Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 7/25/2008

Question
Is masturbation against Catholic religion? How does the church look at masturbation?

Answer
Dear Jesse,

Thank you for your question about masturbation. I'm not a Catholic, so I don't know what the church teaches on this subject. but I know many Biblical principles that apply to this practice.

I wrote an article about it some years ago, and, even though it is rather long, I'm going to print it out here. Be sure to read it all the way to the end, as there are three examples of actual people who had this problem and how it affected their lives.

Jesse, Perhaps something in this article can be of help to you. It's not a matter of what the church feels about masturbation: It's a matter   of how God feels about it. Choose God's way and you'll never be wrong.

If you have further questions, feel free to write me at my private address: Thurman@PettyPress.com.

Also check out my web site to read one or two of my books. www.PettyPress.com

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
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IS MASTURBATION A SIN?

This is a loaded question, as it speaks to nearly everyone at one time or another. I'd guess that 90% or better of all men have done it at one time and another, and a good percentage of women as well. And I don't know of any Bible text to quote that speaks against it per se.

I think that there are a number of Biblical principles that could be applied, however. I'll quote these and then give examples of three people I know whose lives have been touched by it, with greater or lesser consequences.

Jesus presented a principle that would apply to this practice:

Mat 5:27  "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
Mat 5:28  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

This counsel applies equally to both sexes, as there are many women who lust after men. Lust leads to various spiritual, emotional, and physical actions. Lust destroys the relationship between God and the one who lusts. Lust becomes an obsession with the one who lets it take over the mind. Lust can lead to outward flirtation, seduction, and adultery. Lust, short of outward adultery, can lead to masturbation, as the "coward" mentally lives out the actions he/she wish they could take.

Job gives personal counsel that could prevent lust before it starts:

Job 31:1  "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

"In the cities of the world today, sexual indulgence is brazenly advertised as a normal aspect of human existence. Television programs, films, magazines, newspapers, theatrical performances, and billboard ads capitalize on the human fascination with physical beauty and sexual satisfaction. For the masses of humanity, long gone is the biblical principle that sex is a gift of God to be exercised only within a happy marriage. Long gone is the principle taught by Jesus that covetous thought regarding the opposite sex is sin." SSLQ October 24, 2000

So the kind of things that a person reads, hears, views, can have the effect of producing lust in the heart, causing--whatever.

Paul gives counsel that bears upon this as well:

Rom 12:1  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God  this is your spiritual act of worship.
Rom 12:2  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed* by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is  his good, pleasing and perfect will.
*"The Greek verb translated "transformed" comes from the same verb used in Mark 9:2, when Jesus was 'transfigured.' . . . [God] desires to so renew our minds that the glory of the Lord will shine through us." SSLQ Intro July 9 15, 2005

"The apostle Paul points to these sacrifices as an illustration of what the followers of Christ are to become.

"We are to give ourselves to the service of God, and we should seek to make the offering as nearly perfect as possible. . . . God will not be pleased with anything less than the best we can offer. Those who love Him with all the heart, will desire to give Him the best service of the life, and they will be constantly seeking to bring every power of their being into harmony with the laws that will promote their ability to do His will."  {PP 352.3}

"Christ presented before His disciples the far reaching principles of the law of God. [Matt. 5]. He taught His hearers that the law was transgressed by the thoughts before the evil desire was carried out in actual commission. We are under obligation to control our thoughts, and to bring them into subjection to the law of God. The noble powers of the mind have been given to us by the Lord, that we may employ them in contemplating heavenly things. God has made abundant provision that the soul may make continual progression in the divine life. . . ." 3 BC, p. 1145. (EGW)

"Even after we have received Jesus as Savior and Lord, it is still possible to become distracted by a multitude of earthly attractions. We easily can become preoccupied with things of secondary importance and forget we are called to [keep] our minds on things above, not on things on the earth. After all, we physically live on the earth; we are constantly surrounded by things of the earth. And, indeed, many things of the earth are not, in and of themselves, bad (see Gen. 1:31). The key is to learn to know the difference." SSLQ July 12, 2005

Another counsel from Paul:

Col 3:2  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Again:

2 Cor 10:5  "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing [of the] soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (That's the way Jesus kept from sinning.)

