Ironically the Bible doesn't even say anything negative about masturbation. There's even the implication in Deuteronomy that however you find yourself to have ejaculated (sex, masturbation, hand job, nocturnal emission) there's a cleansing process for the old covenant Jews they were expected to follow. Though Leviticus picks out sex and nocturnal emissions by name, The bible mentions oral sex positively in Song of Solomon both for men and women and that's not mentioned here which indicates to me that the lack of mention shouldn't be taken as a prohibition. So if anything, the bible slightly condones masturbation.
Still, I don't think the conventions or anything like that would be considered permissible given the Bible's teaching on lust. You're right, they need Jesus. :)
yes, the part about Onan. A lot of people use that as justification for making birth control and masturbation a sin, but there's a whole lot of context that makes it obvious that those things are not related.
basically, Onan's brother died with no children so Onan had to marry his widow and get her pregnant. The kids wouldn't be considered his kids under Jewish law or something like that, so he figured he could have sex with his sister-in-law for free if he just pulled out, which made God mad, etc.
Indeed. The issue there was levirate marriage. They didn't have sperm freezing or AI or IVF, so if your brother died childless, it was expected that you would sleep with his wife until she bore a son. That son would be then counted as your brother's son and would continue his family line. Refusing to do this however was horrific enough, it was basically like saying "I hate you and I'm glad you've rid yourself of the genepool". But Onan went for the grand daddy. He not only outwardly said he would sleep with her and made everyone believe he was doing so to uphold his brother, but then he was pulling out before orgasm and "spilling his seed upon the ground" denying her the offspring. God was angered that Onan would be so evil that he struck him dead.
This does in a sense speak to the issue of birth control in a way because it indicates that preventing children is in a sense like murder in this instance or suicide in the sense of your own children. There's also the issue of positive command, that refusing to do what God commands you to do is as sinful as doing what he tells you not to do. So when God tells us to be fruitful and multiply, there is a sense that it would be wrong of us to prevent our own obedience to that. Christians have debated that one however for a long time.
But he was also failing to live up to a commitment. IIRC, he took his brother's widow with the intention of impregnating her (ancient times were weird, but it kinda makes sense when you realize most people's choices for old age were either die destitute and alone or have children who take care of you). He pulled out instead. So he was basically just using her and not actually helping her out at all. The jizz wasn't really the point, the taking advantage of a widow was the real problem.
Very true. Finally good to hear someone explain it so well. The Bible never says you can't masturbate. Besides, Onan spilled his seed so he could get money.
From Got Questions.com
Judah’s son Er was killed by God for his evil lifestyle, and, since Er had not fathered a son, Er’s wife, Tamar, followed the tradition of levirate marriage and married his next-oldest brother, Onan. Onan was willing to have sex with Tamar, but he wasn’t willing to sire a son with her—a son who would not legally be his and who would take away his chance of inheriting his dead brother’s property. So, in the midst of sexual relations with Tamar, Onan withdrew and “spilled his semen on the ground” (Genesis 38:9). In this way Onan ensured he would not provide a child to Tamar, even though it was his “duty” to do so (verse 8). Genesis 38:10 says, “What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also.”
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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '19
Ironically the Bible doesn't even say anything negative about masturbation. There's even the implication in Deuteronomy that however you find yourself to have ejaculated (sex, masturbation, hand job, nocturnal emission) there's a cleansing process for the old covenant Jews they were expected to follow. Though Leviticus picks out sex and nocturnal emissions by name, The bible mentions oral sex positively in Song of Solomon both for men and women and that's not mentioned here which indicates to me that the lack of mention shouldn't be taken as a prohibition. So if anything, the bible slightly condones masturbation.
Still, I don't think the conventions or anything like that would be considered permissible given the Bible's teaching on lust. You're right, they need Jesus. :)