Why does scripture not give any advice regarding masturbation?

[SinfulMan]

Masturbation does not seem from our view to have been a majorly committed sin in their society.

In those days people used to live together. There was the concept of a joint family, so apparently, many people must have stayed in the same house. That also implies that two or more people would have slept in the same room. Masturbation requires privacy. I don’t think they had enough privacy in those days.

 

[Athanasiy]

My answer for this question is that the Christ left the Church and not the Bible.
The Scripture does not gives the answers for too many other questions as well .
That’s the reason that in some protestant churches masturbation is not considered as a sin , just because the Bible is uncertain about this.
So having the Bible as their only source , they decide that if its not directly in the Bible - then its permitted.

Of course this topic is very serious , if we would talk about the teenagers in their strongly impulsive years , or if we would talk about the prisoners or sailors who travel in a long journeys , or soldiers , or the husbands who are forced to be separate from their wifes for a long time…
Some times its easier to confirm theoretically than to follow practically , as I mentioned especially in the young or teenage years when you seems just get mad in your struggle with the body , but the human weakness is not justification for this practice even in the extreme situations .
Masturbation is a sin.
There are the cure against the masturbation , by the God’s help.

But I agree that there must be very careful pastoral advise , if the young people are asking advise by having this problem.
I think the advises must be caring and pastoral , and with understanding , because some people are less impulsive and some are more impulsive.
In my opinion the masturbation is not a bigger sin than the sexual violence , fornication or adultery , but its a sin.
But I agree that the Bible itself does not give any direct advice regarding masturbation , because the Christ left the Church not a book.

 

[Mintaka]

Re: Freud –
“This was 1900. Porn wasn’t an issue.”

Heh! If only!

Pornography predates 1900 by hundreds of centuries, my friend. There’s a whole museum of pagan Roman porn, and Romans certainly didn’t invent the concept.

One of the first uses for photography, for advanced printing processes, and for printing itself (both in Europe and in China where it was invented) was porn. Your local library probably includes some creepy examples in histories of photography or social histories of the “Gilded Age”.

Any time you’re reading a book about Victorian or Edwardian times, and they start talking about “French postcards” or “racy French novels” or “curious illustrations”, they’re talking about porn. And actually, I believe Freud did talk about people who use porn, as part of his books.

Human nature doesn’t change much, and neither does sin.

 

[SFH]

It’s really strange that there is not even a mention of masturbation in scripture, given the fact that it is a mortal sin and almost all people struggle with it. Were the people in those times so pure in mind that they didn’t know what masturbation was? I’m just wondering why scripture doesn’t even mention it. It should have been mentioned in the mosaic law. Were men in those times so chaste?

Actually, there is. Judah’s second son committed the sin of masturbation and God killed him (although it’s unclear whether he was killed for not raising up seed to his brother or for masturbation).

 

[jdnation]

Heh it’s kind of funny, but perhaps we as Catholics are forgetting one thing.

Scripture may not specifically deal a whole lot with masturbation, but perhaps it was Tradition that always taught against it?

For example I can understand why the Bible didn’t deal specifically with it. Particularly the Old Testament. When the OT deals with other sexual sins like adultery, homosexuality etc. it is in the context of the law and includes punishment (usually death). However God knows that while a minority of people would outwardly commit adultery and practice homosexuality… such higns were easy to police and punish… However something like masturbation is perhaps committed by at least everyone, maybe even frequently. It was a sin that would be hard to regulate and simply impractical to have applicable laws and punishments for. So while still considered sinful behavior, God in His mercy will tolerate it more than he would sins like adultery and homosexuality, but Hebrew tradition could still speak out aginst it, and it would be something discussed more privately, men to their sons, women to their daughters. That sort of thing…

We know the story of Onan and Hebrew and Church Tradition certainly still carries the teachings against it. Onan’s sin was not merely disobedience. It was God’s specific judgment against spilling the seed as well. I believe Catholic Answers does have an article that explains this at length. If Onan was merely disobeying honoring his duty, there were already Mosaic laws in place to deal with it that didn’t result in death but public humiliation. However, because he specifically spilled the seed God took his life! This was a much harsher judgment than to simply not fulfil his duty. People took note of this. It was the only time God did that. And the fact that it was mentioned at all was because this was one case where many were aware of what Onan did so God chose this opportune time to make known that He is displeased by the act of wasting the seed.

