Why did religions tell young adults that masturbation caused blindness?

It even gets worse - a little bit of American History:

Our attitudes about masturbation have deep roots for sure. Around the turn-of-the-century, some adults were so against masturbation that they forced their daughters to wear gloves made of a steel-wool-like material (like Brillo pads) at night and to put a powder on their genitals that made them painful to touch. They made their sons wear metal chastity belts at night that made it painful to have an erection. During the 1820s male masturbation was prevented by piecing the foreskin with a wire and soldering the ends together. Boys and girls were discouraged from masturbation by the threat of blindness, madness and illness. Of course, all of these are not true.

Of course, the subject of masturbation was taboo years before the United States was created. All kinds of chastity belts and other devices were used to prevent masturbation, probably as far back in history as you can go. This will vary from culture to culture.

It's amazing that this stuff was and still is taught in the Catholic Church while priests were and still are molesting altar boys.

Was it religions that said this or is it an old wife's tale to control their kids?

It was both...

Today...I'd like to put some kind of pads on my kids hands so they can't play video games...never mind playing with themselves.

i think it was one of those denial of pleasure scenarios...........somehow or another (as it seems to happen alot with religion) somebody waaayyy in the past decided it was "sinful and unclean"................and that was all it took.

i never heard it taught in church or anything...........but i've been around enough of the more "HOLY" older generation to have them to also include "sex for procreation purposes only" in the same category..........finding pleasure in your own body or the body of your husband or wife was deemed WRONG...........unless you were having sex to procreate.

i don't remember anywhere in the bible that it says that finding pleasure in your own body is wrong.

some uptight PRUDE of a person 100's and 100's and 100's etc etc years ago decided it was wrong and passed it down generation to generation.

thank GOD my parents didn't raise me that way!!!

angie

Why did religions tell young adults that masturbation caused blindness?

Old wives tale with a smattering of religious fact.
The simple and most self-evident answer is so, ummmmm, the young adults wouldn't masterbate, maybe? Straight-forward enough for everyone? No agenda required.



seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
Why did religions tell young adults that masturbation caused blindness?

Old wives tale with a smattering of religious fact.
The simple and most self-evident answer is so, ummmmm, the young adults wouldn't masterbate, maybe? Straight-forward enough for everyone? No agenda required.

seekerof

i think the point was WHY did they decide to condemn it??? something done in privacy??? what difference should it make............make someone feel like a sinner for doing something that comes naturally that doesn't have to be taught..........

The reason for the Condemnation:
Genesis 38:9

Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD; so He took his life also.

Masturbation is often called Onanism....but the reason this boy died was because he REFUSED TO PROCREATE in effort to have kids in his brother's name, not masturbation....he could have had sex with his new wife (previously brother's wife) and used the pullout method. Since it was never specified, one can't say. Being then that this is one of the early Israelites, BEFORE Mosaic law, it might have been a good idea to see what laws showed up in in the Mosaic law about ejaculation. All it goes on about is that you arent supposed to leave sperm all over the place, as it is unclean...so it may not be that having kids wasn't the issue either...though humanswere commanded to procreate from the beginging. (Early Genensis)

Throughout the new testament, it goes on about how Fornication is a sin. How you should not LUST after other people (unless married to them), either. Now, Masturbation was never covered, in all the things that covered. Gay behavior, sex outside of marriage, yes those ARE covered, as is lust, lol...but playing with one's own genetials is never touched upon. Some beleieve, that since sex-as-sin is as THE ONLY sin against one's self, as well as a sin against your partner, that the reference to the self-sin IS masturbation.
Masturbation as sin was never an outright commandment, so any conclusion is a personal conslusion and should not be enforced on everyones else of the same faith, lol....

Oh well if this was true, then we should have a very big percentage of blind man in the world.

Quick, Marg....look up the stats on those men that wear glasses.


seekerof

The catholics use this verse to support thier veiwpoint on Masturbating is sin

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

8 Then Judah said to Onan (His second sun), "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.

What many forget is that "spilling his seed" was not a sin, but his refusal to follow old testement law, and the wishes of his father. Tamar had to become a widow at a very young age.

Masurbation is not a sin, but the thing is they could lead to adulterous thoughts, or leave you venrable to other sin. That is why the Catholic church forbids it, and demands everyone if they do perform sex to do it missionary style and not enjoy it

heck, even Menstration used to thought of as a shameful thing a while ago

Originally posted by Seekerof
Quick, Marg....look up the stats on those men that wear glasses.

seekerof

You know that is so sad, non of the males in my family needs glasses but the females do, we all need to wear them.

That is not nice

Missionary? Whats that? The one that is about as fun reading the bible while listening to a preist tell me how I am going to hell for not letting him bless me all over my face? Man, thats why we have doggy, reverse miss, Niagra, and many others.

hell, if you really want to kick it to the Catholic churhc, THIS is the scripture to do it with:
1 Tim 4: 1-5

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

This is SCRIPTURE agianst the practice of not eating meats on Friday and against forcing priests and nuns NOT to marry, just to serve God. Though there are arguments for the marriage thing, lol....it's still directly unscriptural.

I knew it! I thought I was just saying bs whenever I said "Not eating meat on a friday." when making fun of bible thumpers. Wow, wonder how I knew about that? I read the bible, but no way I would have remembered that, unless it is remembered, in my subconscience.

I believe that most cultures tried to prevent sex or masturbation for the preservation of the vital fluid (semen, etc.) which is used to activate one's kundalini. At least that was the case in India though I don't know of any hideous practice they used to discourage the populace from procreating.

There were actually two viewpoints: either expressing your sexuality in a religious ritualistic fashion, or controlling it to an extreme. Both were paths to God in India.

Gopi Krishna talks about it in his book Kundalini: the Evolutionary Energy in Man.

Maybe they should go after all the people that are masterbating (which is darn near everyone) and leave the gays alone, sin is sin is it not!?.....

Masturbation is wrong because it can lead to more serious sins, and it takes you mind off of God and on yourself and leads you
into serious possesion.


Now about obstaining from meats and forbidding marriage. The church obstains from meats during lent to fast as a sign of sacraficing or giving up something duing the lent season.



Now in Timothy when he talks about the passage you gave he speaks of the Gnostic, the Marcionites, the Encratites, the Manicheans, and other ancient
heretics who absolutely condemned Marriage, and the use of al kind of meat; because they pretended that all flesh was from an evil principle.



Where as the Catholic church, holds marriage a holy sacrament; and forbids it to noone, but such people as by (vow) have chosen the betterpart of their rle in life by giving their life to God by not marrying on their own for a sacrafice
of their vocation.




peace.

[edit on 4-2-2005 by Truth]

uhh because it does

thats why i wear glasses

jlc163 is right on the mark -- that's how it became a "sin" in Christianity.

It's not a "sin" in other cultures and religions, however, and ... discussing this kind of cultural stuff can be quite touchy in public, so we'll just leave it at that.

Originally posted by marg6043
You know that is so sad, non of the males in my family needs glasses but the females do, we all need to wear them.

That is not nice

Gee, Marg, I must have missed hitting that sarcasm (ie: I was joking) button?!




seekerof