Isn't it a bit obtuse for God to say masturbation is wrong?

God doesn't say that. God did not enforce any law on the humans. All law on earth is imposed by people. In a monarchy one person does it. In a democracy, people's representatives do it.

Not really. We can kill and we can hate. God doesn't approve of that. We can father children and abandon them. Clearly everything we are capable of is not right.

Perhaps you have a better reason for the licitness of masturbation. I suggest you start with, "what you want is generally good for you," and see where dialog takes you.

If you read the Bible, the Bible doesn't say that.

Christians, Jews, Muslims all say sex outside marriage is a sin.

Wow wee, it would definitely be a show of a God fearing man to over-ride the irresistible urge to squeeze thy twinkie, would it not?

I like the way you think.

Is masturbation a sin?  Absolutely not.

Personally, I love masturbating and I also love looking at tasteful images of soft-core p0rn. I don't want to stop doing either activity. God obviously has better things to do than look down upon us and frown about masturbation or p0rn.

Is masturbating and /or looking at p0rn bad or a sin? Not in my opinion... assuming that you're not addicted to it, you can live a productive life, and you can share romance with a real lover.

Moderation is basically the key to living. Too much of anything is bad (food, booze, driving too fast, sugar, whatever). 

I'm a Christian, and I love to look at p0rn... especially images with no guys involved... which includes soft-core lesbian p0rn. Do I feel guilty or embarrassed? No. 

Masturbation and / or looking at p0rn is your own private business.

Imagine if you had a friendly & cute little pet hamster that enjoyed masturbating sometimes (in the privacy of a little box house) and watching a little screen. If you happened to peek in and see him / her playing with himself / herself and finally have a little orgasm, would you be angry... or would you think it was adorable and would you feel happy that the little animal could have some innocent pleasure??!?!??!

So I don't believe that you have ANYTHING to feel ashamed about for playing with yourself or for looking at p0rn. Who do you think installed the desire for sex, love, and romance in you? It was God.

Fighting against a natural desire won't make it go away. Nope. It'll just make the urge even stronger. That's the truth.

Imagine someone ordering you "Do NOT think ever about a pink elephant! Never think of that!!!" 

What's the first thing that you're gonna think of? Of course, it's gonna be a pink elephant. 

Besides, most "sins" that harm no one are invented by people who want to control others... because those people who want to control others are arrogant, self-righteous, hypocritical jerks. 

Many people use the Bible as the ultimate authority on "sin" (i.e., bad things). 

OK, then what about this stuff??? 

"... a woman who isn't a virgin on her wedding day shall be stoned to death..." Deuteronomy 22:20-21 

"... whomever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer... " Leviticus 24:16 

"... if a man commits adultery with another man's wife; with the wife of his neighbor, then both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death... " Leviticus 20:10 

"... you shall not allow a woman to live who practices sorcery... " Exodus 22:18 

"... anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death for they are guilty of a capital offense... " Leviticus 20:9 

"... you have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest; anyone who works on the Sabbath day must be put to death... " Exodus 35:2 

"... your male and female slaves shall come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves... " Leviticus 25:44 

"... a woman should learn in quietness and full submission; do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent... " 1 Timothy 2:11-12 

"... if a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death... " Leviticus 20:13 

"... if a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father's holiness, then she must be burned to death... " Leviticus 21:9 

"... do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards.... " Leviticus 19:27 

"... if you hear that in one of your cities... that certain worthless fellows are saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’... then you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to death, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and all of their animals, with the edge of the sword.... " Deuteronomy 13:12-15 

So... do I enjoy looking at wonderful pictures of beautiful females in various stages of undress? Yes. 

Do I enjoy fapping to those images? Yes. 

Do I feel even the slightest bit guilty? No. 

Personally, even though I'm happily married... if my wife isn't "in the mood" then I enjoy slowly scrolling through still images of soft-core romantic stripteases and imagining that she's my red-hot virgin girlfriend who is finally taking off all of her clothes for me for the very first time (if any adults are curious, then they can take a look at the links in my comment below). And I love feet, too. No guys; just girls (because to me, most guys in p0rn just look like selfish horny creeps who don't care about the girl.  I prefer sexual fantasies when positive traits are included (i.e., such as romance, love, affection, and commitment).

Good point, I wonder where in the Bible/Quran/Talmud it says that you can't masturbate?

He also gave us hands capable of stealing, but that is wrong also.