Nothing new under the sun. . .

I quite agree that "if you don't do it, your body will do it for you (nocturnal emission)". In fact, this very issue was addressed in the 4th century! A number of monks had been troubled by the natural flow of bodily fluid in their sleep. Being serious about their faith, and NOT ignorant of the Scriptures, they knew that according to Leviticus this rendered them "unclean". I believe it was St. Basil the Great of Cappadocia who spoke a word which all recognized as being both practical and faithful. (I don't remember if that's who it was, but I posted the exact quote on the board over a year ago.) Basically, he said that when the body's natural functions occur, there is no cause for shame. As Ben has pointed out, the physical aspect is not what is to concern us as people who are commanded to be holy. Thank God that you do not have any mental imagery or fantasizing to struggle against! I suppose the question I would pose to you is, if it's natural and only a physical thing, why take matters into your own hands? Dirk