Masturbation question

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persuit2bhappy

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Hello, I’m a 25 year old male and have been trying to give up masturbation for many years on end without much success.
I do attend church when I can, go to confession and try to keep God as my strength and guidance.

I have an issue however about masturbation. Studies show that it reduces your risk of getting prostate cancer by up to a third and that frequent masturbation is necessary to help flush it out.
Knowing this information however directly conflicts with my struggle to end masturbation, causing unnecessary distress and worry.
I believe if I don’t masturbate, I may increase my chances for prostate cancer, If I do masturbate, I’ll be committing mortal sin and be forever going to confession to ask for forgiveness.
I really want to quit, but I am too scared to now. I’m stuck in this loop, and its driving me insane.

Can somebody please help me understand where I stand in this situation? Are there men who would be very less likely to masturbate in their lifetime and live till their old age without developing prostate cancer?

Thank you in advance for any help. Please keep me in your prayers for my personal battle with this.
 
persuit2bhappy said:
Hello, I’m a 25 year old male and have been trying to give up masturbation for many years on end without much success.
I do attend church when I can, go to confession and try to keep God as my strength and guidance.
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I’d be more worried about the ‘attend church when I can’ than the masturbation if ‘when I can’ means you are missing your Sunday obligation! If you are meeting this obligation, never mind!
 
ForwardProgress said:
I’d be more worried about the ‘attend church when I can’ than the masturbation if ‘when I can’ means you are missing your Sunday obligation! If you are meeting this obligation, never mind!
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That is true, in the past I havn’t been going to church as much as I’de like to, but i am now making an effort to go to church regularly.

Even so, i’m still a bit concerned about the situation at hand.
Wouldn’t the prostate cancer information not worry fellow men giving up masturbation?
 
I’d say take a multi vitamin that supports prostate health. Also the body is a miraculous thing, the body will flush out when it sees fit with “wet dreams”.

Also, trust in God to keep you healthy, don’t worry God knows you and has a plan for each one of us.

My question is when you masturbate, do you do so lustfully like think about women, co workers, friends? Are the thoughts impure? If so, there is the sin. We can only try our best, if you know in your heart you are trying your best, God knows if you are. It is the struggle and fight that counts.
 
GREAT QUESTION!
I’ve wondered about this myself. If I had to guess, I would say the church has got it right 🙂
 
I did a quick search on the topic and found the evidence is hardly conclusive that flushing the prostate has any value in preventing prostate cancer. The study everyone seems to be using to justify their pro-flushing position is one that was done in Australia which used a relatively small sample size of 1,200 men. I’m more impressed with a study published in JAMA which had a sample size of over 23,000 men and concluded that frequency of flushing had nothing to do with decreased risk of prostate cancer. You can read the article here.
 
persuit2bhappy said:
Hello, I’m a 25 year old male and have been trying to give up masturbation for many years on end without much success.
I do attend church when I can, go to confession and try to keep God as my strength and guidance.

I have an issue however about masturbation. Studies show that it reduces your risk of getting prostate cancer by up to a third and that frequent masturbation is necessary to help flush it out.
Knowing this information however directly conflicts with my struggle to end masturbation, causing unnecessary distress and worry.
I believe if I don’t masturbate, I may increase my chances for prostate cancer, If I do masturbate, I’ll be committing mortal sin and be forever going to confession to ask for forgiveness.
I really want to quit, but I am too scared to now. I’m stuck in this loop, and its driving me insane.

Can somebody please help me understand where I stand in this situation? Are there men who would be very less likely to masturbate in their lifetime and live till their old age without developing prostate cancer?

Thank you in advance for any help. Please keep me in your prayers for my personal battle with this.
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I would say, we’re all going to die, but not all of us will die in the state of Grace. To sin to prolong your life (and I’m not even sure there’s any medical truth to what you say) is a losing proposition. Life is short, eternity is long.

