Pornography and Masturbation.
Quoted from the book “Don't Fool Yourself”
By: John Kabonga H.D
First Edition 2020.
1). Pornography (XXX).
After my recent research concerning the New Age, i have discovered that, a big percent of worldwide population are attacked by demons which leads them into big troubles and destruction. One of the leading path which Satan has been using and is currently using to take people astray is 'pornography and masturbation'.
The word pornography was coined from the ancient Greek words πόρνη ( pórnē "prostitute" and πορνεία porneía " prostitution" ), and γράφειν (gráphein "to write or to record", derived meaning "illustration", as in "graph "), and the suffix -ία ( -ia , meaning "state of", "property of", or "place of"), thus meaning "a written description or illustration of prostitutes or prostitution".
No date is kthenown for the first use of the word in Greek; the earliest attested, most related word one could find in Greek, is πορνογράφος , pornográphos , i.e. "someone writing about harlots", in the Deipnosophists of Athenaeus . The Modern Greek word pornographia (πορνογραφία) is a reborrowing of the French pornographie .
Pornography (often abbreviated porn) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal.
Pornography may be presented in a variety of media, including books, magazines , postcards, photographs, sculpture , drawing , painting , animation, sound recording , phone calls, writing , film , video , and video games . The term applies to the depiction of the act rather than the act itself, and so does not include live exhibitions like sex shows and striptease .
The primary subjects of present-day pornographic depictions are pornographic models , who pose for still photographs, and pornographic actors or "porn stars", who perform in pornographic films . If dramatic skills are not involved, a performer in pornographic media may also be called a model.
Various groups within society have considered depictions of a sexual nature immoral , addictive , and noxious, labeling them pornographic, and attempting to have them suppressed under obscenity and other laws, with varying degrees of success.
Such works have also often been subject to censorship and other legal restraints to publication, display, or possession, leading in many cases to their loss. Such grounds, and even the definition of pornography, have differed in various historical, cultural, and national contexts.
Social attitudes towards the discussion and presentation of sexuality have become more tolerant in Western countries, and legal definitions of obscenity have become more limited, notably beginning in 1969 with Blue Movie by Andy Warhol , the first adult erotic film depicting explicit sex to receive wide theatrical release in the United States , and the subsequent Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), leading to an industry for the production and consumption of pornography in the latter half of the 20th century.
The introduction of home video and the Internet saw a boom in the worldwide porn industry that generates billions of dollars annually. Commercialized pornography accounts for over US$2.5 billion in the United States alone, including the production of various media and associated products and services .
The general porn industry is between $10–$12 billion in the U.S. In 2006, the world pornography revenue was 97 billion dollars.
This industry employs thousands of performers along with support and production staff.
It is also followed by dedicated industry publications and trade groups as well as the mainstream press, private organizations ( watchdog groups ), government agencies, and political organizations.
More recently, sites such as Pornhub , RedTube , and YouPorn , in addition to much pirated porn posted by individuals, have served as repositories for home-made or semi-professional pornography, made available free by its creators (who could be called exhibitionists ). They present a significant challenge to the commercial pornographic film industry.
When large-scale excavations of Pompeii were undertaken in the 1860s, much of the erotic art of the Romans came to light, shocking the Victorians who saw themselves as the intellectual heirs of the Roman Empire . They did not know what to do with the frank depictions of sexuality and endeavored to hide them away from everyone but upper- class scholars.
The moveable objects were locked away in the Secret Museum in Naples and what could not be removed was covered and cordoned off as to not corrupt the sensibilities of women, children, and the working classes.
|). Classification.
Pornography is generally classified as either softcore or hardcore . A pornographic work is characterized as hardcore if it has any hardcore content, no matter how small. Both forms of pornography generally contain nudity. Softcore pornography generally contains nudity or partial nudity in sexually suggestive situations, but without explicit sexual activity, sexual penetration or "extreme" fetishism , while hardcore pornography may contain graphic sexual activity and visible penetration, including unsimulated sex scenes.
||). Subgenres.
Pornography encompasses a wide variety of genres. Pornography featuring heterosexual acts composes the bulk of pornography and is "centred and invisible", marking the industry as heteronormative.
However, a substantial portion of pornography is not normative, featuring more nonconventional forms of scenarios and sexual activity such as "'fat' porn, amateur porn, disabled porn, porn produced by women, queer porn, BDSM, and body modification."
Pornography can be classified according to the physical characteristics of the participants, fetish, sexual orientation, etc., as well as the types of sexual activity featured. Reality and voyeur pornography, animated videos, and legally prohibited acts also influence the classification of pornography. Pornography may fall into more than one genre.
The genres of pornography are based on the type of activity featured and the category of participants, for example:
● Alt porn.
● Amateur pornography.
● Bondage pornography.
● Ethnic pornography.
● Fetish pornography.
● Group sex.
● Reality pornography.
● Porn parody.
● Sexual-orientation -based pornography:
√ Straight porn.
√ Gay pornography.
√ Lesbian pornography.
√ Bisexual pornography.
|||) Effect of pornography.
The effects of pornography on individuals or their sexual relationships depend on the type of pornography used and differ from person to person. Pornographic material has been studied particularly for associations with addiction as well as effects on the brain over time.
Some literature reviews suggest that pornographic images and films can be addictive, particularly when combined with masturbation, while others maintain that data remains inconclusive.
Other research has looked at pornographic material's relation to sexual violence, with varying results.
|V). Addiction.
Pornography addiction is a purported behavioral addiction characterized by compulsive , repeated use of pornographic material until it causes serious negative consequences to one's physical, mental, social, and/or financial well-being. However, there is no diagnosis of pornography addiction in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 ).
The DSM-5 considered the diagnosis of hypersexuality-related behavioral disorders (to which porn addiction was a subset), but rejected it because "there is insufficient peer-reviewed evidence to establish the diagnostic criteria and course descriptions needed to identify these behaviors as mental disorders.
Instead, some psychologists suggest that any maladaptive sexual symptoms represent a manifestation of an underlying disorder, such as depression or anxiety which is simply manifesting itself sexually, or, alternatively, there is no underlying disorder and the behavior simply is not maladaptive. These psychologists do not recognize the concept of addiction, only chemical dependence, and some believe the concept and diagnosis to be stigmatizing and unhelpful.
Two 2016 neurology reviews found evidence of addiction related brain changes in internet pornography users. Psychological effects of these brain changes are described as desensitization to reward, a dysfunctional anxiety response, and impulsiveness. Another 2016 review suggests that internet behaviors, including the use of pornography, be considered potentially addictive, and that problematic use of online pornography be considered an "internet-use disorder".
Introductory psychology textbook authors Coon, Mitterer and Martini, passingly mentioning NoFap (former pornography users who have since chosen to abstain from the material) speak of pornography as a "supernormal stimulus" but use the model of compulsion rather than addiction.
V) Other effects on human behavior.
Research at Alliant International University found that participants who consumed internet pornography more frequently had increased rates of delay discounting . The researchers state, "The constant novelty and primacy of sexual stimuli as particularly strong natural rewards make internet pornography a unique activator of the brain's reward system, thereby having implications for decision-making processes."
A study by Professor Kathryn C.Seigfried-Spellar and Professor Marcus Rogers found results which suggested deviant pornography use followed a Guttman-like progression in that individuals with a younger “age of onset” for adult pornography use were more likely to engage in deviant pornography (bestiality or child) compared to those with a later “age of onset”.
√ Effects of pornography spiritually and it Healings.
Here are some of the effects of pornography spiritually, though there’re so many effects. If you're addicted to pornography, you can have such affections:
Porn Addiction, affect your spiritual ways of relationship with God, and may result to be separated and be very far away from God's presence.
Porn Addiction affects your ways of, thinking capacity in godly things, rather you will always be attracted only and anytime wanting to watch porn.
Porn Addiction reduces or take off your ability and motion of reading the word of God, either Bible or Qur'an or any other Holy Book, thus your much time will be taken by imaginations of images or ideas of pornographic video which you have seen.
Note. There is only one way to get off such an agenda of satanism. The way is to confess, get back to your faith by taking an act, to find a person you believe and trust, who may help you get out. Talk to him sincerely and make sure you are honest so he knows very well about the addiction that you have. Don't hesitate to talk to him/her about it, make sure you don't hide anything from that person.
The person should be one of the faithful people from your beliefs for he will guide you to a better relationship with your God or your occultism which may result to forgiveness of your sins and be free from spiritual porn addiction.
√ Effect of pornography in your Marriage.
Pornography is ravaging marriages. In our culture porn is treated as if it’s harmless, but it’s not. Porn will wreck the arousal process in your brain and end up wrecking your sex life in marriage.
There are many consequences of pornography in physical way or psychological way, but here I have listed few for your benefit.
Porn Addiction means you can't get aroused by " Just " your spouse:
There is a short story about Pavlov and his dog in Psychology? Pavlov would give the dog a nice juicy steak, but right before he did he would ring a bell. He conditione the dog to associate ringing the bell with getting great food. Eventually Pavlov took the food away, but kept ringing the bell. The dog kept salivating at the bell, even though there was no steak, because the dog associated the bell with the food.
The same thing happens when we see porn; Porn it stimulates the arousal center in the brain. When it’s accompanied by orgasm (sexual release through masturbation), then a chemical reaction happens and hormones are released. in effect your brain start to associate arousal with an image, idea, or a video, rather than a person ( Spouse ).
When you don’t watch porn and save yourself until marriage, then all of those chemicals and hormones are released for the first time when you’re with your spouse, and it causes you to bond intensely and "sexuall'' to your spouse. But when you spend a ton of time teaching your brain to associate arousal and release with pornography, your brain can’t associate arousal and release with a person anymore.
Either you have to fantasize about the porn, and get those images in your brain, or you have to watch porn first. Often people can “complete the act”, but it’s not intense for them the way porn is. You’ve rewired your brain, and now you’re salivating at the wrong thing.
Porn Addiction Weeks your Libido, " Sexual Lust, or Sexual desire or feelings ".
It’s only natural, then, that many people who use porn in the past, or who use porn in the present, have virtually no libido when it comes to making love to their spouse. The spouse is not what turns them on, and so the natural drive that we have for sex is transferred somewhere else.
Porn Addiction Make your sexual lazy.
In porn, everyone is turned on all the time. You don’t have to make any effort to arouse someone; it’s automatic. There is no foreplay in porn. And so if your spouse isn’t aroused you start to think that it’s somehow their fault. There’s no expectation that we will have to “woo” someone or be affectionate and help jumpstart that arousal process.
It’s almost as if we approach sex as two different beings and we’re just using each other, rather than thinking of each other. And thus we never learn how to please the other or become a good lover because we’re always thinking that the other is somehow “frigid”. Pornography teaches you that sex is about getting my needs met; it isn’t about meeting someone else’s needs or experiencing something wonderful together.
SOME REFERENCES.
