Last updated on September 23, 2020
Question:
Dear Mr. Hamilton,
Trusting all is well with you. Thank you for making the web site, and thank you for posting answers to questions. Your answers are from a Christian perspective, which is what I want. Your answers also are quite different from those of the secular answers. Thanks for everything.
I wanted to ask you a question: I have noticed that I have a habit of keeping my hands in my underwear. It’s not that I am having perverted thoughts. If I am reading the Bible online or watching a sermon or a YouTube video, my hand subconsciously goes there. I first thought that it was because of my need to feel warm, but this happens regardless of the room temperature. I sometimes scratch that area too. I thought it could be solved by cleaning that area quite a number of times, but I face no success whatsoever. I have just started paying attention to this right now. By the way, I am 19 years old and am a male.
Your advice on this matter will be benefit me immensely.
Answer:
It doesn’t take a huge amount of positive feedback to get a habit started. The skin of the groin is very sensitive to touch — it feels good, though not necessarily in an overt sexual way.
The problem with putting your hands in your underwear is that there is a high probability that you will do it unconsciously when other people are around. Even if you aren’t doing it for any particular reason, it is drawing other people’s attention to your groin, which isn’t proper. For the same reason, scratching yourself also draws unwanted attention to your private area.
Scratching yourself rarely is due to a lack of cleanliness. If you have red spots in that area, you might have gotten a fungal infection, but I’m going to assume that this is more habitual scratching or a need to adjust the position of your penis. If you got to scratch, it is best to wait until you are alone.
Just as a Christian doesn’t joke around about sex (Ephesians 5:3-7), he shouldn’t call unneeded attention to his sexuality.
Response:
Dear Mr. Hamilton,
Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it.