Is masturbation ALWAYS a mortal sin?

[Benjamin8o8]

BTW, your…um…isn’t a muscle that needs exercise on your part. It “exercises” itself during the sleep cycle. That’s why sometimes guys wake up…to use a common term, with “morning wood”. Not need to give it a workout.

Really? wow, my friend who was addicted to masturbation told me it is a looong time ago when I was still a youngster. I want to be honest, but I think this is what brought me to commit this sin in the first place. I was worried if it ever comes to sex, my body wouldn´t be prepared for it and I would let my partner down

Thank you for explaining this to me, I just hope you´re right for I don´t have knowledge about this.

But I must ask. What about premature ejaculation. Wouldn´t sex take like 43 seconds if I don´t have any experience at all? I mean geesh, I waited patiently this whole time because I keep thinking the wait will be awarding…really really awarding

 

[whatevergirl]

You can try to justify sin in your own eyes, but sin is sin. Whether you like it or not, masturbation IS a form of sexual immorality.

Any time you may be tempted, instead of giving in, consider how Christ was tempted by Satan during His Passion. He could have easily chosen not to have gone through His Passion, but He did. He was tempted to the point where He was sweating blood! But He resisted temptation and took up His cross.

God disciples His children, which is proof of His love.

Remember what St. Paul said: God doesn’t allow any temptation into your life that is impossible to overcome.
Paul also said that any temptation you face has already been faced by everybody else in the world!
So anytime you are tempted, offer it as a sacrifice to God, and in this way you glorify God!
You know how Jesus bore His cross? Well, this is part of YOUR cross to bear in life, and as Jesus said, “Unless you are willing to take up your cross, you cannot be My disciples.”

Also remember that every sin you commit in your life caused Jesus to suffer during His Passion. Jesus created you and knows you personally, and you personally were on His mind during His persecution and His crucifixion. You were His motivation to carry on, even though He was being beaten and tortured.

Also remember that even though God is just, He is merciful.

Jesus said to St. Faustina that heaven and earth would pass away before my Mercy didn’t embrace a soul that trusted in It.(I don’t remember the exact wording)

Here is something to ponder:

In eternity you CANNOT be tempted!!!

It may seem bad now, having to resist these temptations, but in eternity, they cannot bother you. No temptation can!
Let’s say you live to be 85 years old. Even if you should face this temptation 50 times a day, every day for the rest of your life, what’s a few decades of suffering trials compared to eternal bliss with the Lord? It is not like you will have to spend eternity resisting temptation. There is an end to temptation when you die.

I find your post to be REALLY thoughtful. Thank you for this post…I think it will help many!

 

[renepape]

Masturbation is always grievously sinful. Because masturbation is grave matter, whether it is mortally sinful or not depends on whether you had full knowledge of the sinful character of the act and gave deliberate consent. The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2352 says that while the sin itself is always grave, there are other factors that must be taken into consideration, such as affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, psychological or social factors, that may lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, the moral culpability. [Look up for direct wording]

Masturbation is so widespread nowadays that many people think it is just fine and nothing is wrong with it. However, if we look at what it really is, we see that masturbation is a highly selfish action, which gives us pleasure alone. Our sexual faculty was not meant just for pleasure, but for life as well. The pleasure we receive from the sexual faculty must occur within marriage, when we share ourselves wholly with our spouse. If we sever the pleasure from the life-giving aspect of sex, then we profane sex. Because sex is so sacred, sexual sins are grave matter. Whether or not the sin is mortal depends upon whether we had full knowledge of the sinful character of the act and complete consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice (as enumerated above).

People claim that masturbation is necessary and healthy for us. They may say that it gives us relief and a release. While it may give us relief and a release, this is completely irrelevant, because there is a natural form of release that occurs in nocturnal emissions. Excess semen gets expelled naturally from a man’s body while he sleeps, and sometimes erotic dreams accompany the emission. There is nothing sinful about this, because we cannot sin in our sleep because we are not conscious, and if the perfectly natural way our bodies get rid of excess semen.

I know there are many who cling to the idea that masturbation is not sinful and is natural and even necessary. The fact is, masturbation is sinful, it is not natural, it is “intrinsically and gravely disordered” (CCC 2352), and the necessity of it is a myth created by “progressives” who want to “liberate” our sexuality. Even on the practical level, we may ask where this “sexual liberation” has taken us. Well, the AIDS epidemic continues and more and more people have sexually-transmitted diseases. The so-called “sexual revolution” has only enslaved us to our passions and bound us in the chains of sexual perversity and sin. When we abuse what God has made, we will naturally face the consequences.

