Christian masterbation.

[Anonymous]

i know it is wrong to masterbate to p*rn as a Christian, and that would include mental images that would be p*rn were they published... anyone have any suggestions on relieving the tension?

[Anonymous]

Yikes, I agree with your updates. People really had trouble sticking to the topic for this question, and instead used it as a Christian hate opp lol :P

But don't worry, there ARE people who understand exactly what you're saying! For all these people pulling the "where is it in the Bible" card, I can tell you that masturbation is not explicitly addressed like certain other sins, BUT Christians generally stay away from it when it causes us to start thinking in a way that is more focused on self-gratifying rather than about God and self-improvement.

Therefore baby Christian (haha I like this term), there are 3 kinds of people when it comes to masturbation:

1) You have never tried it. Or, having tried it, you honestly get nothing out of it.

2) You may have started doing it when you were little, before you knew what sex was. Therefore, you treat it just like a regular back massage, and can think about God or non-lustful things while you do it. It's an activity that is not connected to lust in any way for you. This is most common for girls, but can be true for guys.

3) You lust while you do it. You can't think about God while doing it. You indulge in it the same way you might indulge in chocolate cake at 3am.

If you are one or 2, masturbation is not considered a sin. Keep in mind that you should "do all things to glorify God", and this can even include masturbation - IFFFFF you are in category 2.

Sin is all about where your mind is, not the activity itself, and it sounds like you have a good grasp of this idea. :)

Like most people, it sounds like you are in category 3, meaning that masturbation in this case is a sin and idol that you'd like to remove from your life like a smudge in your binoculars that you use to see God.

Treat this addiction like a food addiction.

Every time you feel tempted, distract yourself. Go outside. Do some push ups. Read a chapter from a book you like. (May I suggest Screwtape Letters haha? It's thought provoking!) Clean your room. Call someone up to talk to them for 10 minutes (not about masturbation necessarily, but just to say hi and get some interaction so you think about something else). Listen to a song that inspires you toward Godly things.

Another thing you can do is "count calories" so to speak. Keep a tally sheet record of times you feel tempted, times you indulge, and times you resist. You might find yourself with increased will power in order to merely preserve your record. The better your record, the stronger your will power will become!

Hope that helps sir, and good luck! I admire your effort, and am saddened by the fact so many people saw this as a God-hating opportunity rather than a chance to actually provide some insight :P

[Opinion Owner]

And to clarify for those who are curious and not merely out to bash: the claim presented in my 2nd paragraph is directly supported by the Bible in numerous places. The way we treat masturbation is an extension of this principle. So that's why we believe that it can be considered an idol in some cases.

[Opinion Owner]

The other thing I wanted to clarify is that the way I presented category 2 kind of sounds like girls are exempt from masturbation as a sin. This is not true! Few people belong to category 2, but of those that do, most of these are girls.

[Asker]

Great answer!

[XRabbitHeartX]

It's never good to post religious question on a forum like this. You won't get the help you need and it will go along with some anti-religious replies. I'd suggest taking this to a Christian forum where you can get lots of feedback from people who share your view and who has been through this too.

But anyway, I think (actually I know) a lot of religious people masturbate. I believe in God and don't watch p*rn but I still masturbate. It's a normal body function. Our bodies were designed to be sexual and it's how I sexually release myself. I'd much rather say go masturbate then go out there than hook up with tons of girls and get STD's. I know that there are people out there who manage to masturbate without fantasizing about anything. I've tried this before and it works. You just need to focus on the pleasure aspects of what you're doing. It soon becomes quite easy to masturbate minus the sexual thoughts. But I kinda started thinking about what is possible wrong with sexual thoughts. If I'm single, not harming anyone else or objectifying anyone I know, then I don't see a problem. I honestly think you should use your own judgement on some things. People are way too quick to call everything sin without thinking WHY. If I could find one rational bad thing about masturbating then I wouldn't do it. But I honestly can't. Unless it becomes a obsession. That's a different scenario.

Take what I said into account and really think about it. Are you harming anyone? Are you changing yourself by masturbating? Is it going to lead to you doing awfully despicable things? Your body has needs and in my opinion it's more disrespectful (and stupid) to ignore them than actually taking care of your basic human needs. Really... just think about it.

