Masturbation and Addiction

[KC91]

But it was a real method used by many some years back. Just a suggestion.

 

[TLM08]

If you’re not trying to justify this practice, why even bring up those who might not marry? Why not encourage them to live by even the most difficult of Church teachings?

Because many people…no matter how much they want to… are unable to comply 100%with this church teaching. For them to live in such deep shame and despair over a natural bodily function is counterproductive in their journey of spiritual growth.

 

[TLM08]

KC91, #76 is inappropriate. I think that perhaps you should head the administrators off at the pass by confessing that you made that post, declare it inappropriate yourself, apologize, and ask them to remove it.

I respectfully disagree. The device was undoubtedly invented by a well meaning religious.

 

[davymax3]

Because many people…no matter how much they want to… are unable to comply 100%with this church teaching. For them to live in such deep shame and despair over a natural bodily function is counterproductive in their journey of spiritual growth.

That’s ridiculous. No one is “unable” to comply 100% with this church teaching. Although, 100% of us do not comply 100% with what God wants of us. What if I’m just super lazy and I say, oh man, it’s just impossible for me to get to church ever Sunday. No way I can possibly comply with this church teaching! That would be ridiculous. Whenever sex is brought up people think that it’s some impossible thing. Get over yourselves.

 

[ladybri77]

That’s ridiculous. No one is “unable” to comply 100% with this church teaching. Although, 100% of us do not comply 100% with what God wants of us. What if I’m just super lazy and I say, oh man, it’s just impossible for me to get to church ever Sunday. No way I can possibly comply with this church teaching! That would be ridiculous. Whenever sex is brought up people think that it’s some impossible thing. Get over yourselves.

I think he’s speaking about what can be a very strong sexual temptation at times which is quite different than the lesser temptation of not going to church every Sunday would be, and is influenced by many different factors. However, even though it would be harder to resist, one could certainly comply with it if one were determined enough not to do it and had God’s grace and the help of others for accountability. I’m just saying it would be harder to comply 100% of the time with this as opposed to the habit of going to church every Sunday would be since sexual urges can be very strong indeed!

 

[TLM08]

I think he’s speaking about what can be a very strong sexual temptation at times which is quite different than the lesser temptation of not going to church every Sunday would be, and is influenced by many different factors. However, even though it would be harder to resist, one could certainly comply with it if one were determined enough not to do it and had God’s grace and the help of others for accountability. I’m just saying it would be harder to comply 100% of the time with this as opposed to the habit of going to church every Sunday would be since sexual urges can be very strong indeed!

Thank You! I’ll even go as far as to say this:
Aside from the profoundly disabled and those who died before reaching the age of sexual awareness, the only folks in the history of mankind to not sin in this way are the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Virgin herself.

 

[Spirithound]

Because many people…no matter how much they want to… are unable to comply 100%with this church teaching. For them to live in such deep shame and despair over a natural bodily function is counterproductive in their journey of spiritual growth.

So what is productive in their journey of spiritual growth? Being able to justify masturbation? Because that’s what you’re doing when you call it a “natural bodily function”.

And guess what?

I’m a sinner.

That’s why I go to Confession.

 

[KC91]

Why don’t you like going to Mass every Sunday? Aren’t the ceremonies, liturgies, etc beautiful don’t you think?

 

[ladybri77]

Why don’t you like going to Mass every Sunday? Aren’t the ceremonies, liturgies, etc beautiful don’t you think?

He was just using it as an example to compare the two teachings of the church to one another. Not a very good comparison…

 

[distracted]

This is a sin that I struggle with as well. I’ve had priests say the same things to me- some say that I am addicted and thus it is not serious. Others, it is a selfish and extremely serious sin and that I need to overhaul my life because it is destroying my relationship with God. I go to weekly confession and so I have been accused of scrupulosity as well with the issue. Since I have been told by my spiritual director that, in his opinion and because of his experience with dealing with high school and college spiritual direction he firmly believes I am addicted to the sin of self abuse I guess I am. Now, I have not gone a week without committing this sin in years but just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t addicted. I have also thought a lot about the rationalization of the sin before committing it and what that means. Honestly, since I am still very much struggling with this the only advice I could give you is to continue to go to weekly confession and just treat it as serious regardless of the fact that you may or may not be “addicted” whatever that means! Go to mass frequently and place this issue before Our Lady. That’s all I can do in my case, I don’t know what else to do or recommend to you.

pax tecum

you’re probably going to be offended by this but it is my honest opinion & i am just trying to help:

I feel that there is something lacking in your commitment to Christ… The reason i say this is is because at one time in my life, i didn’t think this was such a big sin. Then, when i got closer to Jesus (daily Mass, spending time @ the Blessed Sacrament, the rosary, etc), i started seeing things WAY differently…

Now i avoid this sin like i would the plague… because that’s what it is to a person’s relationship with Christ… and one’s journey to Heaven… where no impure thing will enter (Rev 21:27)

Praying for you (and for me and for all those who suffer… I have some bad news for you: It doesn’t get any easier… If anything, it gets harder [in some ways])…

:grouphug::heaven:

 

[distracted]

That is ridiculous! For the true addict, stress and inner turmoil can often magnify that urge.

I’m not trying to justify this practice as morally acceptable. I am only stating the reality of the human condition.

you bring up a very interesting point… about how stress and turmoil can magnify the urge to fall into this sin… Sometimes when i am stressed, i am tempted because, well, obviously, this is one way to relieve stress. Unfortunately, it is a serious sin… one that many these days don’t take seriously.

