Masturbation website or book

[John_of_Woking]

wabrams:

the kitten picture is the most hilarious thing i’ve seen today. thanks, i needed the laugh.

There are kittens constantly being killed where I live, trying to cross the busy road. All I can say is

It wasn’t me

 

[Felicity]

And now for something completely different: scripture. In Mark 9:47-48, Christ says, " If your hand is your difficulty, cut it off! Better for you to enter life maimed than to keep both hands and enter Genenna with its unquenchable fire. If your foot is your undoing, cut it off! Better for you to enter life crippled than to be thrown into Gehenna with both feet. If your eye is your downfall, tear it out! Better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown with both eyes into the Gehenna where ‘the worm dies not and the fire is never extinguished.’"

I doubt if Christ thought people would start maiming themselves after he said this. Rather, I think he said this to people who tried to “compartmentalize” themselves. “I’m a good Christian, I just have this addiction. It’s not me, it’s my fallen nature.” We are each one package. If you feel you have an addiction, okay, then get MORE help than you might if you feel you ‘only’ have a bad habit. But either way, I think this passage dovetails with SevenSorrows’ point: when you understand God’s perspective (rather than the world’s ‘Dr. Ruth’ perspective) on sex, on your body, on taking up your cross daily and on Christ’s love for you (and all he did), change can be expedited greatly.

 

[Steve_Girone]

It will end when prayer and the Sacraments intervene. Daily Mass (and worthy reception of the Eucharist), frequent Confession and prayer, prayer and more prayer will help. Ask the Blessed Mother to help and call on her when the urge strikes. The devil cannot overcome you when you call on your Mother. Repeat the Hail Mary over and over until the moment passes.

Oh yeah… and avoid those near occassions too.

 

[Seven_Sorrows]

Felicity:

And now for something completely different: scripture. In Mark 9:47-48, Christ says, " If your hand is your difficulty, cut it off! Better for you to enter life maimed than to keep both hands and enter Genenna with its unquenchable fire. If your foot is your undoing, cut it off! Better for you to enter life crippled than to be thrown into Gehenna with both feet. If your eye is your downfall, tear it out! Better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown with both eyes into the Gehenna where ‘the worm dies not and the fire is never extinguished.’"

I doubt if Christ thought people would start maiming themselves after he said this. Rather, I think he said this to people who tried to “compartmentalize” themselves. “I’m a good Christian, I just have this addiction. It’s not me, it’s my fallen nature.” We are each one package. If you feel you have an addiction, okay, then get MORE help than you might if you feel you ‘only’ have a bad habit. But either way, I think this passage dovetails with SevenSorrows’ point: when you understand God’s perspective (rather than the world’s ‘Dr. Ruth’ perspective) on sex, on your body, on taking up your cross daily and on Christ’s love for you (and all he did), change can be expedited greatly.

Right on, that is what I am saying. If you love God, you will do ANYTHING to keep yourself close to him. If cutting off your hand is TRULY the only way you can stop, then cut it off! Better to have no hand, then to burn in hell. But people will think I am crazy and just keep making excuses like felicity said. Once again, if you wanted to stop, you could. You may have to go to something extreme to do it, but like Jesus was saying, better to go extreme than to burn in hell.

 

[Pug]

Pinklady:

Is it possible to … um … pleasure yourself (I’m sorry, the word “masturbate” embarasses me) WITHOUT your full consent?

Yes, most any sin can be mitigated by lack of full consent and self pleasure is one of them.

Just imagine if your head were filled with nasty images for days and days, you are getting little sleep and can no longer think straight. You just want it to stop and you just want things to seem a bit normal for a few days. You want to get some sleep and you want to be able to talk to your friends without grotesque images popping up in your head. You know perfectly well if you give in and do it, then it will all go away and leave you alone for a bit. It is no stretch to see why a person gives in so they can have some peace for a few days.

I don’t think that full consent is always involved if you are practically tortured into giving in. People who haven’t slept well and haven’t had a normal conversation or a pleasant thought in days are probably not thinking straight even if they want to.

 

[swimstud]

Thank you everyone for your help. You have helped me realize what I am doing. The “imagine the saints and Mary are watching you” and " cut off your hand" suggestions really got to me. And thank you all who were sensitive toward me. I never wanted to ask for help because I thought people would just say that it was a dirty sin an look the other way not considering that it could be hard for someone to stop.