And to tell you of my own personal experiences with masturbation, I discovered playing with myself as a boy was pleasurable though I didn’t know what sex was or understand why it was so. But at the same time there was some understanding in me that it was related to girls although I had no concept of sex, or what a woman’s body was like or why I would even be interested in that sort of thing. But for some reason thinking about them stimulated me even though I’d never looked at pornography. I suppose there is a sexual awareness that happens for young boys. Some may have it trigger sooner, and others later… It is perhaps a natural inbourne sense that God built into us. At that point of time I wouldn’t have been intentionally committing sin as I had no concept of what I was doing or that it was a sin. But what is amazing is that it was not something I could do out in the open, it was something I would hide and do by myself without realizing the significance of it… so although I didn’t realize it, my conscience was at work and I behaved exactly liek someone who knew what they were doing was shameful. But it was something that had yet to fully occur and register with me. It is the law God imprints onto our hearts! It’s quite amazing now that I think about it!

 

[John_Y]

in short… AMEN!

 

[colliric]

Actually, there is. Judah’s second son committed the sin of masturbation and God killed him (although it’s unclear whether he was killed for not raising up seed to his brother or for masturbation).

Onan i presume? This is not entirly so. He actually committed the more specific sin of Contraception, he engaged in the sexual acts with the widow of his brother, then he pulled out at the last second as he was ejaculating. This is very clear from the text.

It is however actually the same sin, which is specifically that of waisting sperm and therefore denying procreation. To deny procreation of the Human race is an exceptionally serious sin. He was killed for defying God’s will.

It is clear from the narrative that to waist Sperm in anyway is a Sin because it defies God’s will, so Masturbation is clearly the same general Sin.

OF cause all of these sins come from Pride.

 

[patrick457]

Re: Freud –
“This was 1900. Porn wasn’t an issue.”

Heh! If only!

Pornography predates 1900 by hundreds of centuries, my friend. There’s a whole museum of pagan Roman porn, and Romans certainly didn’t invent the concept.

One of the first uses for photography, for advanced printing processes, and for printing itself (both in Europe and in China where it was invented) was porn. Your local library probably includes some creepy examples in histories of photography or social histories of the “Gilded Age”.

Any time you’re reading a book about Victorian or Edwardian times, and they start talking about “French postcards” or “racy French novels” or “curious illustrations”, they’re talking about porn. And actually, I believe Freud did talk about people who use porn, as part of his books.

Human nature doesn’t change much, and neither does sin.

It was certainly known to Ancient Egyptians. The Heliopolitan god Atum was said to have created the god Shu and goddess Tefnut by spitting or by masturbation in the city of Annu (the Egyptian name for Heliopolis), a belief strongly associated with Atum’s nature as an hermaphrodite (hence his name meaning completeness).

 

[James_Miller]

I agree with the OP. The silence of scripture on such a common sin requires a long imaginative explanation.
The best we have seen so far is that it was not punished under Jewish Law as there were not the required witnesses.
One could hope for a better explanation.

 

[Calliso]

I agree with the OP. The silence of scripture on such a common sin requires a long imaginative explanation.
The best we have seen so far is that it was not punished under Jewish Law as there were not the required witnesses.
One could hope for a better explanation.

Yeah and that is also why I personally have strong doubts it is a sin or as strong a sin as some people claim. Considering the fact that God goes out of the way to mention beastality is a sin somehow I would think he would mention masturbation as well. Especially considering not many people want to have sex with animals but most masturbate or want to.

As for people in the past not masturbating or masturbationg less. Well to be fair we donlt really know how much they did it. But I think a couple people pointed out lack of privacy as a reason. Not to mention people often got married in their teens, when puberty hits and sexual thoughts and feelings come around. While people today often have to wait for over a decade after puberty hits.

 

[Princess18]

Re: Freud –
“This was 1900. Porn wasn’t an issue.”

Heh! If only!

Pornography predates 1900 by hundreds of centuries, my friend. There’s a whole museum of pagan Roman porn, and Romans certainly didn’t invent the concept.

One of the first uses for photography, for advanced printing processes, and for printing itself (both in Europe and in China where it was invented) was porn. Your local library probably includes some creepy examples in histories of photography or social histories of the “Gilded Age”.

Any time you’re reading a book about Victorian or Edwardian times, and they start talking about “French postcards” or “racy French novels” or “curious illustrations”, they’re talking about porn. And actually, I believe Freud did talk about people who use porn, as part of his books.

Human nature doesn’t change much, and neither does sin.

I’ll rephrase. Porn wasn’t dripping off of all inanimate objects the way it is now, influencing each and every human who opens his or her eyes. It was quite possible to go through life without viewing anything that was sexually explicit, unlike today.

