Q: According to The Urantia Book, are any sexual acts regarded as sin? For example; masturbation, premarital sex, porn, etc?

A: Thanks for this note to Truthbook. Sex is always an interesting topic, and one that most of us eagerly relate to…

HERE is a link to a previous answer to a similar question in our Life’s Toughest Questions feature.

Sex is wonderful—it is the means by which all life reproduces itself. Without it, the human race would quickly disappear. In order to ensure that people continue to reproduce, sex has been designed to bring intense pleasure and intense connection to another. Again, if it were not so, no one would be so interested in doing it…

In the animal world, sex is used only for reproduction of the species. Animals do not usually engage in sex for purely pleasurable reasons; animals are not overly concerned with sex. It is purely instinctual.

For thinking, spiritual, sentient human beings, sex can be used—not only for reproducing—but also for expressing deep love, for mutual pleasure, for intimacy and closeness with another, and just for fun. That is the upside. But it can also be used by the strong against the weak for intimidation, for power, for control—even in violent and harmful ways. It can be a harmful diversion from the business of life if taken to extremes. The pleasure that sex brings can be a powerful lure to have it at any cost. I think one or more of the particular activities that you cite hold some potential for evil, if not outright sin…that is my opinion.

Sin is the deliberate choosing of a person to transgress God’s will. It would seem logical to assume that some sexual activity could degrade into sin if it involves deliberate harm to another, or a deliberate diversion from relationship to God. But sex, in and of itself, is anything but sinful or evil. When used rightly, it can be the source of great joy in life.

The Urantia Book does not offer guidelines for the specific sexual behaviors you asked about. However, it does provide helpful history of The Mating Instinct HERE

And, in this section we read:

“No human emotion or impulse, when unbridled and overindulged, can produce so much harm and sorrow as this powerful sex urge. Intelligent submission of this impulse to the regulations of society is the supreme test of the actuality of any civilization. Self-control, more and more self-control, is the ever-increasing demand of advancing mankind. Secrecy, insincerity, and hypocrisy may obscure sex problems, but they do not provide solutions, nor do they advance ethics.” (82:1.10)

When determining whether any of these activities you cite are actually sinful one has to ask oneself: Is the activity helpful or harmful to self, or to others? Is the activity purely selfish? Does the activity get in the way of an individual’s relationship with God, or harm relationships with others? And most importantly: is LOVE the motivator? Or is selfishness the motivator?

Applying Jesus’ Rule of Living to any activity is always a good practice, and most especially with sexual activity.

Thanks again for this interesting question.