Re: Adrian M/Claire J
It depends on the version of chastity that people are adhering to. Technically speaking, any sexual act outside of marriage is considered a sin. So it is taught that people should abstain from anything sexual, as sex is the most holy of acts that two people can share to prove their love. However, they also consider any sexual act that cannot provide life as a sin. So masturbation is up there in the horrible acts along with sodomy and blowjobs. (If you want to read into it, it is used in their propaganda to make people think homosexuality is wrong.) If you cannot make a baby with any sexual act, it is a sin. Which is not how God intended us to live.
To answer the question, people can and people do. I have. It is becoming less of a big deal with the shift in society and how religion is taught now. God is not going to smite anyone for getting off, but some very conservative people believe it is still wrong. So it is wrong for those people. Does that make sense? If you have made a promise to God because you believe breaking that promise is bad, then it is bad. God did not make that promise. You did.