God Bless
 
bilop said:
I would say, we’re all going to die, but not all of us will die in the state of Grace. To sin to prolong your life (and I’m not even sure there’s any medical truth to what you say) is a losing proposition. Life is short, eternity is long.

God Bless
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Exactly Bilop.
For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Matthew 16:26

Or as Thomas More said to Richard in “A Man For All Seaons”:
Why Richard, it profits a man nothing
to give his soul for the whole world.

But for Wales?

To which we might paraphrase: But for possible prostrate health?

VC
 
Intentionally missing mass for no good reason is objectivly grave matter, as is mastubation. But MB is typically not as serious as missing mass, b/c culpability is sometimes reduced by a myriad of factors…missing Mass…not so much unless you are sick or too far away. Not really any excuses for missing Mass, and your confessor will probably treat it as major sin.
 
I think using this supposed medical prevention risk to keep on masturbating is a bad idea. You can get prostate cancer from anything possibly, so to use it as an excuse to keep masturbating is resting on thin ice, if you ask me.

Here’s what you do: find a good catholic woman, fall in love, get married and then flush it out together as much as you all want!!! 😃
 
StCsDavid said:
I did a quick search on the topic and found the evidence is hardly conclusive that flushing the prostate has any value in preventing prostate cancer. The study everyone seems to be using to justify their pro-flushing position is one that was done in Australia which used a relatively small sample size of 1,200 men. I’m more impressed with a study published in JAMA which had a sample size of over 23,000 men and concluded that frequency of flushing had nothing to do with decreased risk of prostate cancer. You can read the article here.
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I did have a look at those sources too, but for the second study published in JAMA, the actual conclusion states that flushing frequency is not related to increased risk of prostate cancer.
I interpret this as, if you MB frequently, its less likely going to relate to prostate cancer, where as if you dont masturbate, it may be related to prostate cancer. Is that not the same as the first test conducted?
 
persuit2bhappy said:
I did have a look at those sources too, but for the second study published in JAMA, the actual conclusion states that flushing frequency is not related to increased risk of prostate cancer.
I interpret this as, if you MB frequently, its less likely going to relate to prostate cancer, where as if you dont masturbate, it may be related to prostate cancer. Is that not the same as the first test conducted?
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As said earlier, you can’t justify a sin on the basis that the sin increases the statistical likelihood of your living longer.

What if research showed that having sex with animals ALSO lessened your risk of prostate cancer? Would you take that as justification for such behaviour?

I believe the herbal supplement saw palmetto is also shown to be good for prostate health - take that and you won’t need to masturbate.
 
persuit2bhappy said:
I did have a look at those sources too, but for the second study published in JAMA, the actual conclusion states that flushing frequency is not related to increased risk of prostate cancer.
I interpret this as, if you MB frequently, its less likely going to relate to prostate cancer, where as if you dont masturbate, it may be related to prostate cancer. Is that not the same as the first test conducted?
Click to expand...
As I read it, my take away was that frequency was not a factor or variable in prostate cancer. The data doesn’t appear to support that infrequency is a risk factor either. But lets say that it is…that frequent flushing of the gland decreases your risk. So what? It doesn’t change the gravity of the sin required to achieve said flushing because sin resides in one’s will.

Give you another example…if you don’t get in your car and drive to mass on Sunday, you’re risk of dying in a car crash drops by a small amount since you are driving a little less frequently. Does that lowering of risk of death lesson the gravity of missing mass?
 
Thanks for everyones (name removed by moderator)ut, I appreciate it.
I think the last stage is just understanding and letting go of the worry and anxiety associated with these thoughts.

There are many things that cause cancer in the long run, I guess I have a fear about the whole cancer scare.
I was just looking for ways to prevent such a thing, but I have read the JAMA link and can see that the actual frequency of flushing out, is not related to increased risk in prostate cancer which is a good thing right?