God bless everyone here!

 

[The_Otaku]

*You don’t know if this poster is in mortal sin though. Masturbation is ALWAYS grave matter, but not always a mortal sin. For someone to have commited a mortal sin, there has to be three things present:

1. full consent of will
2. must be grave matter
3. sufficient reflection beforehand

Please do not tell someone he/she is in mortal sin…you nor I could possibly know that. If the person is in mortal sin, one should refrain from receiving the Eucharist. The nature of the sin is always grave but it’s not always mortal. *

You’re right, I don’t know. In honest fact, I accidentally misplaced the word grave with mortal. It’s never happened to me before, actually, but what a misunderstanding it can cause.

At any rate, I’m well aware of the three requirements, but as you were under the impression I had previously given you, it’s understandable that you would correct me, and I’m indeed glad you did, as that was an error on my part and an oversight.

If I had related it as I had wanted to, I would have mentioned what you just did to me, it just would have replaced mortal with grave as was originally intended. Either way, I treat grave matter as the sibling of mortal sin anyways, but that’s me. It helps to see it that way, so as to avoid it even more. You’re right to say circumstances will determine mortal sin, but it’s still grave matter and for that reason, what I’ve said would still apply and the advice is good.

 

[The_Otaku]

well, I think you´re right…to AN EXTEND.

I´m in mortal sin you say…so if I die right now I spend my eternity in HELL…FOREVER?!

I´m sorry but I don´t believe that. You don´t even know my situation, you don´t know if I truly knew the essense of the sin of masturbation, and you don´t even know if if I cried to God before I commited it. Basicaly you don´t know nothing beside the fact I did commit it. AFTER 19 years!!! This religious battle isn´t a game its a battle. Its not like once you do this you´re going to hell, once you do this you´re saved. It´s much deeper then that. This is why I´m not afraid to recive Holy communion on Sunday afternoon. Because God would point me to the right path. I am not being ingornant trust me. Honestly, I doubt I was ever in mortal sin in my entire life, so its pretty foolish to think this “act” just did the job.

I also want an answer to smoking. Smoking KILLS a human being. And thou shall not kill. So tell me, you´re going to tell me someone who smokes regualry puts himself in danger for being doomed for eternity. Sometimes we have to think this through people.

But you´re right, if I have the CHANCE to go to confession before Mass I am, if not, well Jesus will understand.

Firstly, I should mention there was a mix up in my original post to you. I used the word mortal when I meant grave, and when I started thinking mortal, my mind went on the course of mortal sin rather than grave matter. My apologies. Honest slip up.

However, my advice still stands, whether for you it is actually mortal or not. It’s still grave matter, though, so I would talk about it with your confessor to see if you’re in the clear or not for communion. If you’re confused and uncertain about whether communion is a good idea this time, I’d go to confession anyways just to assure yourself that you’re receiving Christ worthily, that’s the most important thing here.

 

[Benjamin8o8]

Firstly, I should mention there was a mix up in my original post to you. I used the word mortal when I meant grave, and when I started thinking mortal, my mind went on the course of mortal sin rather than grave matter. My apologies. Honest slip up.

However, my advice still stands, whether for you it is actually mortal or not. It’s still grave matter, though, so I would talk about it with your confessor to see if you’re in the clear or not for communion. If you’re confused and uncertain about whether communion is a good idea this time, I’d go to confession anyways just to assure yourself that you’re receiving Christ worthily, that’s the most important thing here.

Don´t mention it. But I did recieve Holy Communion yesterday afternoon but because I really did believe I was in a spiritual state to do so. I was going to confess my sins before Mass but the priest came late so it was basically imposible. This priest was from Nigeria and he´s going to leave this week. So when Mass was over, I rushed inside his dressing room and asked for confession. We went in the back quickly and I confessed my sins. I had such tempatitions NOT to go to confession that day because of the circumstances but at the end and I overcame them. He put his hand on my forhead, did the sign of the cross and absolved me from ALL of my sins

Don´t you guys just LOVE LOVE confession. I sure do, I thank God for this great sacrament.

 

[davidv]

You’re right, just 99.7% of young men do it and the rest lie about it.

That just means that “99.7% of young men” are wrong about at least one thing.

