Do you think masturbation is wrong?
Katie: I don’t think it’s wrong. It’s your choice, like everything.
Ciaran: I agree.
Ednabel: I don’t see the point in it.
Do you think it’s something that’s important to talk about?
Some: Yeah.
Ciaran: No. It’s your personal life. It’s one of those things that you wouldn’t really tell people.
Katie: Some people are really open about it, some people aren’t, but I feel like someone should be there, like an adult or something, to teach younger people that you shouldn’t be embarrassed. I don’t see why you should be embarrassed if you did that, but also I don’t feel like you should broadcast it to everyone; it’s your personal life. But I feel like there should be an adult or something to teach you why you’re feeling that way. I think someone should be educating.
Is masturbation a helpful thing for people who are trying not to have sex, because it means that it’s getting rid of urges or stopping them from having sex with another person, or no, because it’s not right?
Chuck: I feel like your body is a temple. God created you and you should be as pure as possible as a Christian, so you should try and live the best life. There’s not really the sense that if I masturbate it’s OK, because I’m still not having sex with someone else. If you’re masturbating, you’re not clean within yourself, because you’re behind closed doors, and the only person that can see you masturbating is God. If you’re masturbating then no one else will know except God, and do you think that God is pleased with what you’re doing? Each one of us was created, we are a temple, we are a beacon of light, to spread his word. So if we’re tampering with his temple, or with his light, then he wouldn’t be happy with it.
So we’re almost asking if masturbation is the same as sex outside of marriage?
Katie: It’s not the same. It’s not equal. I don’t think it’s a sin, as such. I don’t think you’re not supposed to do it.
Ciaran: I don’t think you need to do it.
Katie: I don’t like the idea of doing it, but I don’t think you should be looked down upon for doing it. It’s a personal choice subject.Society has made it seem really wrong. It’s a personal choice, but as society as a whole, it’s been looked down so much, so it’s something people feel guilty for. If you choose to do something to your body, it’s your personal opinion, no matter what anybody else thinks. It depends on the situation, but I think it’s been looked down upon so much that it’s now thought of something that’s bad. But I think that if it didn’t have such a negative light upon it, people wouldn’t think it was such a horrible thing.
