Masturbation, it does a body good.

[libertylove4]

[COLOR="Black"]Well boys I am back from a long, yet unintended hiatus and ready for more thrilling installments of 'An Open Question'.

Brought to you by Libertylove4 and the support of my fabulous readers.

This week's theme song is........'I Touch Myself' by Divinyls[/COLOR]


(I had to post a remix of this song, all of the others had restricted embedding)

[COLOR="Navy"]On to today's question......

Jerking off, rubbing one out, beating your meat, etc. ad nauseum. No matter what you call it we all do it. In fact according to the American medical community 95% of adults masturbate regularly. Yet there is still a social stigma attached to masturbation, due in part to the overreaction of the religious community to instances of masturbation (to this day the Catholic Church maintains that masturbation is an abomination in the sight of God and it is listed as a mortal sin by the church, meaning a sin that can only be forgiven with confession. I'm sure that has nothing to do with dirty old priests wanting to hear about your self-pleasurement.) I'm sure some of us have heard the hysterical cautioning of mothers, "Don't do that or it will make you go blind!", "You will grow hair on your hand if you don't stop that!". The best one is that official response to masturbation by civil authorities in past decades declaring it a mental dysfunction cured only by reeducation and shock therapy, (Oh and it will make you gay too!).

Cooler heads have prevailed in recent years and major institutes of health have done surveys and tests that prove that masturbation is actually an vital part of a healthy sex life and mental well being. It has been known to relive tension and stress and can aid in curing sexual dysfunctions such as premature ejaculation. In woman, masturbation relives premenstrual tension and can help them learn what makes them climax. In men, masturbation increases blood flow to the penis which can aid many sexual dysfunctions and give them more control over their ejaculatory response. In general, masturbation can induce sleep, boost metabolism and stimulate the production of endorphins.

So the question is how do you feel about masturbating? If you do it (and you know you do ) how often do you do it? Do you notice any of the things described above? (i.e. reduced stress, aid in sleep, etc...). Do you ever feel guilt about masturbating? (A recent study shows that 45% of Americans feel some guilt after masturbating.) Overall this is an open forum about masturbation and your experiences.

Thank you all so much for reading. I will again make this a weekly installment, so look for new questions every Thursday!

I love you all more than I love puddin'....and I LOVE puddin' [/COLOR]

Here are some interesting websites dealing with the subject:
[url="http://www.everydayhealth.com/sexual-health/101/tips/masturbation-101.aspx"]A Guide to Masturbation - Sexual Health Center - EverydayHealth.com
[/url]
[url="http://www.menshealth.com/men/health/sexual-health/health-and-sexual-benefits-of-masturbation/article/ebbfa18f0e4a9110VgnVCM20000012281eac"]Health And Sexual Benefits Of Masturbation : Men's Health
[/url]
McKinley Health Center - Mastubation: Questions and Answers - University of Illinois
FOXSexpert: The Health Benefits of Masturbation - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News - FOXNews.com

[Amigo]

Hm.... this is what I have to say....

If you're still feeling guilty about jacking off, then it means you need more time to grow up.

And in general, if the church is still getting to your head, it also means you need to grow up.

[prinnydood]

I was on a men's health forum, and found it astonishing that there were so many questions about masturbating that had responses saying to stop cold turkey and find god because he will help you stop. I do think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so I didn't share mine on that site... I think that whacking one out every day or more or less is a good thing (and fun XD).
I also noticed that there are a lot of guys who try to stop in their mid-teens but can't. I did, but found it futile, so I decided to ignore what church said and do what felt good. But, my church also said that homosexuality is wrong, and I cannot accept that. Especially since I AM gay.

[JarredH]

And in general, if the church is still getting to your head, it also means you need to grow up.

I have to disagree with you on that one. It could just mean that someone was raised with a very strict religious upbringing. That can be difficult to overcome and has nothing to do with needing to grow up.

[marshlander]

I have to disagree with you on that one. It could just mean that someone was raised with a very strict religious upbringing. That can be difficult to overcome and has nothing to do with needing to grow up.

Isn't it more grown up to accept and take responsibility for our own actions and attitudes than go along with what mum and dad (and specially an imaginary heavenly dad) tell us to believe?

Topsy in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" often claimed the mischief she caused was because she had the devil in her, but I'm pretty sure a lot more bad things have been done by people who claim their instructions came from god or one of his self-appointed spiritual reps.

I used to hope I'd see fairies at the bottom of the garden, Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy and that when I die I'll go and live with Jesus and my Father in Heaven. Nowadays I prefer to be accountable for my own misdeeds. I couldn't go on believing in the stories we use to whip children into line forever. I doubt that most people have "enjoyed" the struggle to overcome a strict religious upbringing that I have, but maturing and overcoming the conditioning are quite empowering. It is very much to do with growing up.

[JarredH]

Isn't it more grown up to accept and take responsibility for our own actions and attitudes than go along with what mum and dad (and specially an imaginary heavenly dad) tell us to believe?

This is a false dichotomy. It is possible to accept personal responsibility for one's actions and attitudes and still follow a particular faith. But that's neither here nor their.

Topsy in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" often claimed the mischief she caused was because she had the devil in her, but I'm pretty sure a lot more bad things have been done by people who claim their instructions came from god or one of his self-appointed spiritual reps.

So I take it you're clearly one of those atheists that espouse that all religion is irredeemably evil. That's fine. You're welcome to believe that. Just remember to watch how that affects the way you treat religious people. After all, I've seen some pretty heinous and rude behavior in the name of "enlightened atheism seeking to help others see the truth" as well.

Nowadays I prefer to be accountable for my own misdeeds.