[sirspauldo]

I agree with most of what you've said. Obviously masturbation seems better than actually having sex. In reality if you are still fantasizing while doing it, it is not any better, still a sin and a sin is a sin. I agree if you manage to masturbate without without fantasizing it is fine, but there is still the risk factor of temptation, you will not always succeed which does not solve the root problem. You CAN give it up, you just need to seek the spiritual roots of the problem

[XRabbitHeartX]

I do not see how fantasizing about sex is a sin. Sexual thoughts are not always impure. God created us with a sexual nature. Just like God created us with a desire for food, God created us with a desire to procreate. If thinking about one is wrong, then thinking about the other must be wrong too. I don't know why Christians always single sex out like it's this dirty word. I believe in logic. Unless you can logically tell me why it's bad, I won't be able to see it as bad.

[XRabbitHeartX]

Logic aside, I do not recall the Bible saying it's wrong to masturbate either...wait it doesn't even mention masturbating at all...

[Anonymous]

There is nothing wrong with you not wanting to watch p*rn, that's your personal preference and there are negative effects to watching p*rn for many people that you will avoid. As far as masturbation...get a nice lube and just concentrate on how good it feels and not worry about thinking of anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. And for all those that are using your question to give their hot opinions about God and Christians...If they are so bothered by it why not move on to another question? Your question wasn't ,"What is your view on sex and Christianity."

[Red_Arrow]

There are Christians who believe every word in the Bible, or think they do. To follow every rule in the Bible would require big changes in eating habits as well as poking your eye out if you saw a girl and had a sexual reaction.

Many Christians believe in every word AFTER they have been put through the individual's interpretation of what is true and what is important.

Many Christians believe that they can forget the Old Testament because everything changed when Jesus showed up. This interpretation requires believing that God changed all the rules, meaning the old ones were not right, or some equally strange reasoning.

And there are other variations. If you believe that if you lust after a woman in your mind you have committed the sin of lust. If you imagine sex with a girl you have committed the sin of fornication (or adultery if she is married).

If you believe that it is okay to imagine sex, then how do you imagine it without some kind of visual knowledge/stimulation? Then you are back to the above.

How can you get around your religious limitations? Many people would just adjust there beliefs to allow them to do what they want without feeling they have sinned. Does not sound like you are that kind of person. Wishing you luck, but I cannot see you able to masturbate without some images (mental or real) and if you did, you commit the sin of allowing your seed to fall upon the earth (which actually happens anyway after non-sinning marital sex when getting cleaned up.

[Theguyoverthere]

Exercise. Go running, just stay out of the house and you'll forget about it.

While I'm not a believer in the religions condemning people for releasing sexual frustrations I will say that not masturbating can be really helpful as most people out there are chronic with this habit. There are beliefs that releasing sexual tension can tax the body of its energy. I gave up this habit a long time ago and notice I am more awake, sociable, and so on. So I simply stay out of the house and have no urges.

[SeekingWater]

First of all, I'm Atheist, and from what I see around me, this is what I'd say if I WAS a Christian...

Don't let your religion control your whole life. My friend is Mormon and will never be able to enjoy the taste of a nice glass of sweet tea, or wear anything but skirts on Sunday. Really? No god would want you to do ridiculous things just to please him or insure your place in heaven. A true god or religion would want you to life life however you want it, live it to the fullest, make your own decisions by yourself without some commandments to keep you from having fun. At the end of your life when you're at the pearly gates, you should be allowed in heaven if you led a good life.

In other words, do what the fuck you want to, God won't hate you just for picturing naked people in your head. That's ridiculous.

[sirspauldo]

if you're atheists this question does not pertain to you

[SeekingWater]

You need an outsiders look into it in order to get a good answer eh? Keep your mind open and you may find that you don't have to be religious to give an answer that someone will like. I wasn't always atheist either.

[samhradh_leannan]

It seems like if you're not even allowed to THINK about sex or use your imagination for sexual purposes... you're kind of out of luck.

But think about what that means. Do you really need to follow rules that say you're not allowed to feel pleasure or have control over your own mind? What kind of life is that? What harm do those things really do?

[samhradh_leannan]

If it's not about being a sin, then why not do it? Masturbating isn't going to stop you from being rich or being healthy or strong. It's ALSO not going to make you a bad person or stop you from loving god. What are the reasons why you don't want to masturbate? Or do you? WHAT is it that you're trying to avoid exactly?

