Is Masturbation a Sin? | WHAT RELIGION GETS WRONG ABOUT MASTURBATION?
Hush...Do not say the ‘M’ Word!
True religion has always dictated almost every aspect of an individual’s life in one way or another, but something that has always been taboo in almost all variants of religion is “self-pleasure” or “Masturbation.” For centuries, the messengers of God, whether a priest or an Imam or anyone with the esteemed honor of leading a true religion, have condoned the idea of Masturbation as sinful, immoral, and dangerous. Because of such orthodox notions, people feel guilty and ashamed whenever they indulge in this act of self-pleasure.
They have instilled a fear of losing my religion in their people that indulging in the act of self-pleasure is a grievous act that could result in losing my religion and constantly point out how the act of Masturbation is detrimental both physically and spiritually for an Individual. People for centuries have bashed anyone who claims to wallow in the act of self-pleasure, and according to them, an individual following the true religion would save themselves for marriage rather than giving in to their sexual thought.
Norms Of True Religion...
In older times, a person used to be a follower of “True Religion” if they did not indulge in the act of self-gratification as it is the message of god for us to be Self- controlling in nature towards our desires. Our sexual needs only came into play if they resulted in the creation of a being and sexual acts performed on oneself or with another for a reason any other than procreation can result in the banishment in the place of misery(hell) and losing my religion.
Yet, the modern belief has revolutionized a lot since the olden days, where many people now understand the freedom of religion from their desires, how it is not a “sin” for them even if they are a follower of true religion who condemns this act. People realize that until and unless their happiness through Masturbation does not result in lustfulness or objectification towards anyone, there should not be a problem or the fear of losing my religion, the way God intended it to be. People have come to an understanding that true religion should not control an individual’s life choices rather guide it.
Breaking Out Of Taboos, Myths, and Misinformation…
While many religious communities prohibit Masturbation in the name god and the very act being unethical, billions of people, including myself, feel the world of true religion is mistaken in its stance on Masturbation and that personal pleasure should have freedom from religious governance and to back up this view many verifiable studies have contributed their matter on this subject.
For example, many Christians believe it is sinful to masturbate due to its mention in the bible, yet many analysts have made it clear of the scripture’s non-existence. We need to understand while religious scriptures do vote against lustful behaviour towards others, this does not mean the act of self-pleasure is against the law. Until and unless one does not indulge in this act addictively to the extent that it starts affecting an individual’s personal life, it is fair to say Masturbation, in no sense, is wrong. Rather studies show it is good for the body’s mental and physical well-being.
Also read about: Are Christians Creating a Dangerous Atmosphere for Gay? Is it a Sign of True Religion!
Not Everyone Is The same…
Even though many followers of true religion scriptures prohibit Masturbation, many do support and promote its indulgence. For instance, Raelism, who believes in the existence of aliens known as Elohim, were the ones who created humanity, and it was these Elohims who were considered as god emerged as a true religion whose community folks encourage taking part in self-pleasure activities termed as sensual meditation which is necessary to ensure harmony between themselves and the universe.
Raëlism believe that Elohim created sexual urges as a way to escape the great danger that man possesses if they keep it in. Raelism followers focus on practicality and do not enforce restricting rules on one’s body or personal choices. Raëlism encourages their followers to celebrate their urges, and for this, they even organize seminars to do this unison; for example, raëlism organized a conference on Masturbation to educate their fellow community folks on how to go about this special act in their lives.
The same way Buddhism, Pagans and Wiccans, and many Liberal Christians do not oppose the idea of self-pleasure for individuals who are not monks, priests, and nuns and rather believe that urges if left uncalled for long, can cause trouble to human beings.
Self-love Is The best Love…
Masturbation or self-pleasure is essential for one’s own body as it has many positive effects. It leads to stress reduction due to the release of dopamine and serotonin while doing the act, it helps to strengthen the immune system, it helps to navigate the sexual desires of oneself effectively, helps to sleep better and more healthily, to lead to satisfaction in life and many more. It is also recommended to women after birth as it helps to reduce pain around the vagina, helping to heal faster.
Masturbation is also one of the safest ways to meet urges as it reduces the risk of sexually transmitted disease. Aside from scientific benefits, Masturbation helps an individual to explore themselves, find out their preferences which are helpful during the actual act of intercourse especially for women, if they do indulge in the act of Masturbation.
Many people in fear of losing my religion do not explore this side of their body, thus, control their desires, which might sound like a good idea, but it backfired, it can result in grievous damage to an individual’s mental health. Since it is natural to have urges during adolescence, trying to control desire can either reduce one’s sex drive, which causes intimacy issues between partners, or make them act violently due to the outburst of those desires all at once.
Too Much Of Everything Is Harmful...
While Masturbation is essential for the well being of an individual’s health, yet, this does not seem to be the case always. Masturbation is usually performed using our imagination or looking at certain types of visual mediums wherein people, and especially women, are usually objectified.
This type of interaction can have adverse effects on an individual’s thinking and mental health. People usually fall victim to the prey of addiction to such kinds of pornographic videos from which the recovery journey is very difficult.
This is not only sinful in religious scriptures for all the right reasons but wrong as a characteristic in any individual. Needless, if one keeps a check on their duration of doing this act, they can ensure that they are not subconsciously sliding into something grievous and harmful state they might regret later.
Hey, It’s Not That Bad...
In conclusion, we need to understand that everything in the world has positive sides and negative sides, and it is up to us and our conscience where we choose to incline towards. Masturbation, despite having several positive benefits, is still deemed as wrong and shameful.
We need to understand that all these scriptures were written at a time when no scientific knowledge about germs, mental health, and so on was ever known to man, and thus sexual pleasure as a phenomenon was alien to mankind also but now in the modern era after all the scientific advancement, we know all these acts are natural for the body and are a necessity.
Unless and until our actions do not cause harm to ourselves and anyone else, we should not be ashamed or fear losing my religion over something natural. The fear of not following “True Religion” accurately without actually knowing what it means, one should not form rigid opinions on such matters. True religion should be a guidance for our virtues, not a restriction for choices.
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