 

[Benjamin8o8]

I also have another question.

What is grave matter???

 

[renepape]

I also have another question.

What is grave matter???

Grave matter is something that is serious. The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1858 describes it very clearly. If one commits a sin that is grave matter (serious), if one has full knowledge of the sinful character of the act, and if one gives complete consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice, then one has committed a mortal sin.

I encourage you to find out more about Catholicism by visiting www.catholic.com or asking people in here for other resources about the Catholic faith.

God Bless You!

 

[Whoppercheese]

I don’t think fapping is a sin at all, I mean, god created us with a natural urge to fap.

 

[bill210]

Do your best to live a chaste life. Every sin is serious. Confession requires a “firm purpose of amendment”. When I told the priest in confession " With all my heart I want to stop doing this." Through the GRACE of God the habit was broken. The grace of Confession is very powerful but we must co-operate with it. It is amazing and exciting to realize how temptation can be taken away from us. God bless you.

 

[Benjamin8o8]

Thank you for your responses. God Bless you all as well!!!

 

[renepape]

Every sin is serious.

Well, yes, but not every sin is a serious sin. That is a very important distinction.

 

[HereticAmI]

The problems with masturbation are twofold

1. It’s a sin, plain and simple, the truth of this has been explained by others on this forum.
2. It turns one in on oneself, and is VERY dangerous. It shifts focus onto one’s self in a very selfish act of self gratification. In some ways I think it’s almost as bad as fornication, does more violence to self, but doesn’t do as much violence to others (though lust does do violence to the dignity of others.).

(A) The purportedly plain and simple sin is not mentioned so much as a single time in the Torah. Given that the act occurs almost infinitely more frequently than bestiality, and you and yours claim “grave” and/or “mortal” sin, one wonders why it isn’t mentioned at least the one time. Also more frequent than adultery, though adultery gets the nod on the mention [adultery makes the Top 10]. And given the 90/10 ratio of hetero to homo, seems that masturbation is more frequent than homosexuality as well, yet the latter and not the former gets the mention.

(B) Who defines you, you or your hormones? And so there was a time without the testosterone when the act didn’t concern you and then a time with testosterone when it did. And here I thought that it wasn’t with flesh and blood and biochemicals but instead the spiritual powers of darkness in the heavenly places that I am at war with.

(C) Selfish? What isn’t selfish? You getting to heaven for someone else and it’s all altruistic for you? So don’t be absurd. I’d rather he: (1) masturbate during the 7th inning stretch while watching the game on TV and (2) send the money saved on parking, the game ticket, and the inflated food and drink prices to a charitable organization keeping other humans from dying of outright starvation or chronic severe malnutrition, than he instead do: (3) the “unselfish” thing of skipping the masturbation, plunking down $15 for parking, $30 for the game ticket, and another $25 or so for food and drink, and if there’s no bread for some others, well, let 'em eat cake. So be careful here as well as some things might be more and less selfish than you conceive them to be.

(D) The biochemistry isn’t violence, since if it was, it would likely be avoided. So rethink your construct, as the violence notion is preposterous on its face.

(E) Lastly, and by the way, going back to item (C), even the reading of a good book might be perceived to be rather selfish when 3 mil little ones, age 5 and under, will die this year across the globe from preventable disease. And sorry for having to mention the 3 mil, age 5 or under, in a year, as now you can never say that you didn’t know. Oh, and at least the mastubator can say that if it wasn’t for the testosterone that he didn’t once have, but what can the reader of a good book say [that 3 mil, age 5 and under, in a year, isn’t tragic drama enough]? So, again, careful with the selfish.

 

[renepape]

(A) The purportedly plain and simple sin is not mentioned so much as a single time in the Torah. Given that the act occurs almost infinitely more frequently than bestiality, and you and yours claim “grave” and/or “mortal” sin, one wonders why it isn’t mentioned at least the one time. Also more frequent than adultery, though adultery gets the nod on the mention [adultery makes the Top 10]. And given the 90/10 ratio of hetero to homo, seems that masturbation is more frequent than homosexuality as well, yet the latter and not the former gets the mention.

(B) Who defines you, you or your hormones? And so there was a time without the testosterone when the act didn’t concern you and then a time with testosterone when it did. And here I thought that it wasn’t with flesh and blood and biochemicals but instead the spiritual powers of darkness in the heavenly places that I am at war with.