 

[Stephen-Maguire]

swimstud:

I read in one thread that most people here are sick of helping people with this sin so all that I am asking is if you know of any websites or books that can help people trying to break the sin of masturbation.

I have heard time and time again that it is a mortal sin but need answers as to why. I even have a book saying that it could not be a mortal sin in some cases.

*Outlines of the Catholic Faith *
published by the leaflet missal company
Imprimatur bu Harry J. Flynn, D.D. - Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
It is listed as a sin(mortal or venial I do not know): a. At least in some cases, the moral guilt associate with this sin is lessened by various factors.
b. The priest-confessor makes such an evaluation when the penitent confesses this sin.

Does this mean that the priest can decide if masturbation is mortal or venial under the circumstances?

home.att.net/~eucharistic/Binding.html I can only suggest you visit this website and say some of the prayers.

And renew them a few times each week.

 

[chicago]

Seven Sorrows:

Oh yeah, one thing that helped for me…even you are going to, or if you started doing it…think about all the people in heaven watching you…grandma, Mary, St. Peter, Mother Teresa…just picture what Jesus and Mary are feeling when you do it…they are crying for you. That kinda kills the mood.

As regards mood killers, I once heard it suggested that singing the theme song to Sesame Street will kill any wrongful sexual thoughts.

 

[JMJ_Pinoy]

chicago:

As regards mood killers, I once heard it suggested that singing the theme song to Sesame Street will kill any wrongful sexual thoughts.

 

[Starflower]

If you image a persons brain who has addiction you get patterns. Sex addiction changes brain pattern.Masturbation can be a form of OCD and a person can have scruples, false conscience. It takes a regular confessor and a therapist to solve the problem. The kitten picture funny, the caption was disgusting.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

swimstud:

Thank you everyone for your help. You have helped me realize what I am doing. The “imagine the saints and Mary are watching you” and " cut off your hand" suggestions really got to me. And thank you all who were sensitive toward me. I never wanted to ask for help because I thought people would just say that it was a dirty sin an look the other way not considering that it could be hard for someone to stop.

Dear swimstud,

I realize how the Mary and the Saints suggestion might not help, because that just increases the guilt. That said, the Rosie O’Donnell poster, now…

In another thread I think I was thought of as being flippant when I suggested that one must actually “want” to quit. I was not. It isn’t a matter of getting control over the flesh as much as losing the desire of the flesh. It’s hard to describe but I tried to do it this morning in that thread, which is at:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=21935

The short answer is: the problem can be solved, and when it is it may seem almost strange to remember the days back before it was solved.

Alan

 

[Reformed_Rob]

Seven Sorrows,

That bit about the kittens is exactly what I needed!!! Thanks!! I’m going to give it to all my guy friends. Well, the Christian ones who can take a joke at least!!

Seriously though, I remember that St. Augustine said in his work “On Nature and Grace” (I think that’s where I read it) that prayer in time of temptation is one of the surest ways to overcome the temptation. Prayer itself is a sign of grace in your soul.

And that makes sense, doesn’t it
**A **-- How many times have you been tempted by some lustful something, prayed fervently, and then gone on and been carried away to sin?

 **B** -- How many times have you been tempted by some lustful something, not prayed fervently (or at all), and then gone on and been carried away to sin?

I would bet that **A<B

**Perhaps meditate on Christ’s temptation by Satan immediately following His baptism. The deck was stacked so to speak against Him, all in Satan’s favor. Yet He overcame. He was the victor against satan’s schemes, and the devil went away until a more convenient time.

 

[Reformed_Rob]

swimstud:

I read in one thread that most people here are sick of helping people with this sin so all that I am asking is if you know of any websites or books that can help people trying to break the sin of masturbation.

Yes, there is a book a friend of mine has read about worship, and I can’t remember the name of it, but it addressed what you’ve brought up. I’ll try to get the name and author for you. Man, why can’t I remember it? I haven’t read it, but he read it and said it was excellent regarding overcoming masturbation.

 

[kmktexas]

You may want to try

Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity:
Straight Talk with Men about Love and Life

It’s a CD by Christopher West