catapult magazine

If you saw the link to http://www.xxxchurch.com on *cino today, you might have seen the “save the kitten” campaign. It is designed to reduce the practice of masturbation around the world. The Christians responsible for the website talk about the kittens and then give their own take on masturbation, supposedly from a Christian perspective. What do you think of their argument?

I don’t know how sex fits in a structure/direction model. We’re just sexual creatures. I don’t even know if we can think of sexuality in terms of curse or blessing, though I definitely agree with you that it can feel either way, depending on the situation.

I’m glad you brought up the potential problems with thinking of sex as a need to be fulfilled. Such language can start to make sex seem like merely some animalistic act, though we don’t seem so far from the animals when it comes to the desire for being fruitful and multiplying. I do think, like you, that the human version of this “instinct” is also connected with the desire to unite with others. I’m always surprised at how explicitly Paul speaks of our union with Christ in the same proximity as talk of sexual union between man and wife or man with prostitute etc. I don’t think Paul would go further to say that masturbation is anti-community or anti-church, however. There’s always the “circle jerk”, but Paul does not seem to condone this. Rather, he stresses the unitedness of sex more than sex itself. Anyway, I’m just adding to some of the points you’ve already made.

This idea of being ‘pure’ and ‘holy’ is a confusing one. And probably should be, considering the fallen nature of the world.

I had a roomate once who was obsessed with keeping his lifestyle (or the public image of his lifestyle) entirely in the world of absolute truth. The more I talked to him, the more it seemed like the real motivation was to find a way to explain why he had a gaurenteed ticket to heaven, or his idea of heaven.

Hmmm… a creational norm for masterbation… Maybe we can compare it to driving a car down the road, or smoking, or dreaming. Its impossible to do any of these things with ‘absolute purity’, whatever that is. On the other hand, perhaps in its most common form it is something like smoking a cigarette. Which is quite difficult to do obediently. I don’t mean to judge smokers because I’ve always wanted to be one myself, but I think I’m to weak to do it without allowing it to control me.

Maybe one of the issues here is whether or not it is possible to separate masturbation from lust.

Or maybe we should work on a definition of pornography. What exactly is objectification? I’ve heard the arguement that photographs of models depict humans that “aren’t even real”. Well of course their not real. Its amazing what interesting and fantastical perspectives on reality you can acheive with a camera lens and some lighting.

Not to mention botox, silicone and photo manipulation.
I guess I’ve always seen masterbation as a selfish act. Something in which the subject is thinking of themself and their personal physical gratification than anything else.

I suppose you can think of masturbation as selfish if you are withholding from your spouse who has been praying for a child, as in the OT story where God strikes down the sinner who spilled his seed selfishly. But I don’t see a connection to selfishness otherwise.

Other activities that would fit the bill of “thinking of oneself and one’s personal physical gratification more than anything else” would be eating candy, enjoying a sauna, and putting on a jacket before going out into the cold.

Dan, you could have quoted the “I’ve always considered” part as well. That’s okay though. It was witty if not in the vein of my intention.

Sorry Norbert :) How about talking about time management or addiction instead of lust and selfishness? For some people masturbation consumes them (ie. If you masturbate 10 times a day, you don’t have time for much else). If it’s all you think about, then I would guess you’re not living a full life. When speaking of masturbation, can we talk about “all things in moderation”?

Regarding masturbarion as a selfish act in which one thinks of themselves and their physical pleasure: do you feel that that’s wrong or sinful? If so why? Just curious. :)

This is an interesting discussion, and it’s a discussion that should probably happen much more frequently in Christian circles. Issues of sexuality are very difficult, especially because of the taboo that the church / society has traditionally placed on these things. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve heard an honest and frank discussion of sexuality within the church. And i think that’s the key: an honest and frank discussion. The christian community almost always seems to deal with sex in one of two ways — either they treat it as an evil to avoid, or they treat it as an idealized thing wherein you’ll reach some state of magical nirvana on your honeymoon night if and only if you save yourself for your spouse. The first one is obviously false to anybody, but the second one is a bit more insidious. Many people (even those that aren’t particularly naive about sex) are led to have unhealthy expectations about how wonderful the sex will be on their honeymoon. The reason that these expectations are unhealthy is because sex is a very integral part of a marriage relationship, and if you had expected it to be a magical experience and it turns out to be rotten, it can lead you to question a lot of other things within that relationship. (and trust me, if you decide to abstain until marriage, you’re much more likely to have a rotten experience than a magical one).

So what does this all have to do with masturbation? Well, I tend to view masturbation in a somewhat practical way. Sex takes work. Sex takes practice. In order for it to be a pleasurable experience for both people, you have to understand your partner. But how do you really know your partner? Well, there’s always trial-and-error, but that often creates more frustration than anything else. A better option is to have your partner teach you. And (assuming a monogamous relationship), the only way for your partner to really know him/herself is through some form of “self-discovery”.

This is not to say that there aren’t problems or dangers associated with masturbation, but I think it’s a mistake to write it off as a sin without considering the possible benefits it can have even within a God-honoring marriage relationship.