(C) Selfish? What isn’t selfish? You getting to heaven for someone else and it’s all altruistic for you? So don’t be absurd. I’d rather he: (1) masturbate during the 7th inning stretch while watching the game on TV and (2) send the money saved on parking, the game ticket, and the inflated food and drink prices to a charitable organization keeping other humans from dying of outright starvation or chronic severe malnutrition, than he instead do: (3) the “unselfish” thing of skipping the masturbation, plunking down $15 for parking, $30 for the game ticket, and another $25 or so for food and drink, and if there’s no bread for some others, well, let 'em eat cake. So be careful here as well as some things might be more and less selfish than you conceive them to be.

(D) The biochemistry isn’t violence, since if it was, it would likely be avoided. So rethink your construct, as the violence notion is preposterous on its face.

(E) Lastly, and by the way, going back to item (C), even the reading of a good book might be perceived to be rather selfish when 3 mil little ones, age 5 and under, will die this year across the globe from preventable disease. And sorry for having to mention the 3 mil, age 5 or under, in a year, as now you can never say that you didn’t know. Oh, and at least the mastubator can say that if it wasn’t for the testosterone that he didn’t once have, but what can the reader of a good book say [that 3 mil, age 5 and under, in a year, isn’t tragic drama enough]? So, again, careful with the selfish.

What are you trying to say? You’re completely out there.

So are you saying that because masturbation doesn’t hurt anyone, that it’s fine? Ummm–no. Masturbation is abusing ourselves, and as much as we want to make excuses for it, the fact remains. Just because our current society promotes premarital sex and all sorts of perversion, including masturbation, doesn’t mean that the moral laws go away. That is the one thing that never changes: the moral law. Masturbation always was and always will be a serious sin.

 

[Detales]

I am shocked that Catholics are still saddled with this absurd debate. When is masturbation ever a “sin?” First of all, the word now translated as “sin” originally meant “to miss the point.” If there was ever an example of absurdity parlayed into a global hoax, it has to be this perversion of perceiving a natural function as something that is an offense against an already made-up god. (I’m not, as someone who knows God IS, saying there isn’t a God; I’m saying that the Abrahamic god is an intellectual/emotional construct.) But isn’t this absurdity about masturbation going a bit far?

Certainly if there is a condition where someone just can’t stop, you have a medical/psychological concern. But for the unmarried, and even for them sometimes, masturbation is a way of maintaining genital health for both sexes, not to mention a great way for males to learn to be multi-orgasmic without ejaculating.

I mean, think about itl Here are all these guys in dresses, sworn off sex by a sacramental oath, telling you what to do with your privates, while many of them are doing each other, doing nuns, doing kids, and doing “lay” people. Please! If there is a mortal sin, it ought rightfully to be the perversion of not acquainting people with how their bodies work, why, and how to be respectful and wise surrounding the generative function.

I remember that in my high school, a former seminary, we found a manual for the candidates for the celibate life which instructed them to use a special paddle for tucking their shirt into their pants, so they wouldn’t contact the vile organ and slide down a greased chute to hell!! How did these kids wash themselves? Did someone do it for them? were they dirty and smelly, like some priests I’ve encountered? Yes, quite healthy, I’d say.

And thanks to the church for drilling into me all the scrupulosity surrounding my natural functions that caused me the kind of agonized and unnecessary soul searching, looking for bits of possible sin, because I loved God and didn’t want to hurt Him, as if that was possible. That whole dynamic is perverted as well, the actuallity of our relationship with the Deific being FAR more dignified and glorious than what the church portrays.

What I see on here is the unfortunate and degrading evidence that Irma Bombeck was right: “Guilt is such a wonderful gift: it never stops giving!”

 

[renepape]

Detales, I am sorry to hear you have turned away from the Church. While surely the clergy sexual abuse scandal is a most terrible thing (which has been addressed personally by the Pope), it is a blatant and gross lie that priests in general do such things. You need to watch your generalizations.

What troubles me more than anything is the fact that you think God is a figment of our imagination. For the only true God is in the Bible, and if you do not accept that then I am sorry for you. Sexuality is such a powerful and extremely good thing that it is naturally sought after so aggressively by the forces of evil in this world, and can either unite us most closely to God or turn us down the path to destruction. Once we let any sexual deviancy creep into our lives it can explode into all sorts of horrible things.

