The Lord’s Standard of Morality

A recent talk given by LDS church Elder Tad Callister, after being published in the March 2014 edition of the LDS Church magazine the Ensign, has created significant discussion and push back by many in the LDS community for its views on sexuality. A copy of the article can be found here http://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/magazines/ensign-march-2014/2014-03-00-ensign-eng.pdf

An excellent and insightful overview of the many problems with these ideas from a professional counselor and active Mormon can be found here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mormontherapist/2014/02/morality-we-can-do-much-better-than-this.html

There are many troubling aspects of the article that can, and have, been analyzed by others. Instead of rehashing them, I want to focus in depth on one aspect of the article and the LDS teachings related to it: yes, I want to discuss masturbation, or as the Elders put it, “self-abuse.”

Elder Callister notes in a section entitled “Self-Abuse” that “The Lord condemns self- abuse.” It is defined as “stimulating the procreative powers of one’s own body.” This is apparently a strange and roundabout way of saying masturbation.

Elder Callister goes on to quote President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Boyd K. Packer:

“Do not be guilty of tampering or playing with this sacred power of creation . . . It is not pleasing to the Lord, nor is it pleasing to you. It does not make you feel worthy or clean.”

Ensign, March 2014, pages 46-47.

A Fascinating Bit of History

LDS Elders are not the first to use the term “self-abuse” or terms similar to it. In 1712, a con man named John Marten published a book entitled “Onania, or, The Heinous Sin of Self Pollution and all its Frightful Consequences, in both SEXES Considered, with Spiritual and Physical Advice to those who have already injured themselves by this abominable practice. And seasonable Admonition to the Youth of the nation of Both SEXES.” See Psychology Today, The Masturbation Gap, Noam Shpancer, Ph.D., Sept. 201o, here. Apparently brevity in titles was not encouraged in those days.

Marten’s book became a hit and he began styling himself a “surgeon” and selling quack remedies for the malady of masturbation. Soon other quacks of the day began decrying masturbation as the root cause of disease and poor character. See id.

The fight against “self-abuse” continued into the 19th century with physicians and clergymen claiming masturbation caused tuberculosis, memory loss, and epilepsy. JH Kellog, creator of the breakfast cereal, believed masturbation caused acne, weak back, and convulsions. It was not considered safe or proper for women. See id.

It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s, when people began applying the scientific method to the issue, that the tide began to turn. Researchers such as Kinsey and Masters and Johnson revealed that masturbation was both common and harmless. See id. In fact, masturbation is the most common sexual activity. See, Psychology Today, Masturbation: A Brief and Rigorous History, Martha Rosenthal, Ph.D. Link Here. Recent national studies have shown that the vast majority of people have masturbated, that men masturbate more often than women, and that college students and teens have the highest rates of masturbation, averaging two to three times per week. See id. Masturbation is an ordinary and healthy way to explore one’s sexuality and develop normal responses.

There is a gender gap in masturbation: 95% of males have masturbated to orgasm by age 20, but only 60% of women. Some studies suggest an even wider gender gap. http://www.iub.edu/~kinsey/resources/FAQ.html#masturbation

The gender gap is unfortunate because it turns out that masturbation is an important predictor of sexual health and happiness for women, more so even than for men. According to researchers “one of the best predictors of whether a woman will be able to achieve orgasm in her sexual relations is a history of masturbation in adolescence.” Psychology Today, The Masturbation Gap, Noam Shpancer, Ph.D., Sept. 201o, here.

Solo masturbation is the safest form of sexual release with a zero percent chance of pregnancy and STD’s. It has also been found to relieve stress and lower blood pressure. See id. A recent study has even shown that masturbation may protect men against prostate cancer. Regular ejaculation may be removing cancer-causing chemicals. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3072021.stm

Conclusion

So is masturbation “self-abuse” and condemned by the Lord? Perhaps. But it could also be that the LDS church leaders are misrepresenting or misinterpreting god’s position on this issue, assuming of course that there is a god and that he/she/it has a position on this issue. By their own admission, past LDS leaders have made errors and been mistaken. See Dieter Uchtdorf, October 2013 LDS General Conference stating “there have been times when members or leaders in the church have simply made mistakes.” Is it possible they are also mistaken on this issue?