As do I. Yet I still manage to be religious. Mainly because I've figure out that faith is about more than just morality or having some higher power to keep me in line.

[peterinmalaga]

So I take it you're clearly one of those atheists that espouse that all religion is irredeemably evil.


Obviously I can't speak for Marshie but I imagine he might agree that religion cannot be evil, because there is no such thing as evil: evil was invented by religious people in an attempt to control our thoughts and actions. Religion is, in my opinion, morally and factually wrong. Morally wrong, because it has in the past stopped me and countless others from enjoying my masturbation (he said getting back on topic) and factually wrong for so many, many reasons (which vary according to the religion). If there were a god and she had some hand in our creation, as is frequently claimed, isn't it perverse to place us in this garden of Eden and then say “Thou shalt not touch, in fact thou shalt not enjoy thyself at all.” I learned to masturbate all by myself at a very young age. When I was told that it was “evil” I felt guilty for a while. When I learned a bit more about life, I thought wtf, I don't want to go to heaven anyway if I can't enjoy the body I was born with. When you realise that evil does not exist, that is so liberating. Now, when I am tempted (e.g. to believe in religion) I have a good wank.


I've seen some pretty heinous and rude behavior in the name of "enlightened atheism seeking to help others see the truth.


I'm honestly sorry if the truth offends you. I'm just telling you about my belief. We've had religion rammed down our throats for more than 2000 years.

[marshlander]

... So I take it you're clearly one of those atheists that espouse that all religion is irredeemably evil. That's fine. You're welcome to believe that. Just remember to watch how that affects the way you treat religious people. After all, I've seen some pretty heinous and rude behavior in the name of "enlightened atheism seeking to help others see the truth" as well...

No, that would be your extrapolation based on the little bit of information I shared. Redemption, good and evil are all basically religious concepts.

Whilst I can see the attractions of spiritual mysteries I've no desire to seek after them. Neither am I a missionary for so-called "enlightened atheism" or anything else, but I'm happy to share thoughts with anyone who raises an interesting subject. I find it interesting that you have labelled me an "atheist", a somewhat disparaging term denoting that it is the absence of belief that defines me, Gayspeak labels have a lot to answer for I don't think it is my lack of belief in a being or beings whose existence has yet to be proven and given the available evidence of the past few thousand years is unlikely ever to be. I would rather the fact that I prefer to base my actions and opinions on something more rational and grounded in observable evidence that says a little more about me. I don't suppose I'm the only one to think that, for example, Joseph Lister probably did more for humankind than any pope, prophet or god ever did.

Of course many people living by an organised belief system manage to make the lives of others around them a little better than they might otherwise have been. Some people can't help being nice. While organised religion has always been about exercising power the churches can attract some genuinely caring people. Given the human capacity for nastiness though, are you really suggesting that the rudeness of unbelievers somehow balances the carnage that religion has fostered over the centuries? I'm not sure we're talking about the same league of horror here. Maybe, though, we might want to take a discussion about Stalin to another thread!



Sorry, LL4, masturbation, yes it's all good - morning, noon and/or night

[JarredH]

I find it interesting that you have labelled me an "atheist", a somewhat disparaging term

I find it curious that you consider "atheist" a disparaging term. I personally find it rather neutral, personally. But then, I don't care if someone believes in a god or not. I only care about how they act.

While organised religion has always been about exercising power the churches can attract some genuinely caring people.

I think that's a rather narrow view of organized religion. For example, it tends to ignore religious organizations like the Salvation Army. Granted, I think that the Salvation deserves much criticism for various things. But one would be hard pressed to deny the amount of good work they also strive to do, good work which cannot be completely ignored due to the fact that they also deserve criticism. The same can be said for organizations like Habitat for Humanity.

Given the human capacity for nastiness though, are you really suggesting that the rudeness of unbelievers somehow balances the carnage that religion has fostered over the centuries?

Who said anything about balance? I'm not looking to define who's better and who's worse. I'm merely pointing out that both niceness and nastiness are universal human traits and will be found both inside and outside of religious organizations or any other grouping you choose.

Sorry, LL4, masturbation, yes it's all good - morning, noon and/or night

Agreed! :biggrin:

[JarredH]

Obviously I can't speak for Marshie but I imagine he might agree that religion cannot be evil, because there is no such thing as evil: evil was invented by religious people in an attempt to control our thoughts and actions. Religion is, in my opinion, morally and factually wrong.

I find it curious that you talk about how evil is nothing more than a religious invention to control people, yet then turn around and discuss morality. What exactly do you consider morality to be?

Morally wrong, because it has in the past stopped me and countless others from enjoying my masturbation (he said getting back on topic)

Not all religions have an issue with masturbation. In fact, not even all Christian denominations have an issue with masturbation. You're generalizing. If you're talking about conservative, evangelical Christianity, please be specif and say "conservative, evangelical Christianity" rather than "religion."

If there were a god and she had some hand in our creation, as is frequently claimed, isn't it perverse to place us in this garden of Eden and then say “Thou shalt not touch, in fact thou shalt not enjoy thyself at all.”

The Eden story is irrelevant to the Buddhist, the Hindu, and the Druid. Again, please don't generalize.

As for not enjoying themselves, I'll point out that one of my favorite pieces of religious literature includes the phrase "all acts of love and pleasure are my worship." And again, I know Christians who are very pro-masturbation and pro-pleasure in general. Not everyone is a dour Calvinist, you know.

I'm honestly sorry if the truth offends you. I'm just telling you about my belief. We've had religion rammed down our throats for more than 2000 years.

You've had Christianity rammed down your throat for more than 2000 years, perhaps. Again, don't generalize.