Expert: Brenda Martin - 4/8/2009

Question
Is it a sin to masturbate. Because in the bible there is no scripture or commandment saying we can't do it. and also, if the 4th commandment says keep the 7th day holy(Sabbath/Saturday), why is it that most christians go on the 1st (which is sunday) ??

Answer
"Is it a sin to masturbate"

I quote from a book entitled "QUESTIONS YOUNG PEOPLE ASK, ANSWERS THAT WORK"

"Since masturbation is not directly condemned in the Bible, does this mean it is harmless? Absolutely not! Though it is not classed with such gross sins as fornication, masturbation is surely an unclean habit. (Ephesians 4:19) The principles of God’s Word thus indicate that you “benefit yourself” by strongly resisting this unclean habit.—Isaiah 48:17.

Arousing “Sexual Appetite”

“Deaden, therefore, your body members,” urges the Bible, “as respects . . . sexual appetite.” (Colossians 3:5) “Sexual appetite” refers not to normal sexual feelings but to passion that is out of control. Such “sexual appetite” can thus lead to one’s indulging in gross acts, as described by Paul at Romans 1:26, 27.

But does not masturbation “deaden” these desires? No, on the contrary, as one youth confessed: “When you masturbate, you dwell mentally on wrong desires, and all that does is increase your appetite for them.” Often an immoral fantasy is used to increase the sexual pleasure. (Matthew 5:27, 28) Therefore, given the right circumstances, one could easily fall into immorality. This happened to one youth, who admits: “At one time, I felt that masturbation could relieve frustration without my getting involved with a female. Yet I developed an overpowering desire to do so.” He committed fornication. Not surprisingly, a nationwide study revealed that the majority of adolescents who masturbated were also committing fornication. They outnumbered those who were virgins by 50 percent!

Mentally and Emotionally Defiling

Masturbation also instills certain attitudes that are mentally corrupting. (Compare 2 Corinthians 11:3.) When masturbating, a person is immersed in his or her own bodily sensations—totally self-centered. Sex becomes separated from love and is relegated to a reflex that releases tension. But God intended that sexual desires be satisfied in sexual relations—an expression of love between a man and his wife.—Proverbs 5:15-19.

A masturbator may also tend to view the opposite sex as mere sex objects—tools for sexual satisfaction. Wrong attitudes taught by masturbation thus defile one’s “spirit,” or dominant mental inclination. In some cases, the problems caused by masturbation persist even after marriage! For good reason, God’s Word urges: “Beloved ones, let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit.”—2 Corinthians 7:1."

for further information or to ask for this book free of charge, go to www.watchtower.org
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2. "keep the 7th day holy(Sabbath/Saturday)most christians go on the 1st (which is sunday)?"

"From a Saturday to a Sunday Sabbath"

“Sundays will be kept for serving God devoutly.” Such is the Fourth Commandment on the Sabbath as presented by the Catholic Church. The French Catéchisme pour adultes explains: “The Christian Sunday is celebrated the day after the Sabbath: on the eighth day, that is to say, the first day of the new creation. It adopts the essential elements of the Sabbath but is centered on Christ’s Passover.” How did this changeover from a Saturday to a Sunday sabbath come about?

Even though Sunday was the day on which Jesus was resurrected, for early Christians it was a workday like any other. But a decision by a Laodicean church council (mid-to-late fourth century C.E.) reveals that with the passing of time, the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday was replaced by a “Christian” sabbath on Sunday. This canon “forbade Christians to Judaize and to be idle on the day of the [Jewish] Sabbath, and the Lord’s day [the day of the week on which he was resurrected] was to be honored in a Christian way.” From then on Christendom’s adherents had to work on Saturdays and refrain from work on Sundays. Later, they were required to attend Mass on Sunday.

With the backing of the secular authorities, work on Sundays was soon prohibited throughout Christendom. From the sixth century onward, transgressors were fined or whipped, and their oxen could be confiscated. On occasion, unrepentant sinners could be reduced to servitude.

A Non-Scriptural Stand

Centuries before however several Church Fathers, and Augustine in particular, rightly declared that the Sabbath was a temporary arrangement reserved for the Jews. So doing, those Church Fathers simply adopted what the Christian Greek Scriptures explain, namely, that the Sabbath is an integral part of the Law covenant that was abolished by Jesus’ sacrifice.—Romans 6:14; 7:6; 10:4; Galatians 3:10-14, 24, 25.

That being the case; Christians are not obliged to observe a weekly day of rest,on Saturday or Sunday.

all the best
Brenda