My doctor told me Masturbation is healthy, normal and good

[Hobbes42]

I suppose if someone doesn’t agree with QuasiCatholic, then they absolutely can’t have migraines

Babbling about sexual activity being correlated to migraine relief, that’s a new one…

“Doctor said if slitting my wrists helps with my depression to do it”

Some things are not an option no matter what.

I get really, really, really bad migraines. Sometimes so bad I beg those nearby to put a bullet through my skull. That wouldn’t make it ok to eat a pistol barrel though.

Morality isn’t subjective. Funny thing about it, it’s quite objective.

 

[QuasiCatholic]

I suppose if someone doesn’t agree with QuasiCatholic, then they absolutely can’t have migraines
.

I just found it hard to believe that anyone who had experienced a migraine would suggest trying to exercise while you have one, since that would be almost impossible.

And I still haven’t heard anyone explain how using masturbation to relieve migraines is any different than using the Pill to treat PCOS. Both are mortal sins normally. Both are one option among many for treating a non-life-threatening condition. So why would one be medically OK, and one not?

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Shouldn’t Catholics be afraid of Hell? After all, to be in hell means that you are punished by fire for all eternity with no hope of ever reaching heaven?

Fear Hell, yes

But for most who struggle with masturbation we 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."

See first post here, for example:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=923670

 

[Mulligan2]

Brilliant point. If one applies the logic of immoral acts yielding a benefit (or at least not causing an immediate tangible harm) to just about any other sphere of life, the absurdity is readily apparent. When people start thinking with their genetalia however, they become oblivious to the stupidity.

The analogy is illogical. Stealing affects someone else - i.e. the person who was stolen from. Masturbation does not.

 

[Scottgun]

I just found it hard to believe that anyone who had experienced a migraine would suggest trying to exercise while you have one, since that would be almost impossible.

And I still haven’t heard anyone explain how using masturbation to relieve migraines is any different than using the Pill to treat PCOS. Both are mortal sins normally. Both are one option among many for treating a non-life-threatening condition. So why would one be medically OK, and one not?

Because masturbation is an evil act in and of itself. Taking a pill is morally neutral in and of itself. I’d also be leery of thinking that one is free and clear to take pills with contraceptive effects if they have a condition. One should do due diligence and seek out means to treat disease without destroying fertility. If it is still not possible, it is licit under the principle of double effect. Double effect does not apply to masturbation because it is intrinsically disordered. The modern age is afflicted with a mental scotosis called consequentialism. When that is rejected, moral clarity is actually quite straightforward.

 

[Scottgun]

The analogy is illogical. Stealing affects someone else - i.e. the person who was stolen from. Masturbation does not.

The analogy is meant to demonstrate that the ends do not justify the means, on that score it’s perfectly valid. The no harm to anyone philosophy is arbitrary.

 

[bisco]

I just found it hard to believe that anyone who had experienced a migraine would suggest trying to exercise while you have one, since that would be almost impossible.

And I still haven’t heard anyone explain how using masturbation to relieve migraines is any different than using the Pill to treat PCOS. Both are mortal sins normally. Both are one option among many for treating a non-life-threatening condition. So why would one be medically OK, and one not?

to be honest, i don’t know the churches stance on PCOS. can you enlighten us with a link?

 

[bisco]

The analogy is illogical. Stealing affects someone else - i.e. the person who was stolen from. Masturbation does not.

masturbation hurts God. do you find that a thing of little importance?

 

[Mulligan2]

masturbation hurts God. do you find that a thing of little importance?

I’ll answer your tangential question this way: If my neighbor steals something from me, I would be upset. If my neighbors masturbates, that is of no concern to me.

 

[Pius_Joung]

I was in the confessional the other day, and the priest was telling me that it was a sin, but not mortal, as humans are designed by God to explore their own sexuality. It states in Youcat that it is not demonized to masturbate.
In reality, while one should avoid it, as much as one can, it is clear that blaming oneself constantly for a natural action may be wrong.
We live in a sexualised world, and we as Catholics must work to reverse this sexualisation. However, we are members of the human race, created by God. We are in the image of God. It is therefore necessary not to suppress our nature.

 

[underacloud]

Masturbation is a sin because it turns the gift of sexuality inward. It makes sex selfish instead of giving, makes it all about you, instead of what you give to another person in marriage.

We tend to be very, very good about justifying selfishness to ourselves because of perceived benefits. But there aren’t benefits to being selfish people in the long run. Selfish people may get what they want in the moment, but they tend to only want shallow, superficial things, and drive away loving relationships, which is what we need most.

There are so many threads here on CAF and elsewhere where people despair because they feel like they can’t connect sexually with their spouse because their spouse has “fine-tuned” their sexual preferences through years of masturbation and/or pornography use. Their spouse can never compare, especially because to connect with the spouse requires a gift or sacrifice. If you’re used to sex just how you want it, with no communication about needs or wants, no vulnerability, no sacrifice - you’re missing out on one of the best aspects of sexuality.

Yes, well said. This very much echoes what CS Lewis had to say about masturbation, which is I think the best description I have read as to why it is wrong:

For me the real evil of masturbation would be that it takes an appetite which, in lawful use, leads the individual out of himself to complete (and correct) his own personality in that of another (and finally in children and even grandchildren) and turns it back: sends the man back into the prison of himself, there to keep a harem of imaginary brides. And this harem, once admitted, works against his ever getting out and really uniting with a real woman. For the harem is always accessible, always subservient, calls for no sacrifices or adjustments, and can be endowed with erotic and psychological attractions which no real woman can rival. Among those shadowy brides he is always adored, always the perfect lover: no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification ever imposed on his vanity. In the end, they become merely the medium through which he increasingly adores himself…. And it is not only the faculty of love which is thus sterilized, forced back on itself, but also the faculty of imagination.

