buz et al,
so glad to see this discussion. i've struggled with the whole compatibility of p.e. with biblical Christianity, too; great to know i've got a number of brothers in Jesus here on [words=http://www.mattersofsize.com/join-now.html]MoS[/words]. i'll give my quick position on a few of the recurring issues in this post:
1) buz is right that scripture never speaks directly to masturbation. while "arguments from silence" are not hard evidence for a position, considering the amazing spectrum of sexual practices discussed and condemned in scripture, i find it VERY hard to believe that God would have failed to include this essentially universal sexual practice from His prohibitions if it was altogether wrong and offensive to Him. while masturbation certainly CAN become an addiction, i strongly believe the practice, in moderation, can help the single man who desires to please God from engaging in the many illicit alternatives that tempt him as he waits. God's design, without question, is that sex should be shared between a married man and woman, but for those who seek this end and do not yet enjoy matrimony, i think it benefit their efforts to maintain chastity.
2) Onan's sin was selfishness (and masturbation often, though not always, is a purely selfish act)--i.e., not providing his brother's wife with an heir. God hated Onan's disregard for the old-covenant provision He established to protect the cause of widows. the means Onan used to deny the widow an heir was coitus interruptus; solo sex isn't mentioned anywhere in that passage or the rest of scripture.
3) on pornography: it's impossible for me to get around what Jesus states in His sermon on the mount: "whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." gawking at a girl's tit's to get yourself off is adultery in the mind's eye--and sin in the eye's of God. however, i know from my own scrupulous and absolute keeping of Job's "covenant with [his] eyes" that complete ignorance of a woman's sensual beauty can open the door to perversions (fetishes or homosexual fantasies, etc.) in the mind of a young man whose raging hormones chemically determine a persistent horniness that's beyond his control. when, in my twenties, my parents and a Christian counselor became aware of my significantly-more-troubling-than-lustful thoughts and my virtually unheard of complete ignorance of the feminine shape and charms and way with a man, they had me view explicit material of a sexual nature to create a catalog of mental images that could replace the only sexual images of function (my own) and anatomy (mine and other guys) in my head when the sexual urges became too strong and trying to push out sexual thoughts did not suffice. As shocking and un-Christian as this seems, replacement enabled me to get rid of perverted thoughts i could not be rid of simply by trying not to think about them. the women in the material i saw (which, as with the women in virtually all instructional, erotic, and actually pornographic material) where not "real" women. while lust is lust, Jesus specifically uses "adultery," not "fornication" or "uncleanness" when talking about the wandering eye and the eye of the mind. i'm not saying that adult entertainment (or its softer cousins) is okay, but i am saying that a major component of the Law is the impact of transgressions on others in the community (it's all summed up in love your neighbor...). it seems that the lust Jesus specifically mentions is the lusting after another man's wife (coveting). you can't commit adultery with an unmarried woman, even if you bed her; it's fornication then--still a sin, but not adultery. i tend to think there's a lesser degree of evil (though not anything like innocence) in lusting after a swimsuit issue model than after your neighbor's wife. feel free to disagree with that, though. in a case like mine, i picked the lesser of the two evils and actually--crazy as it sounds--experienced sanctification of my thought life through heterosexually arousing imagery.
4) the big issue for me now is, "godliness with contentment is great gain..." the argument that your virgin wife who, like you (and me), has never been with another person, will not be satisfied with an average size cock and might be tempted to commit adultery seems a bit of a stretch. all of us in [words=http://www.mattersofsize.com/join-now.html]MoS[/words] and similar forums want a dick that's bigger than the one God gave us and one that is bigger than other guys. yeah, you (and i) may be on the smaller half of normal, but it's not like any of us in this forum are one-inch wonders. my fear is that this really is about the male ego--my pride--because i'm embarrassed in the locker room when others see my flaccid penis in the showers. unlike fat (which i, like you, buz) need to work off for body stewardship reasons, P.E. is all about aesthetics--the outward appearance, machismo, "confidence in the flesh."
5) final thought: i've just made an investment in the Max-Vac II. i can't wait to start
hanging. i want a bigger penis and will feel more confident with it. i still am not sure i can reconcile this with my faith. i should be content with what God gave me, not worry about what others think, focus on the inner man, not the outward appearance, strive for modesty, humility, etc. that investment could be used to help others, not just my ego. all the P.E.; exercises are going to take time i could invest for the benefit of others in a different pursuit. i really enjoy posting and love a community here and at mynewsize (RoosterChalleng) where i can be open about this stuff and be encouraged by other guys like me. however, at mynewsize, virtually everyone's avatars and/or signatures have girls stripping or sucking or fucking, multiple partners, cumshots either erupting from some guy's dick or landing on naked chicks. it's not uplifting/edifying. it seems like others--maybe we should see it revealing the same about us--are obsessed with sex. i'm hoping i can limit p.e. time and thoughts and discreetly gain the 1.5"-2" in length and .5"-1" in girth i want. i'm hoping it can be a hobby (like working out) and a non-obsessive aspect of improving my appearance (like shaving). if it gets out of hand, i'm gonna have to stop.
i'd love to know the thoughts of the other bible-believing Christians out there.
your 27-year-old virgin bro in Christ