I’m hoping to move on and give up MBing, and trust in God to guide me.
Fox said:
My question is when you masturbate, do you do so lustfully like think about women, co workers, friends? Are the thoughts impure? If so, there is the sin. We can only try our best, if you know in your heart you are trying your best, God knows if you are. It is the struggle and fight that counts.
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It would be lustfully impure thoughts yes. It is definitly a sin, and its why I go to confession to beat this struggle to be closer with God.
Charybdis said:
Here’s what you do: find a good catholic woman, fall in love, get married and then flush it out together as much as you all want!!! 😃
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You have no idea how hard that is!
 
I haven’t studied this as a scientist would, but I’m a male in my 40s, and I keep hearing that MY decade, not yours, is the one in which a guy needs to start wondering about his situation.

At 25, not so much. At all.

Don’t go looking for a convenient excuse. Someone here posted an excellent note on stopping masturbation just recently; dig it up. The real key is frequent confession: go each month to the same priest. Having to up your problem really helps you stop it.
 
StCsDavid said:
As I read it, my take away was that frequency was not a factor or variable in prostate cancer. The data doesn’t appear to support that infrequency is a risk factor either. But lets say that it is…that frequent flushing of the gland decreases your risk. So what? It doesn’t change the gravity of the sin required to achieve said flushing because sin resides in one’s will.
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I believe you are right saying the frequency was not a factor or variable in prostate cancer. I may have interpreted it wrong earlier.
Like i said before, I have read the JAMA link and can see that the actual frequency of flushing out, is not related to increased risk in prostate cancer which I think is a good thing in itself.

I am making an attempt to rid my mind of these evil thoughts and to go to mass and confession on a regular basis.

With peoples support, I can hopefully move on and I appreciate yours and everyone elses help.
 
Dear Pursuit 2bhappy,

Your problem is a very common one shared by both men and women, even professing Christians. Your problem isn’t with masturbation per sé. Your problem is fundamentally an issue of the heart, (Matt. 5:24,12:34); a heart that “is desperately wicked and decietful above all else.” (Jer. 17:9). If you find yourself continualy falling to that temptation, then you are a servant of sin and you need Jesus the Saviour to break your bondage to sin and to make you free. (John 8:31-36) He is the only one who can do this for you. You CANNOT do it yourself. If you place your hope in anyone or anything other than Jesus to save you from your sin, then you will continue in your bondage. (Acts 4:12)

Read the book of Ephesians over and over. It’s all about our helpless state in ourselves and the matchless power of God to resurrect the soul from spiritual death.

I will pray for you, sir, but you must do the same and cry out to God in constant dependance upon Him ALONE to give the strength you need.

Yours in the Gospel,
Chris
 
Dear Pursuit 2bhappy,

Your problem is a very common one shared by both men and women, even professing Christians. Your problem isn’t with masturbation per sé. Your problem is fundamentally an issue of the heart, (Matt. 5:24,12:34); a heart that “is desperately wicked and decietful above all else.” (Jer. 17:9). If you find yourself continually falling to that temptation, then you are a servant of sin and you need Jesus the Saviour to break your bondage to sin and to make you free. (John 8:31-36) He is the only one who can do this for you. You CANNOT do it yourself. If you place your hope in anyone or anything other than Jesus to save you from your sin, then you will continue in your bondage. (Acts 4:12)

Read the book of Ephesians over and over. It’s all about our helpless state in ourselves and the matchless power of God to resurrect the soul from spiritual death.

I will pray for you, sir, but you must do the same and cry out to God in constant dependence upon Him ALONE to give the strength you need.

Yours in the Gospel,
Chris
 
I have read that story about prostate cancer. Seems reasonable. A sure cure to this is marriage. Just hang in there. Your wife will solve all of your problems in this regard. However, she may cause new problems in other areas of your life. And so it goes.
 
YipYupYep said:
I have read that story about prostate cancer. Seems reasonable. A sure cure to this is marriage. Just hang in there. Your wife will solve all of your problems in this regard. However, she may cause new problems in other areas of your life. And so it goes.
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New problems in other areas of your life?! I can only hope that and pray that marriage will be a blessing! I hope to get married one day and do look forward to it.
 
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