The true exercise of imagination, in my view, is (a) To help us to understand other people (b) To respond to, and, some of us, to produce, art. But it has also a bad use: to provide for us, in shadowy form, a substitute for virtues, successes, distinctions etc. which ought to be sought outside in the real world—e.g. picturing all I’d do if I were rich instead of earning and saving. Masturbation involves this abuse of imagination in erotic matters (which I think bad in itself) and thereby encourages a similar abuse of it in all spheres. After all, almost the main work of life is to come out of our selves, out of the little, dark prison we are all born in. Masturbation is to be avoided as all things are to be avoided which retard this process. The danger is that of coming to love the prison.

 

[bisco]

I’ll answer your tangential question this way: If my neighbor steals something from me, I would be upset. If my neighbors masturbates, that is of no concern to me.

then you are more concrned about your ‘stuff’ than your neighbor’s eternal destiny?

 

[bisco]

I was in the confessional the other day, and the priest was telling me that it was a sin, but not mortal, as humans are designed by God to explore their own sexuality. It states in Youcat that it is not demonized to masturbate.
In reality, while one should avoid it, as much as one can, it is clear that blaming oneself constantly for a natural action may be wrong.
We live in a sexualised world, and we as Catholics must work to reverse this sexualisation. However, we are members of the human race, created by God. We are in the image of God. It is therefore necessary not to suppress our nature.

i’m sorry, but you are clearly unfamiliar with catholic teaching. masturbation is a mortal sin. if you commit it, and you confess and are truly repentant, you are forgiven. God did not design you to ‘explore your sexuality’, although, satan would have you believe that.

 

[on_the_hill]

then you are more concrned about your ‘stuff’ than your neighbor’s eternal destiny?

That’s a silly point to make.

Yes. I am more concerned about having my house broken into than I am if my neighbor masturbates. Of course I am.

Do you lock your doors at night? Why?

I don’t get migraines, but my wife does. One time she was hospitalized for three days because of it. Believe me, if masturbation worked (and I have no idea whether or not it does) I’m 100% certain God would rather people masturbate than pump their bodies full of addictive pain pills.

And I’m done with this thread. It’s useless to try to communicate sensibly with people who refuse to open their eyes and see real life.

Let’s see…(assuming masturbation works)…you can masturbate, or you can take an opioid analgesic that can lead to addiction before the first prescription runs out. Then you can lose your family, your job, and end up in a homeless shelter. And that can happen within a matter of weeks.

I don’t know how serious masturbation is. I do know, in tangible, real-life terms that heavy pain medications kill people.

And I’m done with this thread. It’s useless.

 

[Mulligan2]

then you are more concrned about your ‘stuff’ than your neighbor’s eternal destiny?

Stealing is a public concern. Masturbation is not. I’ll leave it at that.

 

[garyo49]

…and I do see his point. Could this be a bridge to unite Catholics and other religions from reconsidering this as a sin? I do think so. From logical points:

1. All polls I researched show 90-98% of boys/young men masturbate.
   from WebMD:

Is Masturbation Harmful?

In general, the medical community considers masturbation to be a natural and harmless expression of sexuality for both men and women. It does not cause any physical injury or harm to the body, and can be performed in moderation throughout a person’s lifetime as a part of normal sexual behavior. Some cultures and religions oppose masturbation or even label it as sinful. This can lead to guilt or shame about the behavior.

Some experts suggest that masturbation can actually improve sexual health and relationships. By exploring your own body through masturbation, you can determine what is erotically pleasing to you and can share this with your partner. Some partners use mutual masturbation to discover techniques for a more satisfying sexual relationship and to add to their mutual intimacy.

so my question is, why do so many NonCatholics and now even Catholics consider masturbation normal and not a sin?

I ask this is all honesty, and really do want to engage in a debate. However, I feel this thread will be erased and myself banned. I ask for compassion and dialogue.
thank you.

I think I would go with what the Church and the Lord teaches.

 

[bisco]

That’s a silly point to make.

Yes. I am more concerned about having my house broken into than I am if my neighbor masturbates. Of course I am.

Do you lock your doors at night? Why?

I don’t get migraines, but my wife does. One time she was hospitalized for three days because of it. Believe me, if masturbation worked (and I have no idea whether or not it does) I’m 100% certain God would rather people masturbate than pump their bodies full of addictive pain pills.

And I’m done with this thread. It’s useless to try to communicate sensibly with people who refuse to open their eyes and see real life.

Let’s see…(assuming masturbation works)…you can masturbate, or you can take an opioid analgesic that can lead to addiction before the first prescription runs out. Then you can lose your family, your job, and end up in a homeless shelter. And that can happen within a matter of weeks.

I don’t know how serious masturbation is. I do know, in tangible, real-life terms that heavy pain medications kill people.

And I’m done with this thread. It’s useless.

agreed. you don’t know how serious masturbating is. pain medication is a wonderful blessing and approved by the church.

 

[bisco]

should we add marijuana brownies to the medically recommended list?

 

[Tomdstone]

pain medication is a wonderful blessing and approved by the church.

Some pain medications can be addictive ahd deadly.

 

[bisco]

no argument. many blessings from God can be twisted and used for evil.