I honestly believe if I gave my most inward thoughts to this teenager's candid question, it would be too disturbing and downright offensive to some legalistic CHRISTIANS. My dad is a minister and I am a licensed minister. I am also a father to a son and a daughter. I work and manage a homeless shelter, which deals with a lot of people who are either sexually active beyond the 'norm" or victims of sexual abuse. I say all of this to say this: Masterbation, in and of itself, is not a SIN. In fact...and I am blushing now, I had a vasectomy in my thirties. My wife and I were extremely sexually active and my libido was on an all-time high. Once the operation was done, I had to be 'checked' to make sure my sperm count was at GROUND ZERO. It took a full 17 weeks of continual visits to the hospital, several days a week, for my system to fully rid itself of those little tadpoles. Guess what...it had to be done on premises and 'fresh' each time. Yes...masterbation is very mandatory in certain situations....did I worry about it being a SIN? NO way..it is called LIFE...and only a male knows the internal pressure and venting process. Did it involve porno? NO..DID it create lustful thoughts? UH...not that I recall. I also know of certain clinics that provide videos and magazines to 'help' the man as he donates his sperm or has it tested. To everything, there is a time and a season. If a young male is having problems controlling his actions towards a female...when a male's hormones are off kilter, when certain medications and diet are causing embarrassing physical arousals, and even stress plays a part in the whole masterbation scenario. It kept me a virgin until my wedding night. It kept my brother, a soldier, true to his wife as he served overseas. There are a host of solid reasons why self indulgence and private sexual tension venting IS necessary...and my family doctor agrees. Who says that CHRISTIANS do not have natural inclinations and sexual cravings? Within my own church community, there is not one single young person in the last ten years, who has waited until a wedding ceremony to have sex. Perhaps if they had embraced masterbation as a natural means of easing up on the temptation, they would still be virgins on their wedding day.
Why can't masterbation be a fun endulgence between a married couple as part of foreplay? Also..as we age, sexual intercourse for whatever reason, may be too painful to endure....what would be 'wrong' if both spouses were honest enough to face the fact and use masterbation as an alternative way of enjoying and giving each other physical pleasure? There is no need to be prudish or Victorian, even as a CHRISTIAN. I can come up with as many reasons masterbation is natural as those who claim masterbation is sinful.