Law of Chastity and Masturbation


JThimm88
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It's been a year and a half since I've gone in for a worthiness/recommend interview, so I was wondering if someone could refresh my mind. When asked if we follow the law of chastity during an interview, are we asked specifically if we masturbate?

Someone told me a disturbing story involving a child being asked a question like that, and I guess I'm wondering if children are asked the specifics? If so, it kind of makes me nervous. As a parent have you ever been able to sit in during an interview when your youngster was getting asked? I don't know how interviews work with children as I joined the Church when I was 19.

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It will all be age specific and I seriously, seriously, seriously doubt that would ever be asked of an 8 year old. And whoever told you that needs to be smacked. They don't ask specifics, they ask generalities. And even at that, they're not going to ask an 8 year old anything about chastity.

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It's been a year and a half since I've gone in for a worthiness/recommend interview, so I was wondering if someone could refresh my mind. When asked if we follow the law of chastity during an interview, are we asked specifically if we masturbate?

Some bishops might choose to expand the Law of Chastity question further than what's required, but the extent of the recommend question itself is this:

Do you live the law of chastity?

Someone told me a disturbing story involving a child being asked a question like that, and I guess I'm wondering if children are asked the specifics? If so, it kind of makes me nervous. As a parent have you ever been able to sit in during an interview when your youngster was getting asked? I don't know how interviews work with children as I joined the Church when I was 19.

I can see an instance of a bishop asking a teenage boy a little more specifics, but not a young child.

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Its been a couple of decades, but yes I was asked the Boyd K Packer question in my interviews. In fact, I don't remember one that did not ask that. I thought it was standard but as I got older it may have just been in the few areas I lived in. The first time I was asked I did not know what it was and he had to describe it for me. I was horrified and not guiltless.

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Yes, straight from 'To Young Men Only' by Boyd K Packer all about the evils of playing with the 'little factory'. I still have the pamphlet, I ran across it 3 years ago (but its very old). I wish I could have taken its advice. Instead I lived with guilt my entire youth. I never did confess to the strange man who approached me in my first PPI at 12 years old. I never did in my youth. Awkward and I was ashamed. I look back and it was the beginning of what turned into rebellion against the church, but I came back. The church could have handled it better but I could have just told the truth (but I did not know how to react at 12 years old and so much info and instant guilt all in one interview).

You can see it yourself at:

Edited by pam
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Yes, straight from 'especially for young men' by Boyd K Packer all about the evils of playing with the 'little factory'. I still have the pamphlet, I ran across it a year ago (but its very old). I wish I could have taken its advice. Instead I lived with guilt my entire youth. I never did confess to the strange man who approached me in my first PPI at 12 years old. I never did. Awkward and I was ashamed. I look back and it was the beginning of what turned into rebellion against the church, but I came back. The church could have handled it better but I could have just told the truth (but I did not know how to react at 12 years old and so much info and instant guilt all in one interview).

You can see it yourself at:

>link edited out<

Nice anti site you've got going there.

Edited by Wingnut
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Yes, straight from 'especially for young men' by Boyd K Packer all about the evils of playing with the 'little factory'. I still have the pamphlet, I ran across it a year ago (but its very old). I wish I could have taken its advice. Instead I lived with guilt my entire youth. I never did confess to the strange man who approached me in my first PPI at 12 years old. I never did. Awkward and I was ashamed. I look back and it was the beginning of what turned into rebellion against the church, but I came back. The church could have handled it better but I could have just told the truth (but I did not know how to react at 12 years old and so much info and instant guilt all in one interview).

You can see it yourself at:

>link edited out<

I'm doing a little research here, and I did a Google search for Elder Packer and the words "little factory." All I've been able to find are references to it on various blogs and websites. They all seem to reference October 2, 1976 as the date he gave the talk, during the Priesthood session of General Conference. However, according to the Church archives, Elder Packer didn't speak during that Conference at all: October 1976 General Conference Sessions

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I did not look, but I know the pdf version is online somewhere and I assume (as it appears) to be in the link I provided. I thought it was a clever and true story about a little factory, the more you demand, the more you make. I am laughing but it is true, right? Those were the days, I was a stupid rebellious teenager but I always loved the church and felt Gods presence through my youth.

LDS.org states: Chastity is sexual purity. Those who are chaste are morally clean in their thoughts, words, and actions. Chastity means not having any sexual relations before marriage. It also means complete fidelity to husband or wife during marriage.

