Gentlemen,<br><br>Looks like I am the one taking the bull by the horns (no metaphor intended). Please be patient while I answer a little at a time.<br><br>Most importantly, please know that I appreciate and respect all of you as brothers in Lord and continue to do so. I hope that my answers bear that spirit – they are intended to do so. <br><br>Kyle<br>The body also reabsorbs unemitted sperm cells.<br>>>True; however, my focus is on the build up of semen in the prostate gland – there is no neat re-absorption there.<br><br> But, I've yet to encounter anything that says that nocturnal emissions simply do not occur in some people<br>>>The other guys can comment but I have probably had two in my 45 year life (despite not having ejaculated for some weeks at a time and being in QUITE great pain)<br><br>and certainly nothing that presents masturbation as a requirement for sexual health for anyone.<br>>>I think honest reflection of experience shows that ejaculation is a requirement regardless of how it is accomplished.<br><br>Please understand that I am not saying that I do not masturbate---I am weak in this area along with many men, but it's none the less something that is not pleasing to God.<br>>>I appreciate your honesty. I think it is not weakness but natural which is why so many men seem to have “trouble” in this area – they are fighting the natural function of their own body. Their body was made by God – therefore, it is acceptable to the Lord. Sadly, the sexually dysfunctional culture of celibacy popularized by the Roman Catholic Church has caused so much bondage for the people of God. I hope to help end it. <br><br>In masturbation you necessarily touch yourself so as to achieve orgasm and emission thereby. How is this anything other than sexual self-gratification? Is it asexual or does it involve another person? Is it not gratifying?<br>>>Kyle et. al. – First, we have to get over the problem of gratification (self or otherwise). Pleasure/self gratification in itself is not evil (God gave us the means to experience it!!). You and I know that we gratify ourselves all the time. We choose the foods we eat, the jobs we do, the clothes we wear to gratify ourselves (well, some guys miss out on the clothes part…) – I will bet each of you has eaten ice-cream or cookies in the last month (probably at church) – what was that behavior? Blatant self gratification! Nothing wrong with pleasuring yourself. God included pleasure centers in many parts of our bodies – enjoy them - BUT don’t abuse them and especially don’t abuse other people with them – that is where sin comes in. I think most of us can easily tell that if we spend hours masturbating every day we are in a VERY wrong place – likewise if I eat ice cream for hours every day or bible reading or praying (vs. taking care of my responsibilities). By the way, I also like to pleasure other people – how? By compliments, by providing emotional support and company and a myriad of other ways (including dancing with women who don’t tend to get a lot of dances – a little ministry of mine). <br><br>Re: Fantasy<br>This is a little more difficult. However, fantasizing is not Lust. Lust means desire (the word has been perverted in our culture to mean sexual reaction or something like that – but that is not what Jesus meant). It is quite easy for one to choose not to desire his neighbor’s wife while masturbating (and not lusting after my neighbor’s wife is very easy!!)<br><br>Kalled<br>"My thinking is, if it makes God mad when someone dishonors their brother in that way, than it makes Him mad as well when we dishonor ourselves in a sexual way."<br>>>You actually argued perfectly against your own conclusion but for some reason you want to hold to it; therefore, this is your personal ethic. If so, you are welcome to do so but please don’t impose it on other people – that is sin. I note you went through a great leap of reasoning in the above statement that is not warranted – in most cases you would not do this but for some reason, in this instance you are doing so. I am not sure why. If you are Kalled (and I sincerely hope you are), you will need to reason much better than this if you are to affect other rational human beings (I am happy to be a sounding board).<br><br>Joe<br>Could I stand before the Throne of God, in front of God himself and do such an act and think not that it was sin? The very thought of this is grotesque.<br><br>Joe, a very simple answer. First, you are right – it does feel a little uncomfortable picturing oneself in this situation – especially with all the angels watching. HOWEVER, if you keep thinking – you will see that EVERY bodily function performed before the throne of God makes us feel quite uncomfortable and feel equally grotesque. But urinating is not sin (unless I missed something somewhere…)). Why? Because these are inappropriate behaviors to be performing before the throne of God. Wrong place! BUT that does NOT make them sin or dishonoring to God! Sex before the throne would make me feel uncomfortable. Yet these are simply normal bodily functions and human behaviors – God made us like this – so really it is something we should be comfortable talking about as natural phenomenon (albeit in an appropriate place like this forum on the subject (not in a Sunday School class of 12 yo girls as example – that would be an inappropriate place).<br><br>Thanks for grasping Gen 38:9.<br><br>Re: Enslaving sin. I don’t believe masturbation needs to be an enslaving sin anymore than eating. You can masturbate/have sex/read the bible to excess or you can engage in these behaviors appropriately.<br><br>Re: Lawful. The very verse you mentioned tells us that all things are lawful. Just don’t be brought into bondage. My point is that masturbation, used by whosoever needs to for physio-psychological release is an appropriate and healthy behavior (those that don’t do so are probably hurt themselves or are not functioning normally). I hate to see people in pain and bondage when they do not need to be in pain and bondage.<br><br>Acts2027<br>“Further, the case files of countless Biblical and Christian Counselors are full of men who are overwhelmed with guilt over this act, which guilt, occurred BEFORE they ever heard a word either way about scriptural denunication of it, indicating that that Guilt is a function of the CONVICTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, not some man imposed system as you imply.”<br><br>>>Actually masturbation is literally condemned by our culture – it has nothing to do with scripture. Likewise, many young women have been very guilty and embarrassed about their menstrual cycle starting (even to the point of suicide – how sad!!). Why? Because most adults don’t have the guts to tell the young people the natural functioning of their own bodies (my dad never even told me about sex) – rather these basic functions are sensed as dirty or something to hide and not talk about (except as “off-color” jokes – which simply exacerbates the problems). Thus there is so much confusion in people’s minds. Clearly the menstrual cycle is a marvelous cleansing process that I for one have great respect for. I think masturbation is roughly analogous.<br><br>Re: your comment that all the sexual deviants masturbated and therefore masturbating must be bad is like saying all the heroin addicts drank milk therefore milk causes heroin addiction. There is a name for this logical fallacy but I cannot remember what it is. There are many godly Christian men who masturbate that are NOT deviants by any stretch of the imagination (likewise many non-Christians do so and they are not deviants – in fact, probably every male has masturbated several times in his life and 95 – 98% of males at least are not deviants in these kinds of ways).<br><br>The Answer<br>Take it before the Lord. After all, not our minds and reasoning, but His Spirit is supposed to be our Guide – open to the Lord to allow His Spirit to work in you. Don’t impose your ethic on Him – let Him transform you into the person He wants you to be. If He takes away the need for release – then that takes care of it. You do not have a need to masturbate for release (I leave the pleasure part up to your conscience). If He does not, then do what is necessary to get the release. Simple.<br><br>Agape and Peace in Christ,<br>Greg<br>
