Is leaving the house in the middle of the night to masturbate a sin?

Last updated on September 5, 2020

Question:

If I want to masturbate, I can’t do it inside the house. So I go outside in the middle of the night. There is an area that is quite private. There are walls on all sides and only a small window which opens into a small area which faces the road. I used to jump into that area naked in the middle of the night because that was the only thing I could do for me to have an orgasm. I want to know if what I did was wrong? I know, I was a weird kid.

Answer:

Is your bathing area private? That would be a more sensible place and time to take care of such needs.

Question:

The bathing area is private, but I like doing it there because I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone knocking on the door and interrupting. I don’t want to keep anything from you. I like doing it there. I don’t know why. Maybe the excitement, I guess. But isn’t revealing yourself in a place like that a sin? That is what I wanted to know.

Answer:

Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Proverbs 9:17). Water is water. Bread is bread. But when you are doing something you know is wrong, then there is an extra excitement that gives extra spice to what you are doing.

Going outside naked is of the same form. While it appears to be private, you know that the possibility exists of being discovered, not just by your family but also by others. That extra excitement makes your blood pressure go up and makes getting an erection easy as well as push you well down the path of sexual arousal. It isn’t just that someone might see you naked, which is considered embarrassing. You would be in the process of sexually stimulating yourself and that is something others should not see. Rather than chasing after the sensual, I am recommending that you treat your need to ejaculate as any other bodily function. If your family has a habit of entering when you are using the toilet or taking a shower, tell them firmly that you are too old for them to coming in when you are not clothed.