What is the history of masterbation?

[_Zelder]

Almost everybody throughout all time and across all cultures has masterbated. It is and always has been a ubiquitous human behavior. Despite this fact, it seems to me that nobody paid it any attention to masterbation until the midieval Catholics misinterpreted the story of Onin, thinking that the crime was the spilling on the ground rather than disobeying the command to have a child.

Masterbation is such a big deal that we think it is necessary to confess it to a bishop. Why? Jesus never said a word about it. None of the Bible authors said a word about it. None of the Book of Mormon authors said a word about it. The doctrine and covenants says nothing about it nor the Pearl of Great Price. Joseph Smith never said anything about it. At what point did the church decide it is a sin? Why did they decide it is a sin? There is no scriptural or revelatory foundation for this teaching.

Do they think it leads people to be promiscuous? Where is the logic, if that were true everyone would be promiscuous?

I think masterbation as a sin stems from cultural tradition with its foundation in Catholic views. I'm afraid the church's teachings on masterbation serves no purpose except to make people neurotic. I'm afraid it has done nothing but harm to people and marriages. Its morally wrong to shame people for masterbating. It is especially morally wrong to tell young girls that they should confess their shameful deed alone to a man they probably don't know very well. They grow up feeling neurotic and then get married and realize that she can't have a vaginal orgasm and feel shame to have extra help reaching orgasm.

The masterbation doctrine needs to go the way of the birth control doctrine, sweep it under the rug and forget about it. I'm thinking about complaining to my Stake President about my views. Maybe if lots of Mormons speak up, we can shame the church leaders into shutting up about this subject.

Any thoughts?

[_moksha]

Maybe if lots of Mormons speak up, we can shame the church leaders into shutting up about this subject.

Any thoughts?

Mormon leaders know this masturbation stuff occurred when Adam and Eve ate the knowledge fruit which gave them an understanding of opposable thumbs.

[_kairos]

So the greater question is perhaps "what came first masturbation or sexual intercourse"?

and there probably was no "highlight reel" for adam to run through his mind when alone or when he was in the grass with eve.

just sayin

[_Fiannan]

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/do-kel ... turbation/

THe corn flake guy had a lot to do with it you know.

My understanding is that in the 19th Century there was a sudden interest in masturbation due to people like Kellogg. The medical community began to link it into the whole "hygene" movement and even though doctors were supposed to masturbate their female patients to orgasm to relieve depression and hysteria their eventual criticism of too much self stimulation at home lent to the public turning against the practice.

[_Some Schmo]

What is the history of masturbation?

The following might clear up this mystery...

From the lost Book of Schmo, chap 3, vs 10-32:

10. And he did tarry in the wilderness alone, unbeknownst to the favored couple in garden of paradise. And he, being Sole, did ask of the Lord,
11. Why hast thou placed me here, by my isolation, and given ignorance to the couple, making them think they are the only two?
12. And the Lord’s angel Franklin, one of the lesser angels, did blow his own horn upon his arrival, and said unto Sole,
13. Ask not of the Lord these things, for he is high steeped in the ways of his own mischief, and has no time to explain himself.
14. For were he to say, you would not understand. Not because his ways are so mysterious, but because of the awesome pettiness of his nature.
15. And Sole did ask unto Franklin, So I doeth been screwed asunder?
16. And thunder did issue from the sky, and a whirlwind did spin for additional dramatic effect, and Franklin said, For thy jealousy, ye shall face ye own temptation from the serpent.
17. And it did come to pass that the question that occurred to the first man who did thinkest he was first but did not know of Sole did also occur to the first lonely man, he being Sole.
18. And he did ask unto Franklin, knowing it might be of higher cleverness to avoid asking the Lord any more questions,
19. I have seen in my dreams the exchanging of a rib for the sake of yet an unformed bone. I doeth have such a bone. Canst thou grant me the same?
20. And the sound of a harp did issue forth, and the angel Johnson did appear, informing Sole that Franklin had the decade off, and did say,
21. That was a special offer by invitation only. The Lord doeth not major in marketing. For the Lord sayeth, Thou arest on thy own, no eye for an eye, no bone for a bone.
22. And Johnson did shrink from his sight.
23. And it was in the dark of night, and the solitary of his self, and the serpent did rise before him, and did have the aspect of the angel Johnson, and it whispered unto Sole,
24. Take of me, and squeeze and manipulate, kneed and massage, for I am the refuge of the lonely man.
25. Bring forth the forbidden fruit of knowledge, the beginning of life, the goo of origins, and ye shall be rewarded with relief.
26. And Sole did, and saw that it was sooooo good.
27. And as he did throw dirt on the last traces of his forbidden life fruit, Johnson the angel played his harp, but it was an angry harp tune, and he did rebuke:
28. Thou hast been tricked by the serpent, and thou hast angered the Lord!
29. And Sole was confused, and did ask what the big deal was.
30. And Johnson, standing very tall, did say, thou arest weak, and thou shalt be banished to the wilderness to walk thy days henceforth.
31. And Sole did ask, how shalt that be different from what I suffer now?
32. And Johnson did retreat, for it was a fair question, and being an angel of the Lord, thought it best to leave in mysterious ways, and not exactly explain what was bad, but leave the impression it was anyway.

[_sock puppet]

Maybe if lots of Mormons speak up, we can shame the church leaders into shutting up about this subject.

Any thoughts?

Mormon leaders know this masturbation stuff occurred when Adam and Eve ate the knowledge fruit which gave them an understanding of opposable thumbs.

Good one, Moksha.

[_Buffalo]

There are two kinds of people - those who are honest about masturbation and those who aren't.

[_Fionn]

You can probably thank Victorian age medicine for the hysteria surrounding masturbation. Both male and female. Though they didn't seem to believe masturbation lead to promiscuity, it did lead to insanity and a host of other diseases.

These two articles are short and quite interesting:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s ... h-century/

Bet you didn't know clitoridectomy was performed in the US, did you?

http://www.fgmnetwork.org/articles/duffy.htm

[_DarkHelmet]

They edited out Adams' chronic masturbation from the Bible. You notice how it quickly jumps from god creating Adam to god deciding Adam needs a companion. God was too embarrassed to document Adam's masturbation problems, not to mention all the animals he had access to.

[_sock puppet]

Just think, if JSJr had masturbated more, he might not have been led around by his libido into sexual relations with women other than Emma. Since JSJr said, shortly before his murder, that polygamy was his downfall, it could possibly be said that if he had wanked more often, he might not have been murdered. Maybe JSJr was a martyr for the principle of masturbating sparingly.