So I'll just apologize right now for not keeping up my blog. I know that many of you readers have taken offense to my absence. I don't know how you have managed to live and function in daily life without regular updates from me. I'll try to do better.
I have a lot of topics to cover this month and because I've been slacking that means there will be a lot of new posts coming soon.
I'll go ahead and get my Homework post out of the way first. Abelard asked all of us to do a post about masturbation on our blogs sometime this month.
I'll preface this by saying, "I'm sorry," to anyone that my bluntness offends. These are my thoughts and beliefs, and I would never claim them as doctrine or best for everyone.
I think The Church is so full of crap on the topic of masturbation. I did say I would be blunt.
Pres. Kimball said in The Miracle of Forgiveness that masturbation leads to mutual masturbation, mutual masturbation will lead to homosexuality, homosexuality will lead to bestiality.
Well from my personal experience, I can tell you that this is TOTALLY false. I was a homosexual before ever masturbating. I have NEVER even thought of doing the dirty with ANY kind of animal.
Elder Packer has a pamphlet called, For Young Men Only. It is mostly about masturbation, but one of his more off-the-wall-statements has to do with homosexuality. "No one is locked into that kind of life [homosexuality]. From our premortal life we were directed into a physical body. There is no mismatching of bodies and spirits. Boys are to become men --masculine, manly men --ultimately to become husbands and fathers."
Elder Packer says that "many will be amused by this counsel." I am NOT amused at all. I am seriously concerned for the shame and pain that this counsel will cause many young men who have been raised in the LDS Church to feel.
I think this is a BALLSY thing to say. What a hurtful and UNTRUE thing to say. Why is he insinuating that gay men can't become "masculine, manly men" and "husbands and fathers"? And I'm not debating that I was predestined to be a man! I AM a man physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. So is Todd. That is kinda the POINT of being gay. As a heterosexual, how does he even feel responsible or entitled to even speak on this topic?
MORE THAN THAT, in the 33 years since this talk was given, the church has begun to sing a new tune. "In some circumstances a person defers marriage because he or she is not presently attracted to a member of the opposite gender. While many Latter-day Saints, through individual effort, the exercise of faith, and reliance upon the enabling power of the Atonement, overcome same-gender attraction in mortality, others may not be free of this challenge in this life."
Okay, so they still refuse to call it anything but "a challenge" BUT they do admit that even turning to Christ and exerting all my effort isn't a 100% shot at becoming straight. What happened to not being "locked into that kind of life"?
OH and will SOMEONE PLEASE fix their statistics??? "many Latter-day Saints" will become straight and only some "others" may not? FAR more are leaving The Church because of this issue than subjecting themselves to the lies and solitude that the Church would suggest for them.
So my point is that it is hard for me to respect the opinions and "guidance" of a man that is so ignorant and outspoken that even The Church has had to emend his words.
My personal thought as a future father is that I would rather my children understand the risks of sex, the dangers of addiction and problems that could ensue from masturbation.
I have to break this up as a psychologist. If my child's masturbation habits caused dysfunction or distress in living a regularly routinized life, then would be the time for discussion (i.e. if my kid is missing the bus every morning because he has to get off, then we are going to need to have a serious talk). But the fact of the matter is that masturbation RARELY becomes a serious impairment in a persons life.
I'm not going to say, "Hey kids, you should go masturbate!" However, they will know that I would much rather them masturbate than have sex.
I don't want them to feel ashamed, bad, or dirty about masturbating. If someone is doing something in privacy that does not effect you, hurt anyone, and is not self destructive... THEN WHY DO YOU CARE???
Saturday, September 19, 2009
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ReplyDeleteWell said. And keep up what you call the "bluntness". I call it speaking truthfully and honestly, and there's FAR too little of that going around.
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ReplyDeleteI had to correct spelling errors!
ReplyDeleteIn the European Community, they tell young people to masturbate, and to do it at least once a day. They are trying to promote healthy sexual attitudes, less STDs and less teen pregnancy. Like you wrote, I would much rather have my child masturbate than to be having indiscriminate sex.
I personally love to masturbate, but I think there is a healthy limit.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing that "for young men only" pamphlet in my bishops office but never actually picked it up and read It till a couple of years ago. I laughed allot while reading it at the sheer stupidity of it all.
ReplyDeleteHowever if I had been given that at 13-14 it would have scared the crap outta my impressionable mind.
Completely agree with what you wrote it's a healthy normal thing. If it's not disturbing your regular day/routine it's nobodys business and isn't hurting anyone
A few years ago I was the Young Men's President in my ward. One Sunday I was looking for something in the Clerks' office and came across a stack of the "to young men only" pamphlet.
ReplyDeleteI took them... all of them... and threw them away.
This post was so funny! I really appreciate it. It's funny how churches deal with the subject of masturbation. Even catholicism frowns upon it. But its reason is more that it's wasting the "seed" than leading to homosexuality. Apparently one should only ejaculate in attempt to conceive. Also because it requires fantasizing about sex, which is a sinful thought.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my thought is, if males produce semen 24/7, as in WE NEVER STOP PRODUCING IT, then there's gotta be SOMETIME when we've gotta empty the tank.
Logically, it makes sense to masturbate. Men and women were designed with a sexual appetite. People go crazy when they suppress their sexual feelings (just observe an adult-closeted gay). And I think our church leaders need to just be real.
Many Christain groups consider the "Little Factory" speech to be the most damaging sermon EVER.
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