by Benjamin Lloyd

Created on: May 20, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

For some people, masturbation before or after marriage is a sin. I personally do not believe this is so. But let's see what the Bible says about this touchy subject.

In Leviticus 15:16-17 we read, "And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even."

This simply states that if you masturbate, then you must wash your entire body and any clothing which comes into contact with the semen. You will be dirty that evening only, but you are a clean person the very next day. Nothing wrong with that.

For most sins, God gives us a punishment for each and every one. Here, He mentions no punishment whatsoever. He simply says, "Just go take a bath." God surely condemns homosexuality, bestiality, adultery, and fornication, often punishing them with a sexually transmitted disease. But He does not condemn or punish masturbation at all.

And besides,isn't it better to use masturbation as an alleviation of sexual desire rather than raping or molesting someone?

Many people will bring up the story of Onan in Genesis 38:6-10. Onan was told to have sex with his dead brother's wife, so that heirs could be produced for the land. When the time came to have sex, Onan purposely spilt his semen on the ground to prevent having offspring. God killed him for this.

God did not punish Onan for masturbating. Rather, he was punished for disobeying God and not prducing any offspring.

The Bible does not condemn, neither does it condone masturbation, before or after marriage. If it were a sin, surely God would have told us somewhere in His Word. Yet we find it nowhere. But we must be careful not to let that be used as an excuse to look at pornography.

Another thing, masturbation has been known to help relieve sexual tension. If a man for any reason can't have sex, the semen can back up, causing physical discomfort. Masturbation reduces the risk of prostate inflammation. This might explain why priests who see masturbation as a sin have higher rates of prostate cancer.

So, if you want to masturbate, then by all means, do it. Do it without feeling guilty. Enjoy it. Just remember to wash it off. And of course, do it in the privacy of your own house, not out in public, PLEASE!

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