1. What Distinguishes Erotica from Pornography? – Leon F Seltzer, Psychology Today, 6 April 2011.
2. H. Mongomery Hyde (1964), A History of Pornography : 1–26.
3. Canby, Vincent (July 22, 1969). "Movie Review – Blue Movie (1968) Screen: Andy Warhol's 'Blue Movie' " . The New York Times Retrieved December 29, 2015.
4. Comenas, Gary (2005). "Blue Movie (1968) . WarholStars.org. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
5. Canby, Vincent (August 10, 1969). "Warhol's Red Hot and 'Blue' Movie. D1. Print. (behind paywall)". The New York Times . Retrieved December 29, 2015.
6. Ackman, Dan (25 May 2001). "How Big Is Porn?" . Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 June 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2007. "$2.6 billion to $3.9 billion. Sources: Adams Media Research,
Forrester Research, Veronis Suhler Communications Industry Report, IVD".
2). Masturbation.
Masturbation has been depicted in art since prehistoric times, and is both mentioned and discussed in very early writings. In the 18th and 19th centuries, some European theologians and physicians described it as "heinous", "deplorable", and "hideous", but during the 20th century these taboos generally declined. There has been an increase in discussion and portrayal of masturbation in art, popular music, television, films, and literature.
Today, religions vary in their views of masturbation; some view it as a spiritually detrimental practice, some see it as not spiritually detrimental, and others take a situational view.
The legal status of masturbation has also varied through history and masturbation in public is illegal in most countries. Animal masturbation has been observed in many species, both in the wild and in captivity.
Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm . The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators , or combinations of these.
Mutual masturbation is masturbation with a sexual partner , and may include manual stimulation of a partner's genitals (fingering or a handjob), or be used as a form of non-penetrative sex.
Masturbation is frequent in both sexes and at any age. Various medical and psychological benefits have been attributed to a healthy attitude toward sexual activity in general and to masturbation in particular. No causal relationship is known between masturbation and any form of mental or physical disorder.
In the Western world , masturbation in private or with a partner is generally considered a normal and healthy part of sexual enjoyment.
The English word masturbation was introduced in the 18th century, based on the Latin verb masturbari , alongside the slightly earlier onanism.
The Latin verb masturbari is of uncertain origin. Suggested derivations include an unattested word for penis , *mazdo , cognate with Greek mézea μέζεα , "genitals", or alternatively a
corruption of an unattested *manusturpare ("to defile with the hand"), by association with turbare "to disturb".
While masturbation is the formal word for this practice, many other expressions are in common use. Terms such as playing with yourself , pleasuring oneself and slang such as wanking , jerking off, and frigging are common. Self-abuse and self-pollution were common in early modern times and are still found in modern dictionaries. A large variety of other euphemisms and dysphemisms exist which describe masturbation.
(A). Cultural history.
The sexual stimulation of one's own genitals has been interpreted variously by different religions , the subject of legislation, social controversy, activism, as well as intellectual study in sexology . Social views regarding masturbation taboo have varied greatly in different cultures, and over history.
There are depictions of male and female masturbation in prehistoric rock paintings around the world. From the earliest records, the ancient Sumerians had very relaxed attitudes toward sex. The Sumerians widely believed that masturbation enhanced sexual potency, both for men and for women, and they frequently engaged in it, both alone and with their partners.
Men would often use puru -oil, a special oil probably mixed with pulverized iron ore intended to enhance friction. Masturbation was also an act of creation and, in Sumerian mythology , the god Enki was believed to have created the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by masturbating and ejaculating into their empty riverbeds .
The ancient Egyptians also regarded masturbation by a deity as an act of creation; the god Atum was believed to have created the universe by masturbating to ejaculation.
The ancient Greeks also regarded masturbation as a normal and healthy substitute for other forms of sexual pleasure. Most information about masturbation in ancient Greece comes from surviving works of ancient Greek comedy and pottery.
Masturbation is frequently referenced in the surviving comedies of Aristophanes , which are the most important sources of information on ancient Greek views on the subject. In ancient Greek pottery, satyrs are often depicted masturbating.
According to the Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by the third-century AD biographer Diogenes Laërtius, Diogenes of Sinope, the fourth-century BC Cynic philosopher, often masturbated in public, which was considered scandalous. When people confronted him over this, he would say, "If only it were as easy to banish hunger by rubbing my belly."
Among non-western perspectives on the matter, some teachers and practitioners of Traditional Chinese medicine, Taoist meditative and martial arts say that masturbation can cause a lowered energy level in men. Within the African Congo Basin , the Aka , Ngandu , Lesi, brbs, and Ituri ethnic groups all lack a word for masturbation in their languages and are confused by the concept of masturbation.
(B). 21st century.
Both practices and cultural views of masturbation have continued to evolve in the 21st Century, partly because the contemporary lifeworld is increasingly technical. [ according to whom? ] For example, digital photographs or live video may be used to share masturbatory experiences either in a broadcast format (possibly in exchange of money, as with performances by " camgirls" and "camboys "), or between members of a long-distance relationship . Teledildonics is a growing field. Masturbation has been depicted as a not-uncomplicated part of "Love in the 21st Century" in the BBC drama by the same name.
(C). Modern culture.
|) Stigma.
Even though many medical professionals and scientists have found large amounts of evidence that masturbating is health and commonly practiced by males and females, stigma on the topic still persists today. In November 2013, Matthew Burdette, after being filmed masturbating, committed suicide.
In an article published by the nonprofit organization Planned Parenthood Federation of America it was reported that:
Proving that these ancient stigmas against masturbation are still alive and felt by women and men, researchers in 1994 found that half of the adult women and men who masturbate feel guilty about it (Laumann, et al., 1994. p.85).
Another study in 2000 found that adolescent young men are still frequently afraid to admit that they masturbate (Halpern, et al., 2000, 327).
||). Sperm donation.
Male masturbation may be used as a method to obtain semen for third party reproductive procedures such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilisation which may involve the use of either partner or donor sperm. At a sperm bank or fertility clinic, a special room or cabin may be set aside so that semen may be produced by male masturbation for use in fertility treatments such as artificial insemination.
Most semen used for sperm donation , and all semen donated through a sperm bank by sperm donors, is produced in this way. The facility at a sperm bank used for this purpose is known as a masturbatorium (US) or men's production room (UK). A bed or couch is usually provided for the man, and pornographic films or other material may be made available.
(D). Law.
The prosecution of masturbation has varied at different times, from complete illegality to virtually unlimited acceptance. In a 17th-century law code for the Puritan colony of New Haven, Connecticut " blasphemers , homosexuals and masturbators" were eligible for the death penalty.
Often, masturbation in the sight of others is prosecuted under a general law such as public indecency , though some laws make specific mention of masturbation. In the UK, masturbating in public is illegal under Section 28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 . The penalty may be up to 14 days in prison, depending on a range of circumstantial factors. In the US, laws vary from state to state. In 2010, the Supreme Court of Alabama upheld a state law criminalizing the distribution of sex-toys.
In the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, masturbating in public is a class 3 misdemeanour. In 2013, a man found masturbating openly on a beach in Sweden was cleared of charges of sexual assault, the court finding that his activities had not been directed towards any specific person.
(E). Techniques.
|). General.
Masturbation involves touching, pressing, rubbing, or massaging a person's genital area, either with the fingers or against an object such as a pillow; inserting fingers or an object into the vagina or anus (see anal masturbation ); and stimulating the penis or vulva with an electric vibrator, which may also be inserted into the vagina or anus. It may also involve touching, rubbing, or pinching the nipples or other erogenous zones while masturbating. Both sexes sometimes apply lubricants to reduce friction.
Reading or viewing pornography , sexual fantasies , or other erotic stimuli may lead to a desire for sexual release such as by masturbation. Some people get sexual pleasure by inserting objects, such as urethral sounds , into the urethra (the tube through which urine and, in men, semen, flows), a practice known as urethral play or "sounding". Other objects such as ball point pens and thermometers are sometimes used, although this practice can lead to injury or infection. Some people masturbate by using machines that simulate intercourse.
Men and women may masturbate until they are close to orgasm, stop for a while to reduce excitement, and then resume masturbating. They may repeat this cycle multiple times. This "stop and go" build-up, known as " edging ", can achieve even stronger orgasms. [19] Rarely, people quit stimulation just before orgasm to retain the heightened energy that normally comes down after orgasm.
(F). Female Masturbation Techniques.
Female masturbation involves the stroking or rubbing of a woman's vulva , especially her clitoris, with an index or middle fingers , or both. Sometimes one or more fingers may be inserted into the vagina to stroke its frontal wall where the G-spot may be located.
Masturbation aids such as a vibrator, dildo , or Ben Wa balls can also be used to stimulate the vagina and clitoris.
Many women caress their breasts or stimulate a nipple with the free hand and anal stimulation is also enjoyed by some.
Personal lubricant is sometimes used during masturbation, especially when penetration is involved, but this is not universal and many women find their natural lubrication sufficient.
Like males, common positions for female masturbation include lying on back or face down, sitting, squatting, kneeling , or standing. In a bath or shower a female may direct water via a handheld showerhead at her clitoris, vulva, or perineum. Lying face down one may use the hands, one may straddle a pillow, the corner or edge of the bed, a partner's leg or some scrunched-up clothing and " hump" the vulva and clitoris against it.
Standing up, a chair, the corner of an item of furniture, or even a washing machine can be used to stimulate the clitoris through the labia and clothing. Some masturbate only using pressure applied to the clitoris without direct contact, for example by pressing the palm or ball of the hand against underwear or other clothing. In the 1920s, Havelock Ellis reported that turn-of-the-century seamstresses using treadle-operated sewing machines could achieve orgasm by sitting near the edge of their chairs.
(G). Male Masturbation Techniques.
The most common masturbation technique among males is to hold the penis with a loose fist and then to move the hand up and down the shaft. This type of stimulation is typically all that is required to achieve orgasm and ejaculation . The speed of the hand motion varies throughout the masturbation session. Male masturbation techniques may differ between males who have been circumcised and those who have not.
Some techniques which may work for one individual can be difficult or uncomfortable for another.
For males who have not been circumcised, stimulation of the penis typically comes from the "pumping" of the foreskin, whereby the foreskin is held and slid up and down over the glans , which, depending on foreskin length, is completely or partially covered and then uncovered in a rapid motion. The outer foreskin glides smoothly over the inner foreskin.
The glans itself may widen and lengthen as the stimulation continues, becoming slightly darker in colour, while the gliding action of the foreskin reduces friction.
This technique may also be used by some circumcised men who have sufficient excess skin remaining from their circumcision.
Prostate massage is one other technique used for sexual stimulation, often in order to reach orgasm.
The prostate is sometimes referred to as the "male G-spot " or P-spot. Some men can achieve orgasm through stimulation of the prostate gland, by stimulating it using a well-lubricated finger or dildo inserted through the anus into the rectum , and men who report the sensation of prostate stimulation often give descriptions similar to females' accounts of G-spot stimulation.
