Remember when the fear of going blind or growing hair on your palms was enough to make you stop masturbating? Neither do I, but apparently The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been spreading a much more "terrifying" myth since the eighties that self pleasure makes you gay.
A recently leaked booklet on homosexuality (second edition) for church leaders suggests "early" masturbation could cause adolescents to become gay, according to Newsweek. "Early masturbation experiences introduce the individual to sexual thoughts which may become habit forming and reinforcing to homosexual interests," according to the booklet.
Other absurd declarations about homosexuality included moms coddling their sons could turn them gay, and that it "may involve violent or criminal behavior."
The church has since shifted a bit by allowing people with "same sex attraction" to at least be able to participate in the church, but homosexual acts "violate" Mormon law, according to its website. Masturbation also still seems out of the question.
Image: versageek
