Is masturbation wrong? Let me address the issue mainly for men. I cannot imagine sexual orgasm in the loins without sexual image in the mind. I know there are nocturnal emissions, which I regard as innocent and helpful, but I doubt that they are ever orgasmic apart from a sexual dream that supplies the necessary image in the mind. Evidently God has constituted the connection between sexual orgasm and sexual thought in such a way that the force and pleasure of orgasm is dependent on the thought or images in our minds. Therefore in order to masturbate, it is necessary to get vivid and exciting thoughts or images into the mind. This can be done by pure imagination or by pictures or movies or stories or real persons. These images always involve women as sexual objects. I use the word “object” because in order for a women to be a true sexual “subject” in our imagination she must in reality be one with whom we are experiencing what we are imagining. This is not the case with masturbation. So I vote no on masturbation. There may be other reasons why it is wrong. For now I rest my vote on the inevitable sexual images which accompany masturbation and which turn women into sexual objects. The sexual thoughts that enable masturbation do not help any man to treat women with greater respect. Therefore masturbation produces real and legitimate guilt and stands in the way of obedience.

John Piper

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Vegetables, Meats	Swiss	Casseroles, Cheese, Seasonings, Side dish, Vegetables	6	Servings

INGREDIENTS

6		Beets (1 lb.)
1	c	Chicken stock
1/2	c	Cream
1/2	c	Scallions or onions
		;chopped
2		Garlic cloves
		;peeled and minced
1	tb	Fresh tarragon (1 tsp. dry)
1/2	c	Cheddar or Swiss cheese
		;grated

INSTRUCTIONS

The author writes: "A color version of the familiar scalloped potatoes...a
hearty dish served alongside broiled fish and brown rice."
Scrub beets; trim stem end to 1/2".  Leave root end intact. In a large
saucepan, boil beets for 25 minutes, until just tender enough to stick a
knife through the center. Drain; peel and slice in 1/4" discs.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a saucepan, combine beet slices, chicken stock, cream, scallions, garlic
and tarragon.  Bring to a boil. Stir and remove from heat.
Butter a 1 1/2 qt. gratin dish and spread the beet mixture out. Sprinkle
with grated cheese.  Bake 30 minutes.
Recipe developed by Ellen Ogden.  In "The Cook's Garden" catalog, Vol. 9,
No. 1.  Spring 1992.  Pg. 6. Posted by Cathy Harned.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

A Message from our Provider:

“A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart. #Charles Finney”

There is a radical distinction between natural regret and God-given repentance. The flesh can feel remorse, acknowledge its evil deeds, and be ashamed of itself. However, this sort of disgust with past actions can be quickly shrugged off, and the individual can soon go back to his old wicked ways. None of the marks of true repentance described in 2 Corinthians 7:11 are found in his behavior. Out of a list of 10 men in the Bible who said, “I have sinned,” we believe only five actually repented. They were David (2 Sam. 12:13), Nehemiah (Neh. 1:6), Job (Job 42:5,6), Micah (Micah 7:9), and the prodigal son (Luke 15:18).

Unknown Author