 

[Claudius]

It’s really strange that there is not even a mention of masturbation in scripture, given the fact that it is a mortal sin and almost all people struggle with it. Were the people in those times so pure in mind that they didn’t know what masturbation was? I’m just wondering why scripture doesn’t even mention it. It should have been mentioned in the mosaic law. Were men in those times so chaste?

two possible answers. Desert people have to live according to certain kinds of diets because some foods that would be healthy in other environments just spoil too fast and kill people in the desert. This was important. so we see a lot about it in the Mosaic law.

Desert people no not usually masturbate that much. Think abou it. It is dry, and sandy and hot and desolate. Did the occasional person masturbate, probably but it was clearly not as prevolent in that culture as it is now. Now, children are being taught to masturbate in school.

The station of women was also a factor. Why would you risk injury by doing that in a dry, hot, and sandy envirionment when you could go and get a woman and do as you liked with her. Much more common and much bigger issue as now more than one person is involved and it was a big enough deal to get into the Bible.

Also, The Bible is not the whole story. Parents drilled morality into their Children and the Jews of the past were very much against touching yourself. It would make you unclean. People knew about this but didn’t need to write about it or talk about it.

Plus, any honest person when they think about it will agree that Masturbation is wrong. The Church teaches that it is wrong even though the Bible does not explicitly say so. We should listen to the Church.

 

[JohnVIII]

I’m just wondering why scripture doesn’t even mention it. It should have been mentioned in the mosaic law.

Genesis 38:9,10

Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD.

 

[chaz0426]

Maybe people are confusing playing with themselves with masturbation. These are two different behaviours.

Of course kids play with themselves (make little puppets out of their body parts, pull on the stretchy parts, etc.), but typically they don’t masturbate (bring themselves to orgasm) until someone else teaches them how.

I wasn’t taught and didn’t even know what I was doing and did it on my own. I was only 12!

I didn’t know it was wrong until a year ago when the habit is pretty much ingrained in me.

It’s a really bad situation and the church sure doesn’t make it easy either.

 

[colliric]

Genesis 38:9,10

Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD.

Yes, it was more generally speaking, the sin of contraception. It is the sin of denying God’s creative will, which is one of the worst and most proudful sins one can commit(it also results in perhaps more serious sins like Murder, Abortion, etc).

It is part and parcel with the sin of Pride(as sins always are). Onan thought he could have his cake and eat it too… and naturally found out that he couldn’t. Masturbation is the same sin too, the sin of wanting to get a sexual high without the ramifications of a child. In such a generalised manner the entire range of immoral sexual sins is very clearly outlawed.

 

[Athanasiy]

Yes, it was more generally speaking, the sin of contraception. It is the sin of denying God’s creative will, which is one of the worst and most proudful sins one can commit(it also results in perhaps more serious sins like Murder, Abortion, etc).

It is part and parcel with the sin of Pride(as sins always are). Onan thought he could have his cake and eat it too… and naturally found out that he couldn’t. Masturbation is the same sin too, the sin of wanting to get a sexual high without the ramifications of a child. In such a generalised manner the entire range of immoral sexual sins is very clearly outlawed.

Colliric , It’s a truth what you are saying .
But we are weak human creatures , and in some life periods , its extremely difficult to overcome your struggle with the body.
I am a Christian from my childhood , and I know and remember that some young teenagers whose parents were not Christians had not survived long in the Community just because they could not bear the hardship of the struggle with the body , and they were in depressions and did not come back to the Community any more , because of the rebellion , the rebellion against God , against the Christian living , against their unlucky spiritual experience.
I think if some one would explain to them then that fornication is much worst sin… , that to leave the community and faith is much worst sin …, then may be now they would be Christian followers and not the people who are indifferent to any spiritual experiences in their life.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

In those days people used to live together. There was the concept of a joint family, so apparently, many people must have stayed in the same house. That also implies that two or more people would have slept in the same room. Masturbation requires privacy. I don’t think they had enough privacy in those days.

True, but having sex with a spouse would probably be louder than masterbating!

 

[colliric]

Colliric , It’s a truth what you are saying .
But we are weak human creatures , and in some life periods , its extremely difficult to overcome your struggle with the body.
I am a Christian from my childhood , and I know and remember that some young teenagers whose parents were not Christians had not survived long in the Community just because they could not bear the hardship of the struggle with the body , and they were in depressions and did not come back to the Community any more , because of the rebellion , the rebellion against God , against the Christian living , against their unlucky spiritual experience.
I think if some one would explain to them then that fornication is much worst sin… , that to leave the community and faith is much worst sin …, then may be now they would be Christian followers and not the people who are indifferent to any spiritual experiences in their life.

yes I see your point.