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December5,2015

HOTONTHEBLOG

Featuringfreshtakesandrealtimeanalysisfrom
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RogerA.Sneed

MichaelRoth

JimWallis

Dr.PeggyDrexler

Sting

Becomeafan

AssociateProfessorofReligionatFurmanUniversity

ABriefDefenseofMasturbation
Posted:12/01/20155:25pmEST

Updated:12/01/20155:59pmEST

At a recent plenary, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a "Pastoral Response to Pornography," in which they outlined the
assumed manifold dangers of pornography and... wait for it... masturbation. "Create In Me A Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to
Pornography" characterizes pornography as utterly without merit and leading to a host of social (and sexual) ills and sins including but
certainlynotlimitedtomasturbation.Thebishops'logicisrootedinconceptionsoforiginalsin:
Godcreatedusoutofloveandforlove,butweknowthatallofhistoryismarkedbythesinofourfirstparentsandourownsin.Sin
damagesourrelationshipswithGod,ourownselves,others,andallofcreation.WeareallinneedoftheLord'sgrace,includinghis
mercyandhealing.
I'dagreeonlywiththeargumentthatsindamagesourrelationswitheachotherbutthenagain,IamquitecertainIhaveadifferentview
ofsinthantheU.S.ConferenceofBishops.Icertainlydisagreewiththeclaimthatallhumansareinneedof"theLord'sgrace"especially
asIsuspectthattheirconceptionofgraceistiedtoapunitivedeity.Asablackgaynontheist,Ihavefirsthandaccountsofhow"sin"gets
deployedagainstthemarginalizedusuallypeopleofcolor,women,gays,lesbians,bisexuals,transgenderpeopleandnontheists.Wecan
also include sex workers in this category. Also, I have first hand knowledge and experience with how languages of "sin" are deployed
alongsidehoaryclaimsof"love."Forexample,thephrase"lovethesinner,hatethesin"isoftenthrownoutthereinordertoshowthatanti
gayandantisexnarrativesaren'thateful,butsupposedly"loving."
AccordingtotheBishops,pornographyisevilonthefaceofit.Thewaytheydefinepornographyisitselfalessonincircularreasoning,asthe
definition that they use comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. That in of itself is problematic, but what I find even more
troublesomealmosttothepointofshockedhilarityistheBishops'argumentthatpornographyleadstothe"grave"sinofmasturbation.
Onceagain,thewaytheycharacterizemasturbationisalessonincircularreasoning,astheydescribeitas"alwaysgravelycontrarytothe
chastity anddignityof one's body." How?Howis masturbation always"contrary" to thedignityof the body? I amtroubled atthe way in
whichthisparticularuseof"sin"tendstobelinkedtoourbodiesespeciallyourbodiesassexualbodies.
The problem here is that these Bishops in particular and the Church they represent are relying on centuriesold understandings nay,
distortionsofthehumanbodyandsexuality.WhiletheChurchthattheseBishopsrepresentunderstandsthatintellectualdisciplineslike
psychologyandsociologyviewmasturbationaspartofhumandevelopmentandnotintrinsicallyinjurious,theU.S.ConferenceofBishops
tossesthataside,choosinginsteadtoframesocialacceptanceofmasturbationastheprovinceof"popularculture."
Thosedistortionsthatthis"pastoralresponse"wantstoreproducearehardlypastoral.Indeed,thesedistortionscontributetothesilencing
andshamingofhumansexuality.Thisshamingofhumansexualityiswhatalienatesusfromourownselves,andperpetuatesaseparationof
ourselves from the larger reality that we may call "God." Rather than see masturbation as some form of "grave sin," why not reimagine
masturbationaspartofahealthiersexlife,oneinwhichweassexualbeingscelebrateourselvesaspartofalarger,divineunity?Simplyput,
it is time to lay this 2,000yearold distortion of masturbation to rest. As opposed to seeing masturbation as some form of grievous
narcissism,whynotseemasturbationasenhancingthedignityofourbodiesandthewaysinwhichweimaginethem?Iseemasturbationas
awaytoget"intouch"withourselves,toknowwhatwelikeandthewayswewanttobetouchedandthewaysinwhichwewanttotouch
others.Iseemasturbationaspartofthehumanexperience,oneinwhichoursexualbodiesareindeedagift(howeverthatnotionofgiftis
understood)toourselvesandtoeachother.
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MORE: ReligionandSexuality Masturbation Porn U.S.ConferenceofCatholicBishops

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