I am out of touch with the Morg, as I have not attended for about nine years. Had a dispute with hubby over Morg teachings on masturbation. And looking on the official Morg website, I find nothing on the subject after about 1998. And hubby says that about that time the Handbook of Instruction for bishops came out with explicit instructions NOT to ask young men OR young women about masturbation (or other specific sexual activities) during the semi-annual bishop's interviews.

I do not doubt that this is the case. But if it is, how do they enforce the idea that masturbation is sinful? Or maybe they have changed their minds??

Thanks for any enlightenment you can give me!

The CHI hasn't changed on the topic. Masturbation is forbidden, is still part of the teen interviews, and results in the death of a kitten each time you do it.

Ron

Tabula Rasa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ....and results in the death of a kitten each time you do it.
>
> Ron


Well, damn, I killed a lot of kittens... just saying....

The Bishop of my ward hammers the young men (priests) about this at least once or twice a week.

That should have read "month".

a) More and more, ChurchCo doesn't do things 'Officially'; instead, it relies on hearsay, rumors, etc.
That way, they have deniability should things turn out Wrong in the future.

b) Very Few people on earth have access to the CHI, I suspect it will only be available to people in the First Presidency Vault pretty soon.


c) Why would they need an 'Official' policy about M? If there WAS one, it was quietly DROPPED when someone whispered to them that females found out they have a clitoris...

Official position on ALL TOPICS is pretty much being abandoned due to the desire to avoid resonsibility. They need that plausible deniability and the way they set up for it is to forward all doctrinal questions to your local bishop. Your neighbor, a layman.

So you are left with the entertaining (for us) and infuriating (for you) lack of leadership and guidance from the very church who brags they have a "living prophet" who communicates with God. Maybe so, but in fact, he doesn't pass along the latest "revelations" to the people.

We exmormons think that's because there are no revelations from God speaking to these businessmen and never has been from the birth of the religion from the hat of a rock-peering pseudo-translator, a convicted con man named Joseph Smith.

Mormons are being told they don't need new revelations, that they just need to pay attention to the ones they have. When those turn out to be socially unacceptable, or offensive to the members, they just say "nevermind."

I close my remarks by the stunning words of the author of "Standing for Something," Gordon Hinckley, Prophet and Mastermind of the Lord's true Corporation. He publicly humiliated all his missionaries who were exhorted to take every public opportunity to proclaim the gospel by practicaly taking the fifth when asked point blank by Larry King if Mormons believe they will become gods. Let his answer suffice for your question about masturbation:

"I don't know that we teach that."

I hope this appears on his tombstone as the permanent legacy of the man who eliminated the legal entity called "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" and replacing it with The Corporation of the President (him), aka LDS, Inc.

Anagrammy

Can I post this on my Facebook Page?

When I'm not spelling poorly I'm typing poorly. Will be more careful in the future.

About 15-20 years ago, there was an official list of questions that came out, and they told leaders not to stray from the list. That's not to say that any of them listened. My bishop certainly didn't.

The CHI says that things for discussion during priesthood interviews include "...refraining from any kind of sexual activity, and refraining from reading, listening to, or viewing pornographic material."

So, if masturbation is sexual activity, then, yes, they can ask about masturbation if they want to. And since masturbation goes hand-in-hand (pun intended) with porn, they have two authorized reason to ask about the Big M. Authorized by the church, anyway.

Quoting:

"Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do that with you. DO NOT AROUSE THOSE EMOTIONS IN YOUR OWN BODY."
(emphasis mine.)

Misfit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Quoting:
>
> "Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the
> powerful emotions that must be expressed only in
> marriage. Do not participate in passionate
> kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch
> the private, sacred parts of another person’s
> body, with or without clothing. Do not allow
> anyone to do that with you. DO NOT AROUSE THOSE
> EMOTIONS IN YOUR OWN BODY."
> (emphasis mine.)

So AFTER marriage it's okay?

My dad was my bishop at one point. And unfortunately the first time I heard about masturbation (he didn't use the word, just asked if I touched myself) was when I was 12 and he was interviewing me and asked me if I did that.

The one thing, the ONE thing, I wish I had done differently when I was a teen was I wish I had lied to my dad. Because there was so much stuff I told him that now I really really hope he doesn't ever think about. Some things about your children you just aren't supposed to know. But my dad knows all the details of my sexploration as a teen. Yeaaah.

You have my complete sympathy. I, however, lied about it from the get-go.

My father was the bishop too and I lied. You have my sympathy too.

Interesting, 1998 was about the last time I remember learning anything about masturbation in church (I was 16). And I was a faithful active TBM for more than ten years afterwards in the thick of mormon youthism.

Must not be a sin any more. The leadership must realize the positive inverse correlation between masturbation and teen pregnancy.

Just think how the church would benefit and empower if it offered all youth and consenting adults classes on sexuality, pleasure, and masturbation. The glow's on peoples faces every Sunday would be contagious! No guilt, no hypocrites, no stuffed emotions.....! God would have never made my arm and hand fit so perfectly to the jewels below if it is such a bad sinful thing. Spirituality & Sexuality, is their a difference? I received my own revelation and never stopped from about Deacon ship on!

Here is a facebook post on this subject.

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=225722270821760&id=10000189185902

Sorry couldn't get the link to work.

No. Wait. I was wrong. It hasn't. I was only led to believe that it would, or even worse. It would steal my soul, make me homosexual, cause me to be feeble-minded. It sure made me guilty, though. But now I'm not guilty. Everything is cool, in fact, because I know now that LDS church leaders are hypocritical, masturbating asses.

Masturbation made me go blind too.....but I am cured now. Still have hairy plams though......and according to the Book of Mormon this cycle of sinfullness is going to make my skin turn dark.....

Oh well, I'd rather be a dark skinned, hairy palmed, blind man who dies believing that's it's okay to masturbati....sorry meant to type masturbate. (I'm going blind again.)