Isaiah lands on the same pad:

Isa 55:6  Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

David offers additional counsel:

Psa 119:9  How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

"It is by sinful indulgence that men give Satan access to their minds, and they go from one stage of wickedness to another. The rejection of light darkens the mind and hardens the heart, so that it is easier for them to take the next step in sin and to reject still clearer light, until at last their habits of wrongdoing become fixed. Sin ceases to appear sinful to them." PP 404.2

Solomon explains:

Eccl 12:1  Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"  

(Most of the texts that apply to homosexual behavior can also be applied to masturbation--except that there is, physically, no second party. Refer to www.PettyPress.com/Writings/Special Assignment.

Examples

Let me give you 3 examples of people caught up with masturbation, two of which, I know, have repented and forsaken the practice. (All the names have been changed.)

Joe:

Joe married a beautiful young lady and their life seemed idyllic. However, Joe, secretly at first, pored over the latest Playboy magazine, and masturbated frequently. When he and his wife were together, it often took him a long time (sometimes more than an hour) to achieve orgasm, much to the exhaustion of his wife.

The marriage lasted for only about 5 years, until one day Joe came home from work and announced: "I don't want to be married anymore."

Joe's wife went into mental/emotional shock. And, after Joe brought her the divorce papers to sign, good friends insisted that she enter the psychiatric ward of the hospital, fearing that she might do herself harm.

Joe's ex-wife grieved for over a year, until she met a wonderful Christian young man. They have been married for 13 years and have three beautiful children.

Joe went back to school, and years later married again. I have no knowledge of his history beyond that.

Steve:

Steve had several homosexual experiences in his early puberty. These were really no more than the childish exploration of sex, for he soon became interested in girls. But his learned behavior of masturbation had already become an addiction.

Year after year, day after day, as he continued into his teens, Steve fought the addiction, even as an alcoholic fights his. He entered a Christian college, hoping that the atmosphere would be of help. But nothing seemed to work. He prayed for healing, but even in his prayers, as he described his need to God, the very verbalizing of the practice strengthened the mental pathways and made the habit worse.

As Steve became desperate--he had already met a woman with whom he was madly in love and wanted to be his wife--and he wanted to be rid of the anchor chain that drug him down.

Embarrassment waved aside, he sought counsel from a minister who preached during a week of prayer.

"I need special prayer that I might gain the victory over a habit." (Even now he hesitated to name it)

'You've already gained the victory," the preacher said. "Christ gained it for you in His life and death on the cross. All you have to do is to accept it, and it's yours." The man paused for a moment, while the concept sank into Steve's consciousness. "Will you accept it?"

Steve's mind reeled. Christ can give me victory, he thought. Of course I want it . . . "Yes!" he blurted out. "Yes, I'll accept it!"

"Then it's yours. Now, let's pray."

Steve-s conscience took hold in faith, and he was immediately free from his anchor chain. He married his sweetheart within 3 months.

Steve has regressed into the addiction several times over the past 40 years, but each time he came to his senses and God gave him victory again . . . and again.

Lori

Lori had been abused by her stepfather several times during her childhood. The experience left deep, unconscious scars in her life. Only later in life did she realize their existence

She attended a Christian college for the stated purpose (actually written on her application) of finding a Christian husband. She found her man, and in 14 months they married. At that time, she withdrew from college and worked to put her husband through. At his graduation, he gave her a certificate of PhT--Pushing Hubby Through.

Lori and her husband had frequent difficulties in their sexual lives. They seldom seemed to "make it" together--either one or the other wanted to have sex and the other didn't. Both had pre-existing problems that made it difficult for their married life together. The only things that kept them together were: They both believed that a vow to marry is a lifetime commitment, so there was no place in their lives for divorce; and they were the best of friends--even when they had "fallen" out of love, their friendship held them together.

Lori discovered that, when her husband was away for lengthy journeys, or didn't want to make love to her for extended times, she could get physical relief via masturbation. When her husband became impotent, because of his medication, she found relief, from time to time, through this method. But she never really felt right about it. Occasionally she would have dreams that would heighten her desire, and, upon awakening, she found relief through masturbation.

One day, Lori prayed: "Lord, I'm not sure this is right, or if it's your will that I do this. You know that I have dreams that arouse me, and I can only find relief this way." She paused in her prayer. Then: "Lord, if this is wrong, if this is not your will, please take away the dreams that arouse me, so I won't feel a need of it."

Lori never again had any of the arousing dreams. Thus she believed that what she had concluded--that masturbation was wrong--and that it was really the Holy Spirit prodding her conscience. She's happy to be rid of the offending practice.