Masturbation, is it good for you?

[iStumble]

If one violates the natural law by masterbating (not allowing sperm its natural end in fertilizing an egg which leads to new human life), how does this idea apply to women who masterbate? Is their pleasure in masterbation immoral because it is pleasure taken outside of the process of procreation? I’ve always heard the “wasting sperm” argument when it comes to masterbation (as though only men masterbate), but never hear reasons why it’s wrong for females (singles, housewives, nuns, et al) who masterbate. Just curious.

That’s an interesting thought since women don’t have to “O” in order to procreate. I’m pretty ignorant on this, but it seems like there’s nothing about that that aids in a woman’s ability to conceive.

Still, if the church says it’s wrong, then it must be wrong.

 

[Mirror_Mirror]

If one violates the natural law by masterbating (not allowing sperm its natural end in fertilizing an egg which leads to new human life), how does this idea apply to women who masterbate? Is their pleasure in masterbation immoral because it is pleasure taken outside of the process of procreation? I’ve always heard the “wasting sperm” argument when it comes to masterbation (as though only men masterbate), but never hear reasons why it’s wrong for females (singles, housewives, nuns, et al) who masterbate. Just curious.

Masturbation is wrong because it is a selfish act, every act of sexual intimacy must be self-giving to your spouse. What you described is not.

 

[ForwardProgress]

That’s an interesting thought since women don’t have to “O” in order to procreate. I’m pretty ignorant on this, but it seems like there’s nothing about that that aids in a woman’s ability to conceive.

Still, if the church says it’s wrong, then it must be wrong.

There is a theory that the female O causes the uterus to perform a dipping motion, placing the opening of the cervix close to the freshly deposited sperm.

 

[Renton405]

It may still be a mortal sin but it is safe sex. You don’t contract anything from doing it by yourself. And what alot of people forget is that there may be a number of factors which reduce or even eliminate culpability thereby not allowing it fit all the requirements of mortal sin.

I thought masterbation was a venial sin…

 

[Johndigger]

Masturbation is gravely disordered. Whether it’s a mortal sin or not depends on whether you have (1) knowledge of what you are doing and (2) consent.

JD

 

[Mirror_Mirror]

I thought masterbation was a venial sin…

From the Catechism:

2352 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.

 

[edwest2]

Thank you for posting that. It is apparent that the Church is willing to consider all the circumstances of each individual in regard to masturbation, but generally, it is a disordered act and a sin.

For Catholics, we have a spiritual self as well as a physical self. Generally speaking, masturbation is contrary to the law of God. The Bible states very clearly how we should express ourselves sexually and that means in marriage only.

Anyone can bring up biology all they want, but man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

God bless,
Ed

 

[Abiien]

Sorry to butt in, and by no means do i mean to intrude or disrupt a good conversation.

But arent all things possible with GOD?
Sicknesses are turned away in the sight of God?
Evils destroyed by faith?

So why worry about physical sicknesses?

Sorry i am not proving a good point, i dont think, but this is true. Its what i understand.

I also think its over selfindulging.

I remember reading for a while that smoking Marijuana was healthy and good for you. Can we justify that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects?
First off we are told not to commit adultery and taking it into your own hands to please yourself before others is wrong. Many a parable have i read about this type of thing. Serve others, and you will be served.

Lets not get into the discussion on the purpose of the physical and emotional (forgot spiritual as well…) purpose of the feeling and effect of an orgasm. or even that type of general “stuff”…
its easy to say leave it for marriage, huh…
i wish i could just say that…

I think masturbation is Fake sex.
Dont ask, its just what i thought of first.
I heard a Theology of the Body talk once (not too familiar with Theo of the Body) and the act of sex (or similar) is saying I give my ALL to you, its a promise. and who are you promising you are giving your all too but yourself when you masturbate. Which is why i call it fake sex, because sex is great! showing your self, and giving your “all” to it.
We are talking about the morality of the topic, not just the physicality of it, right?

No idea where im going, i hope i said something worth reading.
Godbless you all. I am just a unwise servant .

Even “the foolishness of God is wiser than men…” 1 corinthians 1:25

 

[JFonseka]

Usually…masturbation takes place while lusting, and what did Jesus say about lusting?

Read Matthew 5:27

Even if you aren’t lusting about some man or woman, you are looking for self gratification through a pleasure that God created as sexual intercourse between a man and a woman only. (how many people plainly masturbate without lusting just because it ‘reduces the risk of prostate cancer’)

People aren’t solely objects of gratification for you, me or anyone else, it’s selfish to do so, whether they know it or not you are reducing their dignity.

Btw, wet dreams usually occur in males that can lead up to the early 20’s and therefore there is semen ejaculated, and that would be a pretty good case against prostate cancer don’t you think?

And married males I’m guessing usually have sex often, that further reduces the risk of prostate cancer, and since prostate cancer does not occur in every single one we can even further reduce the risk of prostate cancer for celibates.

Meh, it’s probably beneficial if you stay off meats for your whole lifetime, it would reduce the risk of various cancers due to carcinogen poisoning from burnt or chemicals in mean from processing, but not everyone starts getting cancer, etc. There are many other things which we could be doing, but we don’t.

 

[outfctrl]

First of all, to me, masturbation isnt an addiction and never has been. I used to do it here and there, maybe once every few months.
Is it wrong? I dont think so, but my Faith says it is.

I am single, had a vasectomy years ago after my twins were born.
I am Divorced and not planning on Marrying again.

