin nature in me.

This is the only possible reference to masturbation I know of in the Bible:

Genesis 38
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
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.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

God had more in mind for the seed of Onan, and so Onan was judged for this. I always wonder about the offspring of Onan and who they would have been in the world had Onan done what he was told. Or it could have been that God merely wanted to see Onan do what he was ordered to do; as in an act of obedience. OR Onan was simply set up to be judged, to illustrate the effectiveness of God in dealing with those who disobeyed. I don't know!

But try to remember if you already didn't, whether I masturbate or not I am still a sinner, and Jesus died for the sins of the world, those who believe in Him have peace with God.

Answer 11

Masturbation per se is not condemned in the Bible, but lust is. So, whether it's a sin or not depends on what's going on in your mind while you're doing it.