Now, to address the issue of masturbation specifically: masturbation is not the way we exercise our genitals in order to release. Nocturnal emissions are the natural and good way that we expel excess semen. Furthermore, we naturally get erections during the night which “exercise” our genitals. So this whole idea that masturbation is necessary for our sexual health is completely false.

You appear to think of the sexual organs as means only for pleasure, as you mention “multi-orgasmic”. This is wrong. While sex gives immense pleasure, which is a good thing, it must be within the context of marriage and sexual intercourse between two spouses. For anything else which removes sexual acts from marriage is a perversion and abuse, because then sexual pleasure is sought only for oneself and not as a true and most intimate communion of persons.

Even on the practical level we can see where the abuse of our sexuality leads. The “sexual revolution” of the 60s and 70s has led to more and more AIDS and STDs.

I will pray for you, Detales. I hope that you will turn to the Church. I exhort you to fully embrace your sexuality and cultivate in the way God meant it to be cultivated, and not abuse it for your own pleasure. God Bless You!

 

[Detales]

Renepape~~

Detales, I am sorry to hear you have turned away from the Church. It is the best philosophical decision I was ever compelled to make. While surely the clergy sexual abuse scandal is a most terrible thing (which has been addressed personally by the Pope), it is a blatant and gross lie that priests in general do such things.I did not say they all did. That is your assumption. I simply indicated such things had been done You need to watch your generalizations. As you do your readings

What troubles me more than anything is the fact that you think God is a figment of our imagination.God is NOT a figment of the imagination. But the anthropomorphic god of the Abrahamists is an intellectual construct. For the only true God is in the Bible, God is NOT contained by paper and ink and if you do not accept that then I am sorry for you. Please don’t waste your energy. Use it instead to examine how and why you acquired your faith and keep it Sexuality is such a powerful and extremely good thing that it is naturally sought after so aggressively by the forces of evil in this world, and can either unite us most closely to God or turn us down the path to destruction. Once we let any sexual deviancy creep into our lives it can explode into all sorts of horrible things.Agreed. That is why I am so concerned about nonsense promulgated by the church

Now, to address the issue of masturbation specifically: masturbation is not the way we exercise our genitals in order to release. Nocturnal emissions are the natural and good way that we expel excess semen. Furthermore, we naturally get erections during the night which “exercise” our genitals. So this whole idea that masturbation is necessary for our sexual health is completely false.In your opinion as influenced by what you have accepted as true on simple and questionable authority.

You appear to think of the sexual organs as means only for pleasure, No, that is silly. as you mention “multi-orgasmic”. This is wrong. Yes. While sex gives immense pleasure, which is a good thing, it must be within the context of marriage and sexual intercourse between two spouses. according to your faith. For anything else which removes sexual acts from marriage is a perversion and abuse, because then sexual pleasure is sought only for oneself and not as a true and most intimate communion of persons.That is extreme cowa-dunga.

Even on the practical level we can see where the abuse of our sexuality leads. The “sexual revolution” of the 60s and 70s has led to more and more AIDS and STDs. Any irresponsible contact does that, same as not covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, or go to work when you are sick. Ignorance, such as the church sponsors, along with it’s advocacy of not using protection, also fosters contagion and death.

I will pray for you, Detales. Similarly to those metaphysicians who feared most the prayers of their students on the grounds of their ignorance, I beseech you to do no such thing, as you will certainly do more harm to both of us than good. I hope that you will turn to the Church. If by church you meant the Catholic church, I have been freed from it into its foundation. I exhort you to fully embrace your sexuality I do, thanks. and cultivate in the way God meant it to be cultivated, I think you mean “in the way I have come to accept as a belief either through default of birth and early training, or conversion through lack of knowledge of saner options.” and not abuse it for your own pleasure. I don’t, and thank you for your concern, God Bless You! The Blessing of God is always and everywhere, inescapable. Avail yourself of it by going beyond your beliefs.

 

[GeorgeSword]

I haven´t truly masterbated until the age of 19. Like 2 weeks ago I first commited this “sin”. I just don´t get it, how am I supposed to perfom in bed if I have no experience at all. Isn´t the penis a muscle as well, are you not supposed to exercise it as well?

Guys, I am not condoning this act I just want to learn from you all.

Look, I’m not a doctor, but no, it isn’t a ‘muscle’ and for that matter, you shouldn’t be ‘performing in bed’ anyway if you aren’t married.

 

[santo_rosario86]

if you want to overcome masturbation and want to live in purity i have one advice pray the rosary unceasingly every single day