So, according to the Church, I have to live a life of no sex. Forever!

I am still trying to accept this, but for me to really be a good Catholic, I have to.

I guess it wont be too bad, heck, I am 56 years old and have had more women when I was young then you can shake a stick.

So now…I have to stay pure. Still hard to fathom that concept.

 

[JFonseka]

First of all, to me, masturbation isnt an addiction and never has been. I used to do it here and there, maybe once every few months.
Is it wrong? I dont think so, but my Faith says it is.

I am single, had a vasectomy years ago after my twins were born.
I am Divorced and not planning on Marrying again.

So, according to the Church, I have to live a life of no sex. Forever!

I am still trying to accept this, but for me to really be a good Catholic, I have to.

I guess it wont be too bad, heck, I am 56 years old and have had more women when I was young then you can shake a stick.

So now…I have to stay pure. Still hard to fathom that concept.

It will all be clear when you pray to God to give you that understanding, keep praying and abstain from masturbating, you can’t go wrong.

Peace brother.

God Bless

 

[blessedtoo]

First of all, to me, masturbation isnt an addiction and never has been. I used to do it here and there, maybe once every few months.
Is it wrong? I dont think so, but my Faith says it is.

I am single, had a vasectomy years ago after my twins were born.
I am Divorced and not planning on Marrying again.

So, according to the Church, I have to live a life of no sex. Forever!

I am still trying to accept this, but for me to really be a good Catholic, I have to.

I guess it wont be too bad, heck, I am 56 years old and have had more women when I was young then you can shake a stick.

So now…I have to stay pure. Still hard to fathom that concept.

I highly recommend reading Fr. Groeschel’s The Courage to be Chaste. It will give you a joyful and liberating view of celibacy and chastity!

 

[shadow_fire]

Masturbation is 100% healthy for you. Its just against Catholic teachings. And comparing masturbation to Alcohol is a weak argument because there is much more bad (health wise) in Alcohol then good. And Masturbation is healthy and decreasees the chance of getting prostate cancer. Sex on the other hand can transfer STD’s which could increase the chance of cancer.

 

[BigE]

Agreed! I once heard it explained this way:

Q: Why can’t two homosexual men/women have sex?
A: Because no life can come out of it.

Q: Why can’t two hetrosexuals have oral sex?
A: Because no life can come out of it.

Q: Why can’t you use contraception?
A: Because no life can come out of it.

Q: Why can’t you masturbate?
A: Because no life can come out of it.

Again, there are more reasons than this, but when I heard this from a priest, I thought that it drove home the point.

If I am not mistaken it can take place with adults as well. Defining when it is more “common” would be difficult.

So does that mean if a married couple is unable to have children (sterile) that they shouldn’t have sex?

 

[BigE]

Come on…!

How can a sin, a mortal sin, be “good for you”…!?

How is it good for the body?

It may well be good to “ejaculate”, but that is to be done only within the confines of chastity.

So,… what the heck are you really asking?

Mahalo ke Akua…!
E pili mau na pomaikai ia oe. Aloha nui.

Some men who suffer from pre-mature ejaculation find it helpful to masterbate…it actually improves their ability to make love to their wife.

 

[outfctrl]

Thats why I love coming here. The support is so helpful for me in my journey.

 

[Mirror_Mirror]

So does that mean if a married couple is unable to have children (sterile) that they shouldn’t have sex?

Be careful when you make that leap, making a statement like this out of what I had typed is misleading and is simply you reading into something that is not there.

Simple answer to your question can be found in Genesis chapter 17 or Luke Chapter 1.

 

[DailyBread]

What Mirror Mirror is saying is that those other acts are objectively infertile and therefore are not a sign of life giving love ever… a couple who is infertile is subjectively unable to concieve, but their act is still a sign of that same life giving love… it is like a couple who wishes to provide for their family with food and shelter, but say they are too poor… it is not that they purposefully perform an act that objectively lacks life giving love… just that they subjectively do not have that part of themselves to give… the others deny that part or do not give it as a gift (in the case of homosexual acts, which is not a gift of self sexually since how can one recieve their own sexuality as a gift…).
As for the premature ejaculation, there are other ways that are not immoral to help treat this… and immorality can never be an excuse to advance physical health… were the tests done by Nazi’s to burn people in order to treat their own soldiers in battle (and info which we actually used after the fact) moral?

 

[Mirror_Mirror]

What Mirror Mirror is saying is that those other acts are objectively infertile and therefore are not a sign of life giving love ever… a couple who is infertile is subjectively unable to concieve, but their act is still a sign of that same life giving love… it is like a couple who wishes to provide for their family with food and shelter, but say they are too poor… it is not that they purposefully perform an act that objectively lacks life giving love… just that they subjectively do not have that part of themselves to give… the others deny that part or do not give it as a gift (in the case of homosexual acts, which is not a gift of self sexually since how can one recieve their own sexuality as a gift…).

Correct I just wanted him to research it themselves and see what he came back with, that is all.

 

[MariaGorettiGrl]

So does that mean if a married couple is unable to have children (sterile) that they shouldn’t have sex?

Even when a couple is sterile, there is still the slightest chance that they could get pregnant. There have been plenty of people declared “sterile” who surprised everyone by then having kids. Think of John the Baptist’s parents. However, there is absolutely NO chance that a person having sex with themself can get pregnant through it. Just the very idea that they are having sex with themself shows how perverted an act it is.