[samhradh_leannan]

Are you SURE watching p*rn is the same as worshiping an idol? Being turned on by something isn't necessarily worshiping it. If you have sex with another person, are you worshiping an idol? Personally, I believe that you can have love and respect for a god without giving up your autonomy and free will to the point where you're not allowed to picture naked people in your own head.

[samhradh_leannan]

If it's okay to have sex why is it not okay to think about sex?

[teasegirl]

No more updates please.

Thank you

Management

[teasegirl]

I've never heard about masterbation. Must be very powerful.

Masturbation on the other hand (get it?) it's OK. Doesn't the bible say somewhere to know yourself? Well in times of needs...

[Dionysos]

Any god that would make you like sex to the degree people do, and then call the harmess scratching of that itch a sin...is in my opinion, a sadist.

Here. I'm gonna make you one way and then threaten to burn you alive for all eternity if you don't act completely the opposite of how I made you. For a being to do that and get pissy when his creations fail would be for lack of a better word, dumba$$ed.

[UlsterScot]

The Bible is mute on masturbation. Masturbation fantasies which don't result in fornication or adultery are "stray thoughts". Shake the thing and get back to work and church. Don't let The Opposition use this against you.

[funkadelic5]

$10 to anyone who can prove to me that accepting Jesus as your savior means not masturbating.

[windsurfer]

I'm a Christian. I masturbate. It's a normal function of the body and I've done it since I can remember. If you let it control you, that's a bad thing, but it can be more distracting and frustrating if you don't. Since it's not labelled as sinful and has a practical, healthy purpose, I see no conflict between the Christian faith and taking care of one's own business safely.

[kaitlovesyou]

Honestly, you're gonna get the relief wether you want it or not, if you don't masturbate you'll have wet dreams. But honestly there's nothing wrong with pleasing yourself

[Tabra]

What about memory, using memories of things that bring on the same feelings.

[Muratek]

Thats why 200 years ago most of men were marry at 15-16 years old. :p

[Rbeazz]

I'm a Christian and I masterbate. Yep, I said it.

Ahhh, baby Christian. I've been there too. I tried to turn away from everything worldly. Obiviously, I have slacked off and decided to be more open-minded. Now, this does not make me less of a person. You can't live in a bubble. Sexuality is a natural instinct and sometimes it's better to please yourself instead of sleeping with a random person. Personal question: If you were in a committed relationship---would you have sex with your partner?

[Rbeazz]

ah, well never mind.

[sirspauldo]

baby christian? he sounds pretty mature for trying to resolve his temptations than giving in to them...

[Foodmakesmehappy]

As a fellow christian I strongly disagree that making yourself feel good would throw you into the eternal pits of fire honey.People go to hell for rejecting Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God, the Lamb of God, and the Resurrection & the Life. Masturbation is a natural form of sexual release. If you dig a bit, I think you can find some really neat sexual releases that are a lot more fun that masturbation.

[purplelavender]

Meh.

[Anonymous]

I never realized that people who run marathons never masturbate.

[Anonymous]

Tough life.

[Anonymous]

You are probably better off posting in a Christian forum than a secular one. Lots of people on here won't understand and therefore respect your views.

[Anonymous]

Sounds tough. Good luck.

[teasegirl]

Hahaha

[Anonymous]

"anyone have any suggestions on relieving the tension?"

Yeah, move beyond all these silly beliefs that make you feel guilty for *gasp* living and doing things. If that doesn't work for you, then think of it like this: If God has given you the ability to experience all these different things in life, including orgasms, is it not silly to think that God also prohibits you from experiencing these things?

Doesn't sound like a very well thought out story, to me.

[Opinion Owner]

@update, I don't get wasted, eat bad, or any of the other things you mentioned, but I also don't believe in God either. So we are of the same "type" when it comes to what we do, believe, etc...my morality doesn't come from God and we believe the same, so why the big stress about masturbation? I'm not a God hater. Just as you can believe as you please, I am also free to think that Christianity is silly for the obvious dilemma they have you in about your personal life.

[Opinion Owner]

Who are you responding to, and why are you posting them as question updates instead of on their answer?

[Anonymous]

Are you married? Can you not orgasm by it just feeling good?