Prostate stimulation can produce more intense orgasms than penile stimulation. Stimulating the prostate from outside, via pressure on the perineum , can be pleasurable as well.
Anal masturbation without any prostate stimulation, with fingers or otherwise, is also one other technique which some men enjoy. Since the muscles of the anus contract during orgasm , the presence of an object holding the sphincter open can strengthen the sensation of the contractions and intensify orgasm.
The practice may be pleasurable because of the large number of nerve endings in the anal area , and because of the added stimulation gained from stretching the anal sphincter muscles while inserting the finger. A good quality personal lubricant is advisable to both increase the pleasurable sensation and aid insertion. Some people prefer to simply stimulate the outer ring of the anus, while others will follow this by inserting one or more fingers.
(H). Mutual Masturbation.
Mutual masturbation involves two or more people who sexually stimulate each other, usually with the hands. It can be practiced by people of any sexual orientation , and can be part of other sexual activity. It may be used as foreplay, or as an alternative to sexual penetration. When used as an alternative to penile-vaginal penetration, the goal may be to preserve virginity or to avoid risk of pregnancy.
Mutual masturbation can be practiced in pairs or groups with or without actually touching another person for example:
√ Non-contact mutual masturbation - Two people masturbating in the presence of each other but not touching.
√ Contact mutual masturbation - One person touching another person to masturbate. The other person may do the same during or after.
√ Non-contact group - More than two people masturbating in the presence of each other in a group but not touching each other.
√ Contact group - More than two people physically touching each other to masturbate as a group.
√ Mutual masturbation foreplay - The manual stimulation of each other's genitals where the session eventually leads to sexual intercourse.
(I). Health Effects Of Masturbation.
Î) Benefits.
The medical consensus is that masturbation is a medically healthy and psychologically normal habit. According to the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy , "It is considered abnormal only when it inhibits partner-oriented behavior, is done in public, or is sufficiently compulsive to cause distress."
Sex therapists sometimes recommend that female patients take time to masturbate to orgasm; for example, to help improve sexual health and relationships, to help determine what is erotically pleasing to them, and because mutual masturbation can lead to more satisfying sexual relationships and added intimacy.
Encyclopædia Britannica endorses the use of masturbation inside sex therapy. It is held in many mental health circles that masturbation can relieve depression and lead to a higher sense of self-esteem.
When one partner in a relationship wants more sex than the other, masturbation can provide a balancing effect and promote a more harmonious relationship.
Mutual masturbation enables partners in a couple to reveal the "map to [their] pleasure centers," learning how they enjoy being touched. When intercourse is inconvenient or impractical, mutual masturbation affords couples the opportunity to obtain sexual release as often as desired.
In 2003, an Australian research team led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Australia found that males who masturbated frequently had a lower probability of developing prostate cancer, although they could not demonstrate a direct causation.
A 2008 study concluded that frequent ejaculation between the ages of 20 and 40 was correlated with higher risk of developing prostate cancer, while frequent ejaculation in the sixth decade of love was found to be correlated with a lower risk.
A study published in 1997 found an inverse association between death from coronary heart disease and frequency of orgasm even given the risk that myocardial ischaemia and myocardial infarction can be triggered by sexual activity.
The association between frequency of orgasm and all cause mortality was also examined using the midpoint of each response category recorded as number of orgasms per year. The age adjusted odds ratio for an increase of 100 orgasms per year was 0.64 (0.44 to 0.95).
That is, a difference in mortality appeared between any two subjects when one subject ejaculated at around two times per week more than the other. Assuming a broad range average of between three and five ejaculations per week for healthy males, this would mean five to seven ejaculations per week. This is consistent with a 2003 paper that found the strength of these correlations increased with increasing frequency of ejaculation.
A 2008 study at Tabriz Medical University found that ejaculation reduces swollen nasal blood vessels, freeing the airway for normal breathing. The mechanism is through stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and is long lasting.
The study author suggests: "It can be done [from] time-to-time to alleviate the congestion and the patient can adjust the number of intercourses or masturbations depending on the severity of the symptoms."
Solo masturbation is a sexual activity that is nearly free of risk of sexually transmitted infections. With two or more participants, the risk of sexually transmitted infections, while not eliminated, remains lower than with most forms of penetrative sex . Support for such a view and for making masturbation part of the American sex education curriculum, led to the dismissal of US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders during the Clinton administration .
Some European Union nations promote masturbation in their sex education curricula. Sexual climax leaves an individual in a relaxed and contented state, frequently followed by drowsiness and sleep.
Some professionals consider masturbation equivalent to a cardiovascular workout.
Though research remains scant, those suffering from cardiovascular disorders, particularly those recovering from heart attacks , should resume physical activity gradually and with the frequency and rigor which their physical status will allow.
This limitation can serve as encouragement to follow through with physical therapy sessions to help improve endurance. In general, sex slightly increases energy consumption.
||). Risks.
In the US, masturbation was a diagnosable psychological condition until DSM II (1968). The American Medical Association declared masturbation as normal by consensus in 1972. It does not deplete one's body of energy[80] or produce premature ejaculation .Those who insert objects as aids to masturbation risk them becoming stuck (e.g. as rectal foreign bodies ).
Men and women can fall prey to this problem. A woman went into a German hospital with two pencils in her bladder, having pierced her urethra after inserting them during masturbation.
A male whose penis is bluntly traumatized during intercourse or masturbation may, rarely, sustain a penile fracture or develop Peyronie's disease . Phimosis is "a contracted foreskin (that) may cause trouble by hurting when an attempt is made to pull the foreskin back". In these cases, any energetic manipulation of the penis can be problematic.
A small percentage of males have postorgasmic illness syndrome (POIS), which can cause severe muscle pain throughout the body and other symptoms immediately following ejaculation, whether due to masturbation or partnered sex. The symptoms last for up to a week.
Some doctors speculate that the frequency of POIS "in the population may be greater than has been reported in the academic literature", and that many cases are undiagnosed.
Compulsive masturbation and other compulsive behaviors can be signs of an emotional problem, which may need to be addressed by a mental health specialist. As with any "nervous habit", it is more helpful to consider the causes of compulsive behavior, rather than try to repress masturbation.
Masturbation among adolescents contributes to their developing a sense of mastery over sexual impulses, and it has a role in the physical and emotional development of prepubescents and pubescents. Babies and toddlers will play with their genitals in much the same way as they play with their ears or toes.
If such play becomes all-consuming, it may be necessary to look for an underlying cause of this, such as the child being tense and in need of comfort, or that others may be overreacting and thus reinforcing the habit. It could be caused by a low-grade urinary tract or yeast infection. The child may be overstimulated and in need of soothing, or understimulated and bored.
Alongside many other factors—such as medical evidence, age-inappropriate sexual knowledge, sexualized play and precocious or seductive behavior—excessive masturbation may be an indicator of sexual abuse .
(K). Religious views on Masturbation.
Religions vary broadly in their views of masturbation, from considering it completely impermissible (as in Roman Catholicism) to encouraging and refining it (as, for example, in some Neotantra and Taoist sexual practices ).
Among the world's religions, views on masturbation vary widely. Some religions view it as a spiritually detrimental practice, some see it as not spiritually detrimental and others take a situational view. Among these latter religions, some view masturbation as allowable if used as a means towards sexual self-control , or as part of healthy self-exploration, but disallow it if it is done with wrong motives or as an addiction .
According to Björn Krondorfer, "Auto-erotic sex became conceivable as a distinct entity among sexual sins only when the autonomous self emerged." He goes on to cite Laqueur, "Only after the Freudian revolution...did a cultural shift occur. Masturbation was now valued as an adult, non-pathological, pleasurable activity.
'Beginning in the 1950s, picking up energy with the feminism of the 1960s and early 1970s, with the subsequent sex wars, and with the worldwide gay movement of the last quarter of the century, it would become an arena of sexual politics and for art across a wide spectrum of society...Due to this cultural change across the spectrum, even theological reassessments of masturbation as a positive sexual practice were possible – though, admittedly, rare."
A 2016 Psychology Today article stated that the more religious people are, the more likely they are to restrict their sexual fantasies, have fewer sex partners, use less pornography and express stronger disapproval of the use of sex toys.
(1). Abrahamic religions.
a) Biblical scholarship.
The biblical story of Onan (Gen. 38) is traditionally linked to referring to masturbation and condemnation thereof, but the sexual act described by this story is coitus interruptus , not masturbation. There is no explicit claim in the Bible that masturbation is sinful.
According to James Nelson, there are three interpretive examinations why Onan's act is condemned: the Onan story reflects firm "procreative" accent of the Hebrew interpretation regarding sexuality, a constant of the "prescientific mind" to consider that the child is contained in the sperm the same way a plant is contained in its seed, and masturbation as well homosexual acts by men have been condemned more strongly than same acts by women in the Judeo Christian tradition.
Ilona N. Rashkow states: "it is questionable whether masturbation is considered a category of 'negative' sexual activity in the Hebrew Bible" and that Lev 15:16 "refer to the emission rather than its circumstances."Jones and Jones state James R. Johnson's biblical view on masturbation: "treating a solitary sexual experience, whether wet dream or masturbation, as a purely ceremonial cleanliness issue and not as a matter of morality."
They state: "Johnson suggest that Leviticus 15:16-18 should set the tone for our dealing with masturbation. Verses 16 and 17 say that a man who has an emission of semen should wash and be ceremonially unclean until evening. Verse 18 goes on to say that if a man and woman have intercourse, the same cleanliness rules apply.
By bringing up intercourse separately, the passage surely does imply that the emission of semen in verses 16 and 17 occurred for the man individually.
The passage may be referring to a nocturnal emission, or wet dream, rather than masturbation, but the passage is not specific. Johnson suggests that this Leviticus passage is significant for treating a solitary sexual experience, whether wet dream or masturbation, as a purely ceremonial cleanliness issue and not as a matter of morality.
The passage also puts no more disapproval on the solitary experience than it does on intercourse.
Since Christians today commonly view the Old Testament ceremonial law as no longer valid, this author suggests that masturbation is not in itself a moral concern from a biblical perspective and is no longer a ceremonial concern either."
T.J. Wray explains what the Bible actually states (and does not state) about masturbation: "Returning to the Levitical list of sexual taboos, curiously missing from the list is any mention of masturbation."
Then she goes on discussing Gen 38 and Lev 15 and concludes "None of this, however, represent a clear condemnation of masturbation."
Carl L. Jech stated "Masturbation is never mentioned in the Bible".
M.K. Malan and Vern Bullough have stated "nowhere in the Bible is there a clear unchallenged reference to masturbation" and "masturbation is not mentioned in the Bible or Book of Mormon".
According to The Oxford Handbook of Theology, Sexuality, and Gender , some scholars suggest that the word 'hand' in Matthew 5:29-30, Mark 9:42-48, and Matthew 18:6-9 may implies masturbation as in the Mishnah (m. Nid. 2.1 ).