I have spent time with JEsus @ the Real Presence & been shown that, as the saints tell us, sexual sins get people into Hell more than any other… I can’t prove that the Holy Spirit really revealed this to me in a powerful way… but that is waht happened… I was shown that I could, with this sin, lose my soul… despite attending Mass and etc…

If Heaven were to allow any impurity (sin) into it, it would no longer be Heaven…

 

[distracted]

KC91, #76 is inappropriate. I think that perhaps you should head the administrators off at the pass by confessing that you made that post, declare it inappropriate yourself, apologize, and ask them to remove it.

without even knowing whether it is a joke or whatever?

does such a device exist??

hmmm… i do not think it is inappropriate… Jesus said that if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you…

This device is far more desirable than … well… what would happen if you took Jesus absolutely literally…

 

[distracted]

Because many people…no matter how much they want to… are unable to comply 100%with this church teaching. For them to live in such deep shame and despair over a natural bodily function is counterproductive in their journey of spiritual growth.

I disagreed whole-heartedly.

I am someone who has overcome this sin… and, as stated, avoid it like the plague…

If i, who have such a strong sex drive (God made me tht way…) can avoid this sin than anyone can…

When your your one-ness with Christ (your immortal soul) is at stake… you can do anything…

 

[distracted]

Thank You! I’ll even go as far as to say this:
Aside from the profoundly disabled and those who died before reaching the age of sexual awareness, the only folks in the history of mankind to not sin in this way are the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Virgin herself.

i can’t say i have never done it… but i do NOT do it now and haven’t for a very long,

long, long, long… time…

 

[distracted]

What is really beautiful about the Catholic way of sexual purity… is that one learns to channel one’s sexuality…

When the sexuality and the spirituality of a person becomes united… (which may not be entirely possible without a LOT OF HELP from above)… well, it is an interesting thing, to say hte least…

This world, obviously, is far too focused on SEX… and when a person is focused on one thing excessively, obviously, he can’t be focused very much on other things…

***Jesus said we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of Heaven… ***I say the younger the child you are trying to be, the betteer…

i think we should become like newborn babies… who, obviously, do not think about masturbation… they know nothing about it…

 

[ladybri77]

you’re probably going to be offended by this but it is my honest opinion & i am just trying to help:

I feel that there is something lacking in your commitment to Christ… The reason i say this is is because at one time in my life, i didn’t think this was such a big sin. Then, when i got closer to Jesus (daily Mass, spending time @ the Blessed Sacrament, the rosary, etc), i started seeing things WAY differently…

Now i avoid this sin like i would the plague… because that’s what it is to a person’s relationship with Christ… and one’s journey to Heaven… where no impure thing will enter (Rev 21:27)

Praying for you (and for me and for all those who suffer… I have some bad news for you: It doesn’t get any easier… If anything, it gets harder [in some ways])…

:grouphug::heaven:

Very good advice, distracted! I know when I came to know God, I didn’t want to sin in these ways either, and He convicted my heart of what was right and wrong. Now leave it to say, that I did sin in a big way after I knew Him, but I learned from that and will never do it again. I believe I’m forgiven as we all slip up now and then.

 

[TLM08]

So what is productive in their journey of spiritual growth? Being able to justify masturbation? Because that’s what you’re doing when you call it a “natural bodily function”.

As a small child, completely devoid of any sexual awareness whatsoever, I can remember doing this on occasion. Looking back, I believe it was sexually pleasurable except there were no sexual thoughts accompanying the act. It was a lot like the pleasure one gets from a back or foot rub. Natural bodily function? It seemed so in my case.

I can’t help but to also think that it’s perfectly natural to drink a can of beer or two in the afternoon, but it’s another matter to consume a 12 pack of beer and 8 shots of whisky then go home and throw my wife’s casserole against the wall because It was a slightly overcooked.

Sanity and moderation are called for in all areas of life… including sex.

 

[distracted]

As a small child, completely devoid of any sexual awareness whatsoever, I can remember doing this on occasion. Looking back, I believe it was sexually pleasurable except there were no sexual thoughts accompanying the act. It was a lot like the pleasure one gets from a back or foot rub. Natural bodily function? It seemed so in my case.

I can’t help but to also think that it’s perfectly natural to drink a can of beer or two in the afternoon, but it’s another matter to consume a 12 pack of beer and 8 shots of whisky then go home and throw my wife’s casserole against the wall because It was a slightly overcooked.

Sanity and moderation are called for in all areas of life… including sex.

are you saying or implying that it maybe be OK to do this act sometimes?

It is NOT… If it is a serious (mortal) sin, then it is never OK to do it… and a person imperils his soul with this sin as with others…

again, the saints t ell us that more people end up in Hell over sexual impurity than any other sin…

 

[TLM08]

are you saying or implying that it maybe be OK to do this act sometimes?

It is NOT… If it is a serious (mortal) sin, then it is never OK to do it… and a person imperils his soul with this sin as with others…

again, the saints t ell us that more people end up in Hell over sexual impurity than any other sin…

Is it humanly possible to walk a mile on a balance beam in thirty minutes without falling off? … yes

I would not suggest that masturbation is a perfectly moral and acceptable act. I do believe however that for the vast majority of people who do not have a spouse, complete and permanant celibacy in it’s strictest sense is extremely difficult.

 

[buckr02]

Is it humanly possible to walk a mile on a balance beam in thirty minutes without falling off? … yes

I would not suggest that masturbation is a perfectly moral and acceptable act. I do believe however that for the vast majority of people who do not have a spouse, complete and permanant celibacy in it’s strictest sense is extremely difficult.

And who ever said the life of a Christian is supposed to be easy? If you’re doing it correctly, life will be difficult.