Understanding Changing Signals
The answer may not be as straight forward as you assume. This article looks at the history of the Church’s view on masturbation, and the current council.
Book of Mormon
There is remarkably little in the Bible on the topic of masturbation. But let’s address what does exist biblically.
Genesis 38
Onanism
Matthew 5:30
–Old Testament precedent and what it means with Christ, reliant on modern revelation
–Silence of New Testament & Modern Prophets
–1920s & 1930s acceptance
Don’t overreact to the discovery of masturbation:
Relief Society Magazine 14:89-94(February)???, 103-6 (February, and this one works), 629-30 (December) (1927); 19:92 (February)(1932); 20:760-61(1933); 23:631-32 (October) (1936) 24:284-87 (May), 688-90 (October) (1937)
https://lib.byu.edu/collections/relief-society-magazine-index/
–Non-official books of apostles, Mormon Doctrine and Miracle of Forgiveness
–Official recognition: Strength of Youth, To Young Men Only
–Official Change: Strength of Youth Change, To Young Men Only was taken out of print, Handbook 1 lists “Self-Abuse” as something that cannot be disciplined for, Kim Clark.
–Kim Clark
“Neither my talk nor the video has anything to do with masturbation. There’s nothing in the video or in my talk about that,” Clark said, in an interview with TIME Thursday. “We were really focused on addictions, pornography, things that are really damaging spiritually to people.”
Do the church and the school see masturbation as a sin?
Well, it is interesting. I would frame it this way. Masturbation is a behavior that, if continued, could over time lead to things that are sinful, so the counsel that the church gives to its leaders is to counsel with young people to help them understand that their bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. That comes right out of Corinthians, that is what Paul taught, and it is a beautiful doctrine—that our bodies are a great gift from God and we need to take good care of them, and that the procreative powers that God has given us, he cares very much about how they are used, and so that we need to learn to use them in ways that are in accordance with his will and his mind.s
–Use your own judgment: How do you understand the counsel, why would the Church no longer speak on the subject?
Bush, Lester E. Health and Medicine Among the Latter-Day Saints: Science, Sense, and Scripture. New York: Crossroad, 1993.