2004 Regarding those biblical passages, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies states Will Deming's view: "The sinning by eye, hand, and foot may come from a tradition of formulaic warnings against lustful gazing (by the eye), masturbation (by hand), and adultery (by 'foot', the Hebrew euphemism for genitalia)."
In addition to the eye, Deming argues that "the hand plays anmajor role in lust as well through masturbation".
b). Christianity.
Today, Roman Catholic (including Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and many Protestant Christians consider masturbation to be a sin.
b. 1). Early church.
Greek Egyptian Church Father Clement of Alexandria (c. 150
– c. 215) writes in his Paedagogus, or The Instructor of
Children:
“Because of its divine institution for the propagation of man, the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted”.
Scholars such as Raj Bhala and Kathryn M. Kueny say that Clement's statement includes both coitus interruptus and masturbation, the acts which make "injury to nature". "The use of spermicidal potions" is also included within it, according to Kueny. John G. Younger considers that Clement speaks about masturbation as well "masculinenwomen and effeminate men" in his Paedagogus, makenmention of violating the nature "to have sex for any othernpurpose than to produce children".
However, the dissident Catholic moral theologian Charles E. Curran claimed that "the fathers of the Church are practically silent on the simple question of masturbation". Arthur J. Mielke stated James A. Brundage 's view as: "the themes of masturbation and sexual fantasy were unimportant to either pagan or Christian-writers until the fourth or fifth centuries" (when the rise of monasticism happened).
Nevertheless, Brundage himself states in his book that those writers had not "paid much attention to these matters", and "paid only scant attention to masturbation and homosexual practices", without stating "unimportant". Catholic academic Giovanni Cappelli undertook a study "concerning the problem of masturbation during the first millennium. Among his conclusions are:
(1) Nowhere in the Old Testament or in the New is there an explicit confrontation with the issue of masturbation.
(2) Cappelli does not find in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers any mention of masturbation.
(3) The first explicit references to masturbation are found in the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic "penitential" of the sixth century where the subject is treated in a practical and juridical way.
(4) It would be wrong, however, to interpret the silence of the Fathers about masturbation as a tacit approval of it, or as a virtual indifference."
James A. Brundage offers a differing view on the fourth point. He believes that neither pagan nor early Christian writers had paid much attention to these matters because they "apparently considered them trivial" Thomas Laqueur agrees. He notes that, "The ancient world cared little about the subject; it was a backwater of Jewish and Christian teaching about sexuality. In fact, solitary sex as a serious moral issue can be dated with a precision rare in cultural history; Laqueur identifies it with the publication of the anonymous tract Onania in about 1722.
Masturbation is a creation of the Enlightenment, of some of its most important figures, and of the most profound changes it unleashed. It is modern. It worried at first not conservatives, but progressives. It was the first truly democratic sexuality that could be of ethical interest for women as much as for men, for boys and girls as much as for their elders."
This is because Laqueur claims that masturbation "could only be named as such when the 'self' emerged as an autonomous being." Giovanni Cappelli, as quoted by James F. Keenan , argues that as monastic communities developed, the sexual lives of monks came under scrutiny from two theologians, John Cassian (365–433) and Caesarius of Arles (470–543), who commented on the "vices" of the 'solitary' life. Cappelli claims that "their concerns were not with the act of masturbation, but with the monks who vowed chastity.
The monks' promise made masturbation an illicit act; the act itself was not considered sinful." Keenan adds: "In fact, as Cappelli, Louis Crompton, and James Brundage each observe, prior to Cassian, masturbation was not considered a sexual offence for anyone."
Brundage states in his book that Cassian regards "masturbation and nocturnal pollution central issues in sexual morality and devoted a great deal of attention to both matters".
In the De institutis coenobiorum, he gives particular emphasis on "the sin of fornication, which includes masturbation and sexual fantasising".
Brundage sees Caesarius holds similar view as Cassian. In his Sermons , Caesarius considers "any sexual longing, to say nothing of deliberate self-stimulation, a serious sin and placed it on an even footing with adultery or excessive indulgence in sex by married persons".
It is known that, prior to the sixth century, the Church's teachings on masturbation and many other moral issues were incoherent. Catholic researchers such as Bernard Hoose and Mark Jordan have found that claims to ancontinuous teaching by the Church on matters of sexuality, life and death and crime and punishment are "simply not true". Not only was there "inconsistency, contradiction and even incoherence" in the Church's doctrines but the researchers' work has led to the insight that the traditionnitself is "not the truth guarantor of any particular teaching."
b. 2). Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Eastern Orthodox Church or Orthodox Christian Church views sexuality as a gift from God that finds its fulfillment in the marital relationship, and therefore the misuse of the gift of human sexuality is sinful. Because the act of masturbation is self-directed, and by its nature is incapable of expressing love and concern for another person, it is viewed as a distortion of the use of the gift of sexuality.
This is especially apparent when masturbation becomes an addiction.
In the least, the practice of self-pleasure is viewed as not honoring the purpose of God's gift of sexuality.
The sexual sins of fornication , adultery and masturbation, as well as hatred, jealousy, drunkenness and other sins are considered to be sins of the heart as much as the body. It is thought that turning away from sexual sin is turning away from self-indulgence for the purpose of self gratification.
Instead of turning to the desires of the flesh, the Orthodox Christian turns to the Holy Spirit , whose fruit is believed to be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Talking about the Egyptian Gnostics related to his previous experience with them, Epiphanius of Salamis (310/320 –403), a Byzantine Church Father and Doctor of the Church , states in his Panarion, or Medicine Chest :
“They exercise genital acts, yet prevent the conceiving of children. Not in order to produce offspring, but to satisfy lust, are they eager for corruption".
John T. Noonan Jr. said that the Gnostics described by Epiphanius practiced "nonprocreative sexual acts" as a centre in their religious rituals. Epiphanius calls these practices, which include coitus interruptus, masturbation,nand homosexual acts, as "the rites and ceremonies of the devil". Shenoute (348-466), other Byzantines which is considered a saint in Oriental Orthodoxy, views masturbation as a sexual "misconduct" and an "outright illicit sexual activity".
b. 3). Roman Catholicism.
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church , the Catholic Church
teaches:
“ By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose."
For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability ”.
Although "it is said that psychology and sociology show that [masturbation] is a normal phenomenon of sexual development, especially among the young," this does not change the fact that it "is an intrinsically and seriously disordered act" and "that, whatever the motive for acting this way, the deliberate use of the sexual faculty outside normal conjugal relations essentially contradicts the finality of the faculty.
For it lacks the sexual relationship called for by the moral order, namely the relationship which realizes 'the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love.' This is because the deliberate use of the sexual faculty outside of marriage is, according to the teaching of the Church, contrary to its primary purpose of procreation and unification of the husband and wife within the sacrament of marriage.
In addition, the Church teaches that all other sexual activity—including masturbation, homosexual acts, acts of sodomy, all sex outside of or before marriage ( fornication ), and the use of any form of contraception or birth control —is gravely disordered, as it frustrates the natural order , purpose, and ends of sexuality.
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social-factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.
The Roman Catholic Church's official condemnation on masturbation for example: Pope Leo IX 's Ad splendidum nitentis (1054), the decree of the Holy Office dated 2 March 1679, Pope Pius XII 's Allocutio (Oct 8th,b1953), and Acta Apostolicae Sedis 48 dated 19 May 1956.
Scholars such as Robert Baker and Simon Lienyueh Wei believe that Augustine of Hippo (354–430), regards masturbation as a sin. Other scholars, Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks and Carly Daniel-Hughes, say that Augustine condemns all sexual activities that contrary to procreation including homosexual acts and masturbation—or "solitary pleasure".
Carly says that Augustine also regards "mutual masturbation" as "unnatural intercourse" based on Romans 1.
Isidore of Seville , another Latin Church Father and Doctor of the Church, regards masturbation as an "effeminate" habit, though the early penitential writers seem not particularly concur with him. In his Etymologiae (c. 600–625), Isidore says that by masturbation a man dishonor "the vigor of his sex by his languid body".
According to Simon Lienyueh Wei, as cited by some scholars, John Cassian and Augustine of Hippo hold that it is a sin if the emission is the outcome of "a lustful encounter or pleasurable recollection"; otherwise, it is seen as "a physical function".
Aurélie Godefroy explains that masturbation has not always been perceived as a "mortal sin" classified as sexual deviance.
Mark W. Elliott says that Pope Gregory I (c. 540 – 604)— commonly known as Gregory the Great, a Latin Church Father and Doctor of the Church—treats Leviticus 15, which discusses ritual defilement, as "providing rules for all in the church community by relating emission to that of sexual intercourse rather than the previous monastic 'nocturnal emission' interpretation...He does, however, specify that nocturnal emissions—if caused by natural superfluity or sickness—are unproblematic for holiness, but where there is consent (i.e., masturbation) they are problematic."
Making a parallel between women's menstruation and "the involuntary loss of semen", Gregory declares that "natural superfluities" do not prevent both laity and clergy to participate in the Eucharist.
Canon 8 of the Synod of the Grove of Victory from the 6th century imposes penances for "he who [has relations] between the thighs, [three] years. However, if by one's own hand or the hand of another, two years." Those acts refer to "mutual masturbation" and "femoral fornication".
Another earliest set of rules which also prescribes penances for masturbation are Excerpts from the Book of St. David and Canons of John the Faster. Later, many early penitentials , such as Penitential of Finnian , Penitential of Columban, Penitential of Cummean , Paenitentiale Theodori, Paenitentiale Bedae, and the two "synods of Saint Patrick", impose penances with different levels of severity for masturbation (alone or in company) to monastics and laity.
From the sixth to the eleventh century, there are more references in the penitentials to masturbation, but it is considered with much more indulgence than the other sins of flesh. In the penitential written by Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus (seventh century), for example, "the penance is from seven days for the cleric who poured out his seed without touching himself, up to fifty days for the one who voluntarily masturbates spread in a church.
Fifty days may seem a lot, but it's tiny when you know that at the same time, a young man touching a virgin woman gets a full year."
After the turn of the first millennium, more theologians began to condemn masturbation in an increasingly strident manner. Peter Damian , a Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church, in his Book of Gomorrah addressed to Pope Leo IX , wrote that masturbation is the lowest grade of homosexual sin.
If left unchecked, it can "ascend by grades" to "fondling each other's male parts" (mutual masturbation), which can lead one to "fornicate between the thighs" (femoral intercourse) "or even in the rear" (anal intercourse).
Thomas Aquinas , a popular Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church , writes that masturbation is an "unnatural vice," which is a species of lust like bestiality, sodomy, and pederasty, and that "by procuring pollution [i.e., ejaculation apart from intercourse], without any copulation, for the sake of venereal pleasure … pertains to the sin of 'uncleanness ' which some call 'effeminacy ' [Latin: mollitiem , lit. 'softness, unmanliness']."
