Catholicism condemns pre-marital sex and masturbation. So how should adolescents relieve their natural urges?

Jesus Christ said nothing on masturbation and sex. However, the Church (i.e. humans) say masturbation is a bad thing and pre-marital sex is a sin. So where's the truth?

Masturbation is a very natural form of behaviour. Everyone does it! So, by nature, it is not a sin.

Pre-marital sex? Well... who says that a union between two people must be marriage to be OK? So, there you have it.

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im catholic but i was told masturbatin is still ok. I mean i know they say its bad and stuff but heck my friend is catholic and we both said theres no way we couldnt masturbate. i been doin it for a while now. im 15 1/2 now. so far so good. i just say my prayers. i think u should just do it.

I don't think it is against the religion of Catholics to masturbate...I think it only says you should lust...Which most people do when they masturbate...

By fantasizing about nuns paddling them with rulers.

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By saying "**** you" and jacking off.

This is a very widely used sterotype of catholicism. If we didn't use birth control and never masturbated don't you think there would be catholics with 20 children by now? In today's society it's not likely there are many orthodox catholics who stick to these stringent rules. Honestly, do you think you could stop a teenage from masturbating by telling him/her it's against the rules?

Hello.

The Catholic Church does not forbid masterbation although they say not to abuse it or become addicted to it. Just imagine Catholic people society if all these young kids could not masterbate. They'd go insane.

I had sex before I was married. Although, I like and respect the Catholic Church's recomendation to wait for reasons like the emotional ties, unplanned child birth, diseases and the lack of respect of the church and institution of marriage. I one time wished that I waited but it was not possible because I got married so late...30's.

I really don't think that if adolescents were able to have premarital sex that they would stop their natural urges like being horney...wanting to have sex...being sexually curious.

Good question.

Apart from getting married at 16 it looks like you are pretty well doomed.

The official Catholic stance is to not give in to carnal urges. Pray for guidance.

However, as a few above here have said...it's not exactly wide-spread practice.

I will say that sins against self are usually not thought of as heinously as sins against others....does that help?

Go to confession and repent weekly...

It is not the Catholic Church that expects all unmarried people to be celibate, it is God who expects adolescent and adult human beings to act responsibly and respectfully.

Yes, this is possible. Billions of people over the centuries have been celibate while unmarried.

Until about forty years ago, society even took unmarried celibacy for granted.

This just goes to show how much popular culture has influenced our minds over the last 40 years that now we think that all of those billions of unmarried celibate people throughout history were either superhuman or lying. They were neither.

They were just like us except they knew what chastity meant.

With love in Christ.