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I love Boyd K Packer... he has a good heart and of good intent!

And how true and important to understand, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" Proverbs 23:7

When we die, our thoughts are even more real, they are everything. Now is the time to learn to control them. Now is the time to learn to control our actions but if we dwell on the flesh, how can we be of the spirit? How much more will this be true (to control our thoughts) when we are no longer in the flesh? This is why Jesus said, if you look on a woman and lust after her you have committed adultery, our thoughts are real and even more so when we find ourselves out of the flesh. And that day will come to each of us. In fact, it cometh quickly. Our lives will seem but a moment when we return to our God.

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Having conducted worthiness interviews, I can tell you that the Spirit will guide the interviewer. The bishop or branch president may need to explain what certain questions mean during a worthiness interview. For example, it may be necessary to explain that the law of chastity means not only intercourse, but inappropriate contacts such as necking, heavy petting, oral sex, pornography, etc. Sometimes, teenagers don't use the same terms that adults use. Sometimes we have to speak to them in terms they understand and ask pointed questions.

Of course, this should be age-appropriate. I once interviewed a youth who was getting ready to go for a baptismal trip to the temple. He didn't understand the question in the recommend interview about association or affiliation with apostate groups or groups that oppose the Church's teachings. Knowing that he had probably never heard of such a group in his life, I asked him, "You're not a member of al-Qaeda are you?" He laughed and I explained in very general terms what the question meant. After he understood the question properly, he answered well and we moved on to the next question.

I have had people withhold information from me and the Spirit prompted me to inquire for specific information. I have also had the Spirit tell me that something was amiss and to just wait and say nothing. In that instance, a person returned to me in a few weeks and confessed more fully because their conscience bothered them.

In the process of all this, the interviewer must take great care not to introduce temptations into the hearts of those who have not conceived of those things. President Kimball tells of interviewing a prospective missionary who had committed some serious sins. When asked how those things had ever entered his mind, he said they came from an inappropriately pointed line of questioning during an interview.

In my experience, generally people want to confess their sins and clear their conscience. If a member has a concern, they should mention it and not try to hide it. Getting sins resolved does wonders for a person's spiritual progression. It allows the atonement to truly lift their burdens and they feel clean again. It removes the obstacles that keep us from enjoying our faith in Christ.

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It very well could prevent a guy from going out and having sex with woman. It is a release of sexual tension I figure. Yes, its not right but so you cannot control human nature?

With time, the hormones will wear off and other substitutes will be used to rid of the sexual tension.

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Guest saintish

it seem that among some in the church there seems to be a verystrong aversion to masturbation while others, like bcguy, seem to be less averse.

personally i dont think it is the mortal sin that some make it out to be but i can understand why the lord may dissaprove of it.

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It very well could prevent a guy from going out and having sex with woman. It is a release of sexual tension I figure. Yes, its not right but so you cannot control human nature?

With time, the hormones will wear off and other substitutes will be used to rid of the sexual tension.

I know we've already beaten this topic to a pulp in other threads, but this makes me feel the need to reiterate that it is all about learning self-control. We CAN control human nature, or the Lord would not ask us to do so. He states that the Natural Man is an enemy to God and that we must make a choice- to cast it aside and take up the path of the Lord.

Sure, sexual desires are not a sin. But acting on them in a way the Lord does not deem appropriate IS a sin. When we act on these desires by masterbating, we are allowing the natural man to gain control instead of practicing self-control and building a stronger spirit, better able to withstand and resist temptations. It may release tension, but with any release there is a chemical/hormonal stimulation which causes a greater building of tension down the road. This is how addictions start.

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Guest saintish

It may release tension, but with any release there is a chemical/hormonal stimulation which causes a greater building of tension down the road. This is how addictions start.

Is this not also the case when a married couple engage in relations? we know that sex is not for procreation alone, so can there not also be a risk of forming a sex addiction when have sex withing the bonds of marriage?
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Is this not also the case when a married couple engage in relations? we know that sex is not for procreation alone, so can there not also be a risk of forming a sex addiction when have sex withing the bonds of marriage?

Yes, there is that risk, but sex within the bonds of marriage is approved of by the Lord as long as those individuals are also maintaining self-control over the natural man. I believe abstinence outside marriage helps build that ability so that sex within marriage (usually) does not become an addiction.

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