Pope Leo IX himself condemned masturbation more clearly, from which time it was traditionally perceived as a mortal sin, classified as a sexual deviance. But tolerance continued to be great, as the historian François Lebrun notes:
"It is significant to note that [masturbation]...is of all sins against nature the only one that does not appear never in the list of reserved cases, that is to say, whose absolution is, in view of their gravity, reserved for the. bishop alone.
Is it not proof that it is far too common for every priest to have the possibility of absolving it immediately without referring to his superior?"
In the late medieval period, Jean Gerson wrote a confessional manual called On the Confession of Masturbation. According to researcher Chloe Taylor, this manual tells clerics to "insist that (male) penitents admit to the sin of masturbation, which...was deemed...[by this time to be an] even more serious sin than raping a nun, incest, or abducting and raping virgins and wives however more common and indeed universal (among males) a sin it was assumed to be, judging from the incredulity with which deniers of masturbation were instructed to be met..."
Taylor goes on to note that "Medieval theologians recognized that by inquiring in...suggestive detail, and with...leading questions, they ran the risk of teaching sinful behaviors to penitents who had not previously been aware of the full range of sexual possibilities available to them.
They deduced, however that it was worth teaching a few young penitents how to masturbate in order to save the greater number who were already masturbating without confessing to it." She notes that, according to Gerson's book, "Even once the penitent has admitted his sin thebpriest is not to be satisfied, and is to ask for further details...
Particularly remarkable are the instructions that the priest feign a certain casualness, and that he address the confessant with a disarming affection, calling him "friend" and pretending that masturbation is neither sinful nor shameful in order to make the penitent admit to it, insinuating that he can relate to the penitent's acts—"Friend, I well believe it"—only to then backtrack and condemn thenact as sinful and shameful after all.
The laity did not undertake regular confession at this time but, "For those such as the ordained and the scrupulous who did undergo frequent and rigorous confessional examination, the obligation to confess in circumstances such as Gerson describes for even the most routine and private of sins such as masturbation came to cause anxiety...Early medieval penance was only for grave sins, but now the most mundane of sins could be given excruciating attention."
The Roman Catholic Church accused Albigensians of masturbation as part of their propaganda campaign against them. Brundage notes that medieval "penitentials occasionally mentioned female autoeroticism and lesbianism. They treated female masturbation in much the same way as the male act, although they were more censorious of female sexual play that involved dildos and other mechanical aids than they were of male use of mechanical devices in masturbation."
Pierre Humbert states, "During the Middle Ages, masturbation - so-called "softness" - was considered an unnatural sin, but for the vast majority of theologians, priests and confessors, the offense was much less serious than fornication, adultery or sodomy; and they generally preferred not to talk too much about it so as not to suggest its existence to those who did not know about it."
According to Aurélie Godefroy, "In fact, until the eighteenth century, masturbation did not hold much of a place in the Catholic imagination, where it was most often referred to as simple interruptus coitus", while Protestants treated it much more seriously as a major deviation.
Talking about the dissident Catholic theologian Charles Curran , James J. Walter and Timothy E. O'Connell said that "as long ago as 1968, Curran used the idea [of fundamental option ] as a way to make sense of the fact that the Catholic tradition has long held that masturbation is an objectively serious misuse of human sexuality even though statistical evidence suggests that the overwhelming majority of human persons — including many whose behavior otherwise suggests a generous and loving approach to life — engage in this behavior.
What shall we make of this paradox?...Curran suggests that for various reasons the assertion that masturbation involves "objectively grave matter" is not convincing.
In this regard, his argument is about the objective character of the action and not the nature of the moral person.".... Later, Curran stated in his works: "Generally speaking I believe masturbation is wrong since it fails to integrate sexuality into the service of love.
Masturbation indicates a failure at a total integration of sexuality in the person. This wrongness is not always grave; in fact, more times it is not...Catholic educators should openly teach that masturbation is not always a grave matter and most times, especially for adolescents, is not that important...However, the teacher should not leave the adolescent with the impression that there is absolutely nothing wrong with masturbation."
In 1986, Curran was banned to teach Catholic theology by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , because of his teachings on "contraception, sterilization, masturbation, divorce, and homosexuality".
A study commissioned by the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) in 1972 but not approved by its board of directors when published in 1977, titled Human Sexuality: New Directions in American Catholic Thought , showed that a number of dissident Catholic theologians have come to hold that an act of masturbation should not be judged as an objective moral evil, but assessed within the life context of the person involved.
Authors of the book hold similar position as Curran's, not saying that masturbation is not a sin, only that "not every deliberately willed act of masturbation necessarily constitutes the grave matter required for mortal sin."
Reaction to the 1977 study showed that the dissent was not unanimous, brought about controversies inside the CTSA itself.
In 1979, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith publicised an advisory that deplored the books's "erroneous conclusions", identified "numerous misreadings of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council " in it, and said that the book diminished "the morality of sexual love to a matter of 'personal sentiments, feelings, [and] customs'".
George Weigel restates that "these theological errors led to practical guidelines that 'either dissociate themselves from or directly contradict Catholic teaching' as taught by the Church's highest teaching authority." While Curran might say that masturbation could be morally acceptable on certain conditions, according to Richard A.
Spinello, Pope John Paul II does not say that masturbation is always immoral because "the physical act itself is wrong and disordered". He does not examine the physical act as the sole basis for moral judgment. In Veritatis splendor, John Paul II holds that "the morality of the human act" is judged by considering what one chooses rationally by "the deliberate will", and by "the proximate end". In his encyclical, he writes:
"In order to be able to grasp the object of an act which specifies that act morally, it is therefore necessary to place oneself in the perspective of the acting person."
Masturbation not always incurs grave sin, or mortal sin, but it can not be said that masturbation is not "gravely wrong" nor constitutes "grave matter".
Joseph Farraher concludes that masturbation incurs venial sin in case "the act is performed with only partial realization or only partial choice of the will", or, in Harvey 's words, "no grievous sin...while lacking in awareness, as when he is half awake, or half asleep, or when a person is carried away by sudden passion and finds himself committing the act despite the resistance of the will".
In his attempt to explain John Paul II's Theology of the Body , Anthony Percy writes in his book that "pornography and masturbation represent the destruction of the symbolic and nuptial meaning of the human body...God gives all men and women erotic energy. We call it the sex drive.
This is good and it forms part of that attraction between men and women, which itself forms part of the nuptial meaning of the body. Sexual energy, therefore, needs to find its outlet inblove, not lust..In masturbation that erotic energy is turned in on oneself...Masturbation, therefore, is a symbol, not of love, but of loneliness." Jeffrey Tranzillo adds to explain:
“Whenever man and woman employ the body to/simulate love or authenticity for reasons that are ultimately self-serving and hence destructive of self and others, they falsify the language it was created to speak. That is what underlies the sin of adultery." He says that "such misuse of the body also underlies other sexual sins like contraception, masturbation, fornication, and homosexual acts"
b. 4). Lutheranism.
Martin Luther , the Protestant Reformer , regarded masturbation to be immoral. He wrote that he "pitied those poor girls and young men who are tormented in the flesh at night." Luther saw masturbation as a sin more terrible than heterosexual rape since such rape was considered to be "in accordance with nature", while masturbation was
"unnatural".
He also viewed masturbation and coitus interruptus the same act as killing children before they have a chance to be born, therefore, for him, masturbation was basically the same as abortion. [93] The Roman Catholic theologian, Thomas Aquinas, also thought masturbation was worse than rape.
Luther argued that the marital act is a way to avoid the sin of masturbation: "Nature never lets up...we are all driven to the secret sin. To say it crudely but honestly, if it doesn't go into a woman, it goes into your shirt." Luther, citing the apostle Paul, makes his case:
“For is it better to marry than to be aflame with passion.” I have no doubt that everyone who wants to live chastely, though unmarried and without special grace for it, will understand these words and what they convey. For St. Paul is not speaking of secret matters, but of the common, known feeling of all those who live chastely outside of marriage but do not have the grace to accomplish it.
For he ascribes this flaming with passion to all who live chastely but without the necessary grace, and prescribes no other medicine than marriage. If it were no so common or if there were none other advice to be given, he would not have recommended marriage. This thing is known in German as “the secret disease,” but this expression would not be so common either if the ailment were truly rare..
There can also be no doubt that those who have the grace of chastity still at times feel evil desires and are tempted. But it is transitory, therefore their problem is not this burning. In short, “aflame with passion” is the heat of the flesh, which rages without ceasing, and daily attraction to woman or to man; we find this wherever there is not desire and love for chastity.
People without this heat are just as few and far between as are those who have God’s grace for chastity. Now such heat is stronger in some, and weaker in others. Some among them suffer so severely that they masturbate. All these ought to be in the married estate...If they relieve themselves outside of marriage, then the pangs of conscience are soon there, and this is the most unbearable torment and the most miserable of earthly estates.
This is the unavoidable result, that most of those who live without marriage and without grace in celibacy are forced to sin bodily in unchastity, and the others are forced to outward chastity and inward unchastity. The former must needs lead a damnable life, the latter an unholy useless one.
And where are the spiritual and secular rulers who consider the plight of these poor souls? Every day they are helping the devil to increase this misery with their pressures and compulsion.”
In his writing on << 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 >> ("It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;"),
Luther advises that, "All young people should...resolve to strengthen themselves against lust and sexual passions by reading and meditating on a psalm or some other portion of God's Word...If your sexual appetites continually tempt you, be patient. Resist them as long as necessary, even if it takes more than a year. But above all, keep praying!
If you feel that you can't stand it any longer, pray that God will give you a devout spouse with whom you can live in harmony and true love...I have known many people who, because of their crude and shameful fantasies, indulged their passion with unrestrained lust.
Because of their insatiable desires, they abandoned self control, and lapsed into terrible immorality. In the end, they had to endure dreadful punishment."
Immanuel Kant , (who was raised as a Pietist ), when writing on masturbation, argued that "...the question here is whether the human being is subject to a duty to himself with regard to this enjoyment, violation of which is a defiling (not merely a debasing)" of the humanity in his own person.
The impetus to this pleasure is called carnal lust (or also simply lust). The vice engendered through it is called lewdness; the virtue with regard to this sensuous impulse is called chastity, which is to be represented here as a duty of the human being to himself. Lust is called unnatural if one is aroused to it not by a real object but by his imagining it, so that he himself creates one, contrary to [natural] purpose;
“ For in this way imagination brings forth a desire contrary to nature's end, and indeed to an end even more important than that of love of life itself, since it aims at the preservation of the whole species and not only of the individual.
That such an unnatural use (and so misuse) of one's sexual attribute is a violation of duty to oneself, and indeed one contrary to morality in its highest degree, occurs to everyone immediately, with the thought of it, and stirs up an aversion to this thought to such an extent that it is considered indecent even to call this vice by its proper name.
