Thats easy ,hes sinning by not following God's command to all people given in Gen 1 27-28. People who practice abortion are working against this too but taking it a step further and killing the offspring before they're born. Rather than preventing from being born in the 1st place like the guy you call Onan.Not obeying Gods commands is called sinning. Sin is disobedience to Gods Commands. Let me know if you have anything more.

Hey, as far as the qustion about Onan. I believe Onan's problem was one of irresponsibility. According to ancient custom, if your older brother was married, died and left behind a widow, it was the next younger brother's responsibility to step up. The younger brother had two major responsibilties: 1)leaving a legacy for the older brother and 2)providing a future for your older brother's widow. Specifically, Onan was to make sure his brother's widow had a secure future (a widow without children had no real security, for she was ineligible to inherit her husband's assets, unless she had a child). #2)Onan was charged to carry on the legacy of his brother's name (not his own name) -- and this was too much for Onan to bear. If he had a child he wanted the child to be known as HIS own child (Onan's) NOT the child of his older brother (Er). It seems to me to be largely a problem of male ego. Hope this helps some regarding Onan.

That's correct -- this biblical story has nothing to do with masturbation. In ancient times a widow's brother-in-law was supposed to marry his dead brother's wife and provide for her --providing her with children, an inheritance and a secure future for her. Onan apparently decided to make things look good on the surface, and appears to have married his late brother's wife. But he refused to give her children -- apparently he had intercouse with her but would never allow her to get impregnanted and "bailed out" at the last minute on various occasions, until finally God struck him down due to not providing for his later brother's widow. Of course, Onan "spewed his seed on the ground" all because any children which he provided for his brother's widow (now Onan's wife) would perpetuate the his brother's name (Er) and would not perpetuate Onan's name. Onan was concerned about his own posterity and not his brother's. Onay cleared was concerned aboutleaving the mark of his own name on history. Specifically, if Onan had not spilled his seed on the ground and his new-widow-wife Tamar became pregnant the children born would be known as "the sons or daughters of ER" (the older brother) NOT the "sons or daughters of Onan" (the younger brother). As I said, this had nothing to do with masturbation. However, I must admit that given this unusual story that's recorded in the Bible, the name "Onan" has become a synonym for "masturbation" since the story is loosely related to the general concept.

The passage you are referring to is: And Judah said unto Onan: 'Go in unto thy brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.' And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it came to pass when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of the LORD; and He slew him also. The answer is neither. At this time of the bible when a women is widowed, the brother is required to give the woman a child. Onan did not want to give her a child. Instead of being honest about this, he was treacherous and used withdrawal as a method of birth control. He was slain because he refused to impregnate his brother's widow. That is why he is seen as evil.

These were the laws to carry the brothers line . Onan purposefully took precautions,"spilled his seed on the ground" to not have children in his brothers name. So, God killed him, I believe. He knew he was not following the Jewish laws. Onan's fathers seed(twins) ends up being in David's line through Perez .

I'm sorry...it just has to be put up here....:-D... . . .

they did not have condoms in those days so he withdrew at the proper time because he did not want to have a child for his brother, which was the way of the Jewish people in the OT... I do not know of passages about masturbation(would like to though)..I believe it is wrong and a sign of immaturity and no self control...I do know that even God Fearing men went to Prostitutes..look at Judah(Onan's father) after his wife died, he thought Tamar was a prostitute, and turned out to be his daughter in law. She had twins by her father in law! Tamar was wronged. Shelah (Judah's youngest son)was supposed to marry Tamar but Judah did not do right by her,maybe he was scared God would destroy Shelah too;so Judah ended up being the one that kept the lineage of Christ going through Tamar's son, Perez...

He did not do what the law required and that was to continue his brothers family line for him.

i believe that because in general terms, you should not have sex with your brother's wife. but if the brother dies and leaves the widow with no offspring to care for her, nor to continue the lineage, then an exception can be made, if you are going to marry this widow in order for the widow to continue the lineage, and to have children to look after her, then you may marry her. what was evil, was onan had no intention to continue the lineage, but he wanted to marry her anyway just to have sex, so the intentions he had, were not the intentions that the exception was made for, so therefore it was sinful, if he did not want to help her to have offspring, he should not have married her, that way, she may have found someone else to marry. he didnt want to marry her to help the widow, nor to help his brother, he married her so he could have sex with his brother's wife, which in itself was sinful (unless he had the intention of providing her offspring), which he was going to make sure that he didnt. therefore, he had evil lustful selfish intentions. that's my take.

After Onan

He did not impregnate his brother's wife.

He did not impregnate his brother's wife.