Sex, moderation, and responsibility...what is appropriate?

[Whitney]

people feel shame when they masturbate.

There is nothing shameful about masturbation....it is a natural mood booster and is also associated with some health benefits.  Earlier in this thread, maybe another thread (if forgot since this thing has dragged on for so long), Squid cited an article about masturbation being associated with lower occurrences of testicular cancer in men.

As for prostitution...I'd be more concerned about catching an STD than if I'd feel shame or not.

[Squid]

people feel shame when they masturbate.

Maybe you do, I and millions of other people certainly don't.

[donkeyhoty]

Only time masturbation can be shameful is when you forget to lock the door...

[easytrak]

if you think sex is supposed to be between two people then it is certainly going to be difficult for you to take in the idea of masturbating.

[Squid]

Masturbation is the safest form of sex there is.

I'm just curious, what is so bad about it?

[SteveS]

Masturbation is the safest form of sex there is.

As long as you don't do it while you're driving.....

Consider, if people stop masturbating, it'll shut down the porn industry, which could cause the entire economy to collapse.  Plus, what would we do with the internet?  It'd be empty!

(takes tongue out of cheek)

Seriously, I don't get what's so bad about masturbation either.  I'll admit I'm not really comfortable having a public, open, frank, detailed discussion about it.  But telling someone else not to masturbate is just ... weird.  Who the hell cares?  It's nobody else's business.  

And why do religious beliefs seem to come with so much sexual baggage?

[Whitney]

if you think sex is supposed to be between two people then it is certainly going to be difficult for you to take in the idea of masturbating.

What exactly do you think constitutes sex?

[JustInterested]

What are morals?  Where did they come from?  Were we born with them?  Are they learned?  Does each being have a different set of morals?  If each individual can define it's own morals, then is there really such a thing as morals?

[Squid]

It seems to be a combination of nature and nurture.

[Whitney]

What are morals?  Where did they come from?  Were we born with them?  Are they learned?  Does each being have a different set of morals?  If each individual can define it's own morals, then is there really such a thing as morals?

Morals are basically actions which are considered acceptable in a society for the benefit of that society.  Considering that numerous morals must be taught to children (ie waiting to have sex till they are old enough to handle it properly or, according to some, till marriage) then we can be pretty sure we aren't born knowing all moral codes.  Things like empathy do make it possible to argue that we (normal people) are born with an understanding of not to do things like murder.

As for individuals having different sets of morals; I think you'll find that in general members of groups will share similar if not same moral ideals because to do otherwise would outcast the individual from the group.  For instance, in many societies (groups) there are laws against murder and those who's moral understanding does not exclude murder as an option end up being separated from society by means of jail time and/or execution.  It simply isn't possible to have an understanding of morality that conflicts with the society in which you live without compromising your own survival within that society.  On an individual basis there will be variations in how morals of a given society are upheld and understood but these variations are also how morality evolves over time.  If morality didn't evolve the US would still have slaves.

Morality isn't really a thing anyway, it only exists through human understanding of how we should interact with each other and this understanding is what allows us to live in large groups.