But it is not so easy to produce a rational proof that unnatural, and even merely unpurposive, use of one's sexual attribute is inadmissible as being a violation of duty to oneself (and indeed, as far as its unnatural use is concerned, a violation in the highest degree). — The ground of proof is, indeed, that by it man surrenders his personality (throwing it away), since he uses himself merely as a means to satisfy an animal impulse.
But this does not explain the high degree of violation of the humanity in one's own person by such a vice in its unnaturalness, which seems in terms of its form (the disposition it involves) to exceed even murdering oneself.
It consists, then, in this...unnatural lust, makes man not only an object of enjoyment but, still further, a thing that is contrary to nature, that is, a loathsome object, and so deprives him of all respect for himself."
In Germany during the Weimar Republic period, there were Protestant societies for moral purity that opposed masturbation. In the Adenauer era , there was very strict sexual morality in the Church. However, at the end of the 1960s, Protestant theologians set about redefining human sexuality.
Siegfried Keil emerged as a leading figure in this movement but even he continued to oppose masturbation, seeing it as immoral. However, in 1971, the Church published its "Denkschrift zu Fragen der Sexualethik" ("Memorandum on Issues of Sexual Ethics"), which took an extremely liberal position on masturbation.
Sexologist Volkmar Sigusch claimed the positions in the memorandum read like they could have been written by liberal sex education teachers, rather than by pastors and theologians. Despite this liberalization, there was a growing alienation between the Church and faithful in the 1970s as people no longer turned to the church for advice on sexual morality but to doctors and sexual magazines.
This was a dramatic shift from the 1950s, when the Churches had dominated the field of public and private morality in Germany. In the 1960s, theologians had been either criticised or respected by the media as moral figures but now they were simply ignored. However, the liberalization of the theologians and the pastors chiefly served to brand the majority view in the Church as backward-looking and traditionalist.
Despite its liberalism, the 1971 memorandum still forbade sex outside of marriage, pornography usage and group sex. Sigusch wrote, "Protestant ethics disqualifies most sexual relations. the unmarried have today...[However] the attitudes of the Lutheran Church in Germany (EKD) memorandum on masturbation, contraception, [and] various sexual practices...are...largely liberal...Sexually deviant behaviors enjoy tolerance."
There has not been another memorandum on sexuality since that time, despite an attempt to draft one between 2010 and 2015. Today, Frank Muchlinsky and Maike Weiß of the EKD argue that masturbation is not a sin. Despite its official liberalism, the EKD contains Christians with a much more conservative view of sexuality. A 2015 academic study found that although Germany is a relatively sexually-liberal country and that young people's viewing of pornography is linked to masturbation, pornography use is lower amongst religious youth. The authors of the study found that "...organizational religious activity was negatively associated with pornography use.
Participants attending church or other religious meetings on a regular basis were older at their first exposure (weak association) and used pornography less often (strong association).
This result confirmed findings from previous research on associations between religiosity and sexual behaviour: frequent attendance of religious services is generally related to greater sexual abstinence, fewer lifetime sexual partners, delayed age of sexual debut and lesser likelihood of premarital sex...
We also found a negative relationship between non-organizational religious activity and current pornography engagement (relatively large effect). Spending time in private religious activities, such as prayer, meditation, or Bible study, was associated with lower frequency of pornography use in the last six months... In agreement with the findings in several previous studies...we found that religious attendance was negatively associated with pornography use."
b. 5) Anglicanism.
The Church of England does not have a position on whether masturbation is a sin or not. Historically, in 1948, a writer for the Church Times could still say, "Masturbation is condemned by all Christian moralists because it implies the solitary and essentially individualistic use of sexual activities intended to be used in association.
It disregards the truth that with these powers God provides physiological means for exercising them in a joint and common act."
In 1945, an Archbishop's Commission was appointed to study the issue of artificial human insemination. The resulting report, published in 1948, "discusses the legitimacy of masturbation in this context and concludes that although masturbation impairs the natural unity of the sexual act, its use as a last resort is justifiable.
'The act which produces the seminal fluid, being in this instance directed towards the completion (impossible without it) of the procreative end of the marriage, loses its character of self abuse. It cannot in this view, be the will of God that a husband and wife should remain childless merely because an act of this kind is required to promote conception.'"
In his letter to a Mr Masson dated 6 March 1956, C.S. Lewis writes:
"For me the real evil of masturbation would be that it takes an appetite which, in lawful use, leads the individual out of himself to complete (and correct) his own personality in that of another (and finally in children and even grandchildren) and turns it back; sends the man back into the prison of himself, there to keep a harem of imaginary brides...
Masturbation involves this abuse of imagination in erotic matters (which I think bad in itself) and thereby encourages a similar abuse of it in all spheres. After all, almost the main work of life is to come out of our selves, out of the little dark prison we are all born in. Masturbation is to be avoided as all things are to be avoided which retard this process. The danger is that of coming to love the prison."
According to a Roman Catholic website, today many Anglican books on sex and marriage advocate masturbation. The conservative Anglican Diocese of Sydney believes that masturbation "can help us find sexual release when we cannot control our desire nor satisfy it through a marital relationship and in this sense it can be helpful."
However, the Diocese notes that it can become associated with sin if it leads to either the consumption of pornography or to looking lustfully at people in real life in order to fuel fantasies. They warn that either of these can, in turn, suck someone into a cycle that cannot be controlled.
The site goes on to note, "Jesus condemns looking at women or girls in order to lust after them. (Matt 5:28) So perving...which lots of 17 year old guys would treat as normal, is a sin and offends God.
It’s easy to get sucked into a cycle which fuels sexual desire to the point where it can’t be controlled...When masturbation leads to unhelpful sexual thinking and lust you are sinning and need to do something about it. Make the conscious, aggressive decision to look somewhere else, or go somewhere else, or turn the computer off or whatever it takes!
Jesus promises that when we are being tempted, he’ll give us a way out. (1 Cor 10:13). Ultimately I think that it is much better to resist the temptation to masturbate." (The 1998 Lambeth Conference 's Resolution I. says that the use of pornography is sinful and includes it in a list of the forms of sexual activity inherently contrary to the Christian way of life. Masturbation itself is not mentioned in the resolution at all, either in positive or negative terms.)
b. 6) Protestantism.
According to Brian F. Linnane , "until the twentieth century, the actual moral norms for sexual behavior were similar for both Protestants and Roman Catholics, although the justifications for these norms might...be quite dissimilar...For both groups, sexual expression was confined to lifetime, monogamous, heterosexual marriage.
Premarital sex, adultery, homosexual relations, masturbation, and the use of birth control were all proscribed by the Christian churches".
Rainer Brandes notes, "For a long time Protestant theology has placed sexuality exclusively at the service of reproduction." Adrian Thatcher says that Protestants historically regarded masturbation as a sin, though they "appeal directly to the Bible whenever possible".
Protestant reformers such as Martin Luther , the founder of the Lutheran Churches, as well as John Calvin , the founder of the Reformed Churches, condemned masturbation in their works. Likewise, a forerunner of the reformers, Girolamo Savonarola , believed that masturbation was a mortal sin.
b. 7) Methodism.
John Wesley , founder of Methodism , as quoted by Bryan C. Hodge, believed that "any waste of the semen in an unproductive sexual act, whether that should be in the form of masturbation or coitus interruptus , as in the case of Onan, destroyed the souls of the individuals who practice it".
Wesley considered masturbation an unacceptable way to release "sexual tension". Like his contemporaries, he believed that many people had become badly sick and even died because of "habitual masturbation". He argued that "nervous disorders, even madness, could be caused by another form of bodily excess – masturbation."
He wrote his Thoughts on the Sin of Onan (1767), which was reproduced as A Word to Whom it May Concern in 1779, as an attempt to censor a work by Samuel-Auguste Tissot . In that document, Wesley warned about "the dangers of self pollution", these being the bad physical and mental effects of masturbation, records many such cases along with the treatment recommendations.
Dale Kaufman, a clergyman in the Free Methodist Church , teaches:
“ Solitary masturbation is not an act which harms the individual’s body (and in fact, the release of sexual tension can promote the wellbeing of the body), nor does it involve the joining of one body and spirit to another as is the case with sexual intercourse.
Through the releasing of sexual tensions, it can act as a barrier to seeking release through immoral outlets. A part of honoring God with our bodies is doing whatever’s necessary to keep our bodies under control—and in the area of sexuality, masturbation can be an effective way of doing so...It’s imperative that we let them know that masturbation can and should be used as a viable, God-honoring way to deal with the stresses of their newly acquired sexuality.
With a sex-saturated society all around us, we as parents, youth pastors, and other caring adults, need to give our young men and women the ability to live godly lives in the midst of a perverse culture. Masturbation, within the Biblical boundaries, helps give them that ability.”
The United Methodist Church does not have an official position on masturbation. The Uniting Church in Australia teaches that "masturbation is an important part of childhood and adolescent discovery and sexual development. It should not be stigmatised." However, the Church has long been wracked by controversies and divisions over sexuality.
"The Church’s Interim Report on Sexuality...was released in May 1996. It became arguably the most explosive document in the UCA’s short history. The report was bound to be controversial for some given it spoke positively about the ordination of homosexual ministers, suggested pre-marital sex was not ‘living in sin’ and described masturbation as a “natural sexual activity (which) can be a positive experience”.
Not only did it attract much debate from within the Church but also from the mainstream media, which covered it – and the fallout – extensively. In the following months Crosslight [the Uniting Church's magazine] was flooded with letters of complaint about the report and its authors...The Church received more than 8000 responses to the report with almost 90 per cent – representing the views of 21,000 members – negative."
During the debates, former Assembly of Confessing Congregations chair Rev Dr Max Champion "argued that any proposal to change the Church’s current position...needed to be grounded in theology, something he did not believe had occurred...Dr Champion said he believed there had been a shift in thinking from some within the Church who had moved away [from Biblical positions]...to arguing for diversity to be the main theological base."
b. 8) Evangelicalism.
In the 1940s, Evangelical sex advice books advised against masturbation, considering it a very serious sin, but such warnings disappeared from the books during the 1960s, "because evangelicals who noticed that the Bible said nothing directly about masturbation believed that they had made a mistake to proscribe it." [148] Also, they considered that masturbating is preferable to falling into " sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll ".
An American evangelical, James Dobson , has stated:
"Christian people have different opinions about how God views this act. Unfortunately, I can't speak directly for God on this subject, since His Holy Word, the Bible, is silent on this point." He also stated: "The Bible says nothing about masturbation, so we don't really know what God thinks about it. My opinion is that He doesn't make a big issue of it."
Others make a distinction between masturbation and sexual fantasy. Richard D. Dobbins proposes that it is permissible for teenagers to fantasize about their future spouse during masturbation.
