Lord Wrackspurt (imported) wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2009 5:06 pm
I understand, I wasn't trying to imply this was you making the argument. And it is a moot issue with me personally as I am not religious, though I have friends who are, and we get on well enough that we can talk about religion without them getting offended.
And I do understand that logic doesn't play in this too much, it's mostly a matter of "we decided that masturbation is a sin, and now we'll create the reason why to justify our actions."
LW
Well first off let me say I'm RC. And I don't think masturbation by itself is a sin.
That said, you have to understand that the RC Church approaches sexual matters from the standpoint of Natural Law which is itself rooted in the philosophy of St. Thomas of Aquinas, who in turn was largely influenced by Aristotle who thought that in essence, a man's ejaculate contained more or less fully-formed embryos, with the woman being a mere incubator. So that, by masturbating, one would be killing babies, a form of abortion.
Taken on the basis of this primitive (mis)understanding of human reproduction, then prohibiting masturbation made perfect sense.
Aquinas refined our understanding of Natural Law (has nothing to do with "natural" in the biological sense; it means in the sense that God has inscribed a law on the hearts of humans so that those who examine their consciences carefully, basically follow God's law requiring that we do good even if they aren't really believers). In his view, the sexual act performed in the normal way (male to female vaginal intercourse) caused a couple to become, physiologically, a single unit. Two people being needed for the sex act was as natural as breathing being necessary for life.
When you think of it, that makes perfect sense. There is no other physiological process, among mammals, that requires two individuals. Breathing, digesting, etc, can all be done by an individual without the help of others.
But in copulating, a man, and a woman, actually form a single physiological unit; sexual intercourse can't happen with one's self! And it doesn't matter whether the act is fertile or sterile; they are still engaging in a process that actually requires two individual to perform it. That's why, when talking about things sexual matters, the issue of whether an act between a man or a woman is sterile or fertile is actually a red herring from the POV of Natural Law. A post-menopausal couple engaging in intercourse is engaging in a perfectly natural act. Even if it doesn't lead to reproduction, it is happening in the manner of its design.
Taken in that light, masturbation, and any other form of sexual gratification (for the male) that does not result in, well, ejaculation inside the female, is seen as using the sexual faculty against its nature. For Aquinas, using the sexual faculty for, say, self-gratification (or same-sex unions) makes as much sense as breathing through the oesophagus or swallowing through the windpipe. Seed was meant to go in one place and one place only.
When it comes to nocturnal emissions, these are not willed but happen spontaneously and therefore no guilt is attached to it. On the other hand, masturbation is a willful act. I can go into detail about venial vs. mortal sin, and I happen to believe that for most, masturbation is a venial sin (it happens in spite of ourselves), and when it is compulsive, it is a psychological disorder which mitigates the guilt from sin. But I won't go too far down that road!
Where, however, I think the theory on the sinfulness of masturbation breaks down is that to impregnate with healthy, fresh sperm requires regular ejaculation. So masturbation may in fact be nature's way of maintaining the health of sperm so that when you do impregnate there is a lesser chance of birth defects from "old" sperm. Moreover there is some evidence that frequent masturbation especially when young is protective against prostate cancer.
It's also entirely inhuman to expect one to never, ever masturbate. It ain't going to happen. I also think it's a natural way of discovering one's sexuality, and it's a healthy means of sexual expression when one doesn't have a willing partner or is of an age or in a social circumstance that makes intercourse inadvisable. Philosophically, Aquinas' reasoning is perfectly logical.
So if you ask me, the RC "official" view on masturbation is in fact perfectly logical. What it isn't though, is human. Or even within the natural capacity of humans.
That said, I think masturbation is a "sin" when it is compulsive, or used as a means of avoiding normal marital relations, or is used as the main form of sexual gratification when normal, natural, licit sexual opportunity exists. On the other hand, if one's spouse is ill, or unavailable (say when traveling), it is far preferable to cheating! I also don't think anything is wrong with using it as a means of sexual variety with one's partner!
YMMV. By no means the "official" Church view. But the RC Church does require you to use your conscience, and to follow a well-formed conscience even if it goes against official teaching. Mine happens to say that the Church's view of masturbation is founded on an entirely flawed view of the human physiology of reproduction.
From a personal standpoint I have to say I find masturbation less satisfying than normal sex. And I found normal sex most gratifying when it was fertile, that is, we were attempting to have a baby (which was successful). Oddly, it was very much a powerful, very much spontaneous feeling and I remember remarking how powerful it was at the time; I never in my life felt more "virile". Remarkably, I felt this and noticed it in a period when I was more or less atheist/agnostic. Which does support the view that there is a "natural" law on the hearts of men that makes us distinguish right from wrong regardless of whether we are "believers" or not.
In any case does it really matter anymore? The new religion is Global Warming. Where I used to feel guilt over sexual matters, I am now made to feel guilty if I forget to bring reusable shopping bags when I buy groceries, or when I drive my car... humans seem to have this propensity to want to control others... once it was sex, now it is driving my car.