Garry H. Strauss, a psychologist counseling the students at Biola University in the United States, wrote that there is no mention of masturbation in the Bible, therefore masturbation is permissible, but pornography and sexual fantasies are not permissible.
Two Evangelical scholars, Alex W. Kwee and David C. Hooper, addressed the issue in an academic paper. They note that "The Bible presents no clear theological ethic on masturbation...Of the many aspects of human sexuality that we address in our work, masturbation ranks as the most misunderstood for the lack of open, rational dialogue about this topic within the Christian community...
Within evangelical frameworks of sexual ethics...there has never been a well-defined theological ethic of masturbation, in contrast to the ethics of pre-marital sex, marriage, and divorce that are worked out from foundational Christian anthropological assertions about gender, sexuality, and their relationship to the imago Dei...Masturbation falls thus within the proverbial grey area of evangelical sexual ethics."
They go on to note that "we find that the questions that Christian young people ask about masturbation can be reduced to two essential queries. Christian youth want to know whether masturbation is "right or wrong" (i.e., what is the "correct" moral stance to take based on what the Bible says?), and whether masturbation is "normal" (i.e., what can we say about the psychological dimensions of masturbation?)"
Answering the first question, they note that "The Bible does not directly address masturbation, leaving Christians to articulate a moral stance from various scriptures that in our view cannot support a deontological prohibition of masturbation...Today the general consensus in the Christian community is that Genesis 38:6-10 is irrelevant to masturbation.
Modern readers of course understand Onan's act not as masturbation but as coitus interuptus. The technical designation of the act, however, is unimportant compared to the ethical violations manifesting through the act.
The interpretive context for Genesis 38:6-10 is found in the ancient Israelite law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10)...Whatever his reasons for not consummating intercourse, Onan was punished for violating a specific Hebrew law and for failing in his covenantal duty to his deceased brother. Onan was judged for undisclosed but probably exploitative intentions...and certainly for his callous repudiation of his traditional obligations of familial care and responsibility."
They state also that "Our...objection to using Matthew 5:27-30 as a basis for the blanket condemnation of masturbation is that such an interpretation can only be supported by de-contextualizing this passage from Jesus’ overall message...[and]...proper contextual interpretation of Leviticus 15:16-18 would therefore support the view that masturbation in and of itself is morally neutral."
They note that "There is a moral difference between masturbation done in the presence of pornography or the phone sex service (inherently selfish and exploitative mediums), and masturbation as the sexual expression of a fuller yearning for connectedness, i.e., connectedness that is not primarily sexual", concluding that "Scripture does not directly address masturbation, giving rise to guilt- inducing misconceptions about a behavior that is extremely salient to unmarried college-aged Christian men whose value system leads them to eschew pre-marital sex".
The American Evangelical scholar, Judith K. Balswick, in her book, Authentic Human Sexuality: An Integrated Christian Approach , argues that "Masturbation can be a healthy, enjoyable way for a person without a sexual partner to experience sexual gratification."
Another American Evangelical writer, James B. Nelson, notes in his book, Embodiment: An Approach to Sexuality and Christian Theology , that "The physiological intensity typical in masturbatory orgasm frequently surpasses that of intercourse, and relational fantasies usually accompany the act in compensation for the absence of the partner", implying this is a gift from God for those who lack a spouse.
The French Canadian evangelical pastor, Yves Rheault, offers a rebuttal to these views. He states, "The Bible is virtually silent on the subject of self-stimulation. That's why it's dangerous to be dogmatic. The only passage that could be specifically directed to this activity is Mt.5:27-30...
Again, it is impossible to say with certainty that Jesus was referring to masturbation by speaking of the right hand to cut. The absence of verses on this subject does not mean that God gives his approval to this activity. If the Bible does not even mention it as a sin, how can it be so terrible?", You ask yourself. Here are [ten] reasons why:"
1. "Whenever the Bible does not specifically mention a particular activity, our answer must be found in the correlative principles. For example, the Bible does not defend the use of marijuana, but different principles such as obeying the law, treating your body as a temple, not to be intoxicated, and to let nothing dominate us, everything this has a bearing on the issue and can therefore lead you to a "biblical" conclusion that marijuana use is a sin. During masturbation, two things happen:
“ The person is selfish and she focuses on what is inappropriate. Since the Bible deals directly with these two domains, cf. Ro.12: 3, we have guidelines...One can also quote correlative Bible verses like Pr.16: 30. He who closes his eyes to indulge in perverse thoughts, the one who bites his lips has already consumed the evil.
There is also Pr.18: 1-2, which describes the state of mind of the masturbator:
“ He who stands aside seeks his own interest and is irritated against all that is wise. It is not with the intelligence that the fool takes pleasure, it is with the manifestation of his thoughts. In other words, he stands aside to enjoy sexual fantasies and he gets angry if it is suggested that it is perverse to think and act that way...
1Co 10:23 All is permitted, but all is not useful; everything is allowed, but everything does not build. 24 Let no one seek his own interest, but let everyone look for that of others. See also 2Co.10: 5, 1Co.6: 17-20, 9:27, Ro.13: 14.
2. Daydreams and lascivious thoughts are generally involved in masturbation, on this point there is no doubt that Jesus refers to them in the passage of Matthew 5:28 quoted above.
3. In the mind of God, the sexual expression must be performed by two persons of the opposite sex, resulting in a healthy and necessary dependence of each other for this experience. Masturbation prevents this dependence desired by God. The masturbator becomes self-sufficient, he does not have to suffer privation if he is single or if his wife is not able to relieve him.
The one who loves exposes himself to suffering, his offer may be refused. The one who masturbates does not offer anything, he relies on himself to satisfy his need, he avoids the suffering of refusal and deprivation but he isolates himself from others at the same time. Masturbation is sex on a desert island.
4. A feeling of secret shame, self-condemnation, guilt is almost always the consequence of masturbation, it is even heavier if you have been raised in certain religious traditions, it makes you feel very, very guilty...unless this crushing feeling is driven out of humanistic philosophy that does not believe in the consciousness of divine origin and, in many cases, neither good nor evil.
This guilt blocks spiritual growth and gives feelings of defeat, especially among young singles. For them, it is a race of obstacles for their self-discipline that they must win to grow in Christ and walk in the Spirit.
5. Masturbation violates the teaching of 1Co.7: 9 "For it is better to marry than to burn." If a young man practices masturbation, he tends to make null a necessary and important motivation for the marriage.
6. It creates a habit before the wedding which may come back after.
7. This activity can inhibit the development of the relationship...It decreases the sexual, physical and mental energy that should be a resource to make and keep a good relationship between people...Many small problems will be magnified by this artificial drainage of sexual need. This becomes more and more true when the couple reaches middle age.
8. Masturbation brings a relief of short duration. It makes people grow rather than lessen their sexual drive to unite with another woman.
9. There is a phenomenon of habituation.. a stimulated organ often loses some sensitivity. For example, when I shaved my beard after wearing it for several years, I could feel the air on my skin just by turning my head, but that sensitivity disappeared quickly. The one who masturbates often loses this sensitivity and may even get hurt, causing damage to his genital organ in his rage to experience stimulation.
10. As the apostle Paul pointed out in 1Co.10, if all is permitted, all is not useful and there is no question of being enslaved by anything. But the one who indulges in masturbation is enslaved. As Jesus pointed out, "whoever does sin is a slave to sin" Jn.8: 34."
(M). Masturbation is A Demonic Practice.
This is a serious sin that is rarely, if not ever, addressed in churches. If it is not addressed then it definitely is not condemned. Of all the times I have attended churches I have never heard a sermon about masturbation even when the topic was on sex which is odd considering most people in the congregation are involved in masturbation if the studies are accurate. Even church leaders are caught up in this perverse practice.Let’s take a look of some studies I have come a cross:
From a survey of UK Christians:
75% of Christian men view porn at leastbmonthly. 41% of Christian men admit to being addicted to pornography. 30% of church leaders view porn regularly 10% of Christian men have paid for sex. 90% of Christians believe the church does not adequately support those struggling with porn The Way, UK, January 20, 2015.”
64% of American men view porn at least monthly, the percentage of Christian men is nearly the same. 79% of men ages 18-30 view porn at least monthly. 67% of men ages 31-49 view porn at least monthly. 55% of married men view porn at least monthly. Digital Journal, August 14, 2014 ”
68% of Christian men and 50% of pastors confessed to viewing porn weekly in a recent survey. Christian News Wire, June 11, 2014
In his book “The Sexual Man”, Dr. Archibald Hart revealed the results of a survey of some 600 Christian men, on the topic of masturbation: 61% of married Christian men masturbate http:// www.blazinggrace.org/porn-statistics/
” August 7,2006: 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography. 60% of the women who answered the survey admitted to having significant struggles with lust; 40% admitted to being involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20% of the church-going female participants struggle with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis. From the results of a ChristiaNet poll reported by Marketwire.com Source.”
“ 34 percent of female readers of Today’s Christian Woman’s online newsletter admitted to intentionally accessing Internet porn in a recent poll.
If one is watching pornography he or she is probably also masturbating as well. So there is a pandemic of masturbators! The practice of masturbation is so ubiquitous one would probably think you were crazy if you said you didn’t masturbate, at least if you are a male past puberty.
I believe this is part of the reason why the churches in the western world are so weak because they are so bondage to sexual sins. People are masturbating so much it is attributed to the growing cases of impotence or erectile dysfunction among men:
Italian urologists confirmed an erectile dysfunction-porn use connection via a large survey . When interviewed about the survey, urologist Carlo Foresta (head of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine and professor at the University of Padua) mentioned that 70 percent of the young men seeking clinical help for sexual performance problems admit to using Internet pornography habitually.
Another corroborating study :
” Abstract : Traditional factors that once explained men’s sexual difficulties appear insufficient to account for the sharp rise in erectile dysfunction, delayed ejaculation, decreased sexual satisfaction, and diminished libido during partnered sex in men under 40…
This review also considers evidence that Internet pornography’s unique properties (limitless novelty, potential for easy escalation to more extreme material, video format, etc.) may be potent enough to condition sexual arousal to aspects of Internet pornography use that do not readily transition to real-life partners, such that sex with desired partners may not register as meeting expectations and arousal declines.
Clinical reports suggest that terminating Internet pornography use is sometimes sufficient to reverse negative effects, underscoring the need for extensive investigation using methodologies that have subjects remove the variable of Internet pornography use…”
The mainstream science establishment approves of masturbation as healthy but most of the people in the establishment don’t know God. The Bible reads “ for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”<<1 Cor. 3:19>>.
The truth is masturbation is a very self-centered act which contradicts the characteristics God wants people to have. God didn’t design men and women to have solo-sex.
God created sex to be shared between a husband and his wife in the confinement of marriage which results in bearing the next generation. God also designed sex to facilitate pair bonding and intimacy. When a man or woman orgasms it is accompanied by the release of pair bonding hormones such as oxytocin and vasopressin or neurotransmitters such as dopamine which increases the desire for your significant other.
All of this is messed up when one indulges in masturbation. Who is one pair bonding with when one masturbates? Satan, the one who deceives the whole world (Rev. 12:9), wants to corrupt, pervert, and twist everything that God has made and its purpose and he has surely has done that in the realms of sexuality.
If you are true Christian the Holy Spirit should convict you of masturbation. I remember when I was about 12 years old before I got saved I used to masturbate. Even then I felt awkward doing it. After I received Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit He convicted me of doing it. I felt like God was telling me something like “you belong to me now, stop masturbating.”
Today our culture is saturated with pornography and it seems millennials are absolutely fine with masturbation and pornography. I can only imagine the troubles that generation will face. However, there is a growing movement on the internet, which is largely secular, that is about giving up pornography and masturbation.
Many people in the movement reveal the negative effects of masturbating such as lethargy, brain fog, social anxiety, depression. They attribute it to biochemistry and that may be the case to a degree but there is a spiritual component to it. When you practice sin you open yourself up to the enemy to oppress you or come inside your vessel.
Masturbation is demonic? Really? Absolutely! Even to this day when I feel tempted sexually I would have demons physically touching my private parts during sleep paralysis trying to stimulate me. This would go on while other demons would hold me down. They know when I am feeling when weak and fighting the urge and that is when they strike. Dirty devils! I also had experiences where I am about to go to sleep and a spirit would hover over me and project lust into my thoughts and I would reject it and then it would move on. If it is not demonic then why are demons tempting me to masturbate?
If masturbation wasn’t demonic there would be no deliverance of demons of masturbation. There are testimonies from people, such as Philip Mantofa , who have claimed to have visited hell and one of the sins that brought a person there was masturbation. Is his testimony credible? It’s up to you to decide.
I have heard some people say “masturbation is not in the Bible so therefore it must be okay.” Although masturbation is not specifically mentioned in the Bible it surely is a sin in God’s eyes as there are scriptures that easily applies to it. Let’s read some scriptures that would forbid a follower of Jesus to engage in it:
Romans 6:16 “ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”
Are you a slave to your lusts? Can you really quit masturbation if you tried?
Galatians 5:22-23 “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control. Against such there is no law.”
You don’t have self-control if you are unable to quit masturbation.
1 John 2:6 “ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
I seriously doubt Jesus practiced masturbation.
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Can you really accomplish this when you are masturbating fantasizing about someone?
Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Aren’t you feeding your flesh and fulfilling its lusts when you give in to masturbation?
Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
You have to be seriously lost if you think can masturbate in the name of the Lord Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:2-5 “For you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;”
The Corinthians 6:19-20 scripture I can totally identify with. I unmistakably felt the Holy Spirit telling me what the scripture reads when He convicted me of masturbation.
(N). Masturbation is a Sin in Christianity.
Let me address the issue mainly for men. I cannot imagine sexual orgasm in the loins without a sexual image in the mind. I know there are nocturnal emissions, which I regard as innocent and helpful, but I doubt that they are ever orgasmic apart from a sexual dream that supplies the necessary image in the mind.
Evidently, God has constituted the connection between sexual orgasm and sexual thought in such a way that the force and pleasure of orgasm are dependent on the thought or images in our minds.
Therefore in order to masturbate, it is necessary to get vivid and exciting thoughts or images into the mind. This can be done by pure imagination or by pictures or movies or stories or real persons. These images always involve women as sexual objects.
I use the word “object” because in order for a woman to be a true sexual “subject” in our imagination she must, in reality, be one with whom we are experiencing what we are imagining. This is not the case with masturbation.
So I vote no on masturbation. There may be other reasons why it is wrong. For now, I rest my vote on the inevitable sexual images which accompany masturbation and which turn women into sexual objects. The sexual thoughts that enable masturbation do not help any man to treat women with greater respect. Therefore masturbation produces real and legitimate guilt and stands in the way of obedience.
Excerpt from John Piper, Missions and Masturbation. To all of you young men with raging hormones ... my heart goes out to you. I know where you're at ... I've been there too. Remaining pure is very difficult; our society, from every direction, inundates our senses with sexually oriented images.
Nevertheless, God has not forsaken us ... in fact, since He designed and made us, He is intimately familiar with what we are going through. There is even a verse to remind us of this:
"Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (Hebrews 2:17-18 NKJV).
You may find this hard to believe, and maybe even difficult to accept, but according to this passage, Jesus (by becoming fully human) experienced for Himself the very temptations that you are currently experiencing ... including the surge of your hormones within! The reason why He did this was for our sake.
Through this selfless act, He became relate-able ... He knows exactly what you're going through.
Later in Hebrews, we find that "We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV).
Jesus faced down every temptation ... He never sinned!
Now, let me ask you a question ... although there's no way of proving this, in your heart of hearts, do you think that Jesus masturbated? Deep down, we all know that there's no way! Why is that? From Jesus' own lips,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" ( John 5:19 NKJV).
According to this passage, Jesus did what He saw His Father do. Therefore, in order for Jesus to have masturbated, He must have first witnessed His Father masturbate! So, did Jesus see God the Father masturbate? Do you see how this whole subject is blasphemous? God the Father does not masturbate and Jesus never did either!
Jesus also said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" ( John 6:38 NKJV). If we could give Jesus a purpose statement, it might read something like this ... "The purpose of My life is to glorify My Father in the heavens."
As followers of Jesus, should our purpose statement be any different? Paul confirms that by saying, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." ( 1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV) This leaves us to answer the question ... in what way does masturbation bring God glory? If we can be honest with ourselves, it doesn't. Masturbation is meant to please self; it is not meant to draw attention to God's magnificent glory.
Therefore, because we can be sure that God (Father and Son) do not masturbate and masturbation does not glorify God (although not specifically named as such), to answer your question, masturbation is a sin. But knowing that we should not masturbate doesn't really help us when we feel the urge, does it? Perhaps a good question to ask at this point is:
a). How to Handle the Temptation to Masturbate:
James gives us a lot of insight in how to handle temptation.. after raising a number of sins that his audience was committing (3:13-4:4), he then proceeds into the solution to their sin.
( James 4:5-10 , NKJV) “5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, youndouble-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."
Let me sum this passage up with some action steps:
1. Be humble.
The key to overcoming this (or any) sin is ... our humility. Notice how James begins by pointing out that the Holy Spirit, who indwells all believers, is yearning within us jealously. He is yearning for us to stop our sinning ways. Our only hope of overcoming this sin is to depend upon God.
This being the case, we are told that God resists the proud, that is, He doesn't help those who do not recognize their need for Him. Rather, it says, He gives grace to the humble. (Grace is God's undeserved goodness in our life.) Our humility is crucial to overcoming sin.
The reason for this is that when we are humble, we admit that we have a sin problem. In this case, we're in love with pleasing ourselves! (It feels good!) Although pleasing ourselves is not necessarily a sin, as we have already seen, with masturbation it is. So the first step is humility.
2. Submit to God.
Your only hope in overcoming your urges and desires is to have God's help. Surrender your thoughts and desires to the Lord and place them under His authority.
3. Resist the devil.
If we keep doing the same things in the same way under the same conditions, is it any wonder that we get the same results? If you masturbate by looking at or reading pornography ... get rid of every piece of pornographic material that you have. If you go to pornographic sites on the Internet ... do whatever it takes to block your access to those sites. If that doesn't work, get rid of the Internet altogether! There is nothing on the Internet that is near as important as your remaining pure! If it happens at a certain time of day or under certain conditions that repeat themselves, do something to change your life so that you are not available at that time or under those conditions. Regardless, make drastic changes.
4. Draw near to God. (He will draw near to you.)
As you run away from Satan, run to the Lord. This means make pursuing God your No. 1 purpose. If you continually focus on not masturbating, your eyes are in the wrong place. Your vision should not be on what you are not supposed to do, but on what you are tondo.
The way that we do this is through making God's goals our goals. Draw close to Him ... chase after Him. Make your desires His desires. When you do this, He gives you a promise: He will draw near to you, which is exactly what you need to overcome this temptation. If you try to overcome it yourself, without His power, you will surely fail!
5. Stop goofing off; stop being foolish; take it seriously.
One of the biggest deceits that you will hear about this subject is that masturbation is actually healthy for you since it makes you feel good and it doesn't hurt anybody. If you buy into that notion, it won't be long until you'll be hooked tonthis addiction of pleasing yourself. If you don't take this matter seriously, you will be its slave for a long, long time. I hope that this has been a help to you. For those of you who are struggling with this problem, I want to encourage you with this ... fight the good fight ... have faith in God ... trust in Him.
And if you fail, remember this: God still loves you! Whenever you fall, He will pick you up if you call out to Him.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NKJV). Praise Him for that!
Note, To the Reader:
If you are a masturbator you need to STOP IT! Fight this sin tooth and nail. It’s easier to fall into this sin because it is easily available to indulge in it and it is free unlike something like drugs. Cut out all the things that feeds the lust of the fleshnand the lust of the eyes that will tempt you to masturbate. Stop actively and willfully looking at other people in a lustful way (read Matthew 5:28) and avoid looking at their certain body parts you know that will feed lustful thoughts. Go on a fast to weaken the flesh for several days. Most importantly stay in the word and prayer. Cry out to God and He can surely help you break this bondage. Remember God will not have you be tempted beyond which you can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). Most of the struggle starts within the mind.
Cut out all lustful thoughts at the bud before it grows and leads to sin. Rebuke those thoughts in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior I would invite for you to know Him. He loves you and wants to save you from your sins. Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, said if anyone comes to Him He will not cast out. Call upon Him in repentance and ask Him to come into your heart and for Him to be your Lord and Savior.
Some references.
1. March, Jennifer R. (2014) [1996]. "Satyrs and Silens" . Dictionary of Classical Mythology . Oxford, England and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Oxbow Books. pp. 435–436. ISBN 978-1-78297-635-6 .
2. Dening, Sarah (1996). "Chapter 3: Sex in Ancient Civilizations" . The Mythology of Sex. London, England: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-861207-2.
3. Leick, Gwendolyn (2013) [1994], Sex and Eroticism
in Mesopotamian Literature , New York City, New York: Routledge, p. 32, ISBN 978-1-134-92074-7
4. Rosenfeld, Jennie (2008). Talmudic Re-readings:
Toward a Modern Orthodox Sexual Ethic . ProQuest. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-549-43458-0.
5. John Matusiak. "Church's view of masturbation". Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
6. Cardinal Seper, Franjo (2005-12-29). "Persona Humana: Declaration on certain questions concerning sexual ethics" . § IX. The Roman Curia. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
7. Pope Paul VI (1968-07-25). "Humanæ Vitæ". Retrieved 2009-07-23.
8. Libreria Editrice Vaticana (ed.). "Catechism of the Catholic Church". Retrieved 2009-07-23.
9. https://www.healthline.com/health/masturbation-side-effects.
