CELIBACY and the Catholic church...is this the course of pedophilia in the priesthood ?

[joea]

I think it's exactly what's happening in the Catholic church. You try and force celibacy on yourself and your dreams will become sexual, they will have a quality of sexuality. You cannot destroy sex by force.

 

[dust1n]

I think it's exactly what's happening in the Catholic church. You try and force celibacy on yourself and your dreams will become sexual, they will have a quality of sexuality. You cannot destroy sex by force.

That is probably a big contributing factor.

 

[joea]

That is probably a big contributing factor.

I believe so..

 

[bobhikes]

It actually forces all priests into sin. Wheter it is heterosexual, asexual, homosexual or pedophilla it is all sin. A Priest and above has no realistic chance of not sinning in his life. Sins can only be forgiven if you are truly remorseful. If you are going to keep doing it your toast. This sets up a bad precidence for all catholics.

In my church which has a heavily spanish membership the priest is constantly reminding the young woman in mass to dress appropiately in the summer months. It is rather funny to hear him say that during the mass. Some do go out of there way to impress though.

I don't believe any normal man can remove all sexual urges from himself. This makes all priest anomal or immoral.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I think celibacy screws up people's minds. People are sexual and to try to hamper that, psycharicists know it can cause long-term lasting mental damage.

 

[joea]

I think celibacy screws up people's minds. People are sexual and to try to hamper that, psycharicists know it can cause long-term lasting mental damage.

The church should stop teaching celibacy because it is an unnatural thing..to impose celibacy is to pervert the sexual energy of man

 

[Breathe]

That is probably a big contributing factor.

What he said.

Eastern rite Catholic churches do not require celibate priests, but they are still in communion with Rome, and considered Catholics. It appears that it's only the Western rite Catholic churches that require celibacy. How is that fair?

 

[England my lionheart]

I think its a major factor too,its unnatural,some people outside of religion are celibate by choice but to have it forced is asking for trouble IMO

 

[Mister Emu]

Priestly celibacy is, if a factor at all, not a very large one... the rate of child abusers floats in the same area for celibate and non-celibate clergy.

 

[joea]

Priestly celibacy is, if a factor at all, not a very large one... the rate of child abusers floats in the same area for celibate and non-celibate clergy.

Yes you're correct, but that's not the Catholic church's problem...I think what you're saying doesn't justify what the priests are doing behind closed doors.

 

[AxisMundi]

It actually forces all priests into sin. Wheter it is heterosexual, asexual, homosexual or pedophilla it is all sin. A Priest and above has no realistic chance of not sinning in his life. Sins can only be forgiven if you are truly remorseful. If you are going to keep doing it your toast. This sets up a bad precidence for all catholics.

In my church which has a heavily spanish membership the priest is constantly reminding the young woman in mass to dress appropiately in the summer months. It is rather funny to hear him say that during the mass. Some do go out of there way to impress though.

I don't believe any normal man can remove all sexual urges from himself. This makes all priest anomal or immoral.

Good point.

The "clothes" Catholic school girls wear are highly inappropiate for their age, IMHO.

Quite distracting certainly for their male classmates, and I feel it is a contributing factor to the rates of teen pregnacny among that demographic.

 

[Sunstone]

I think celibacy screws up people's minds. People are sexual and to try to hamper that, psycharicists know it can cause long-term lasting mental damage.

According to some psychologists, the average adult male can go about two and a half years without sex before it begins to affect their emotional and mental well-being.

I've been celibate about 15 years and I feel I'm pretty psychologically healthy. But my celibacy was not forced on me. It instead came about by my following my heart in the matter. So, I think I would be an outlier in any study of male celibacy.

 

[Sunstone]

The church should stop teaching celibacy because it is an unnatural thing..to impose celibacy is to pervert the sexual energy of man

I don't know if that's entirely true. I think some people -- myself being one example -- find at some point in their lives that they deeply want -- even need -- to be celibate. And I further think that if one finds that is one's heart's desire, one should follow one's heart in the matter. But I also think that forcing oneself to be celibate -- when one does not deeply feel a need to be celibate --- is a dangerous folly and remarkably foolish.

 

[AxisMundi]

According to some psychologists, the average adult male can go about two and a half years without sex before it begins to affect their emotional and mental well-being.

A good point. I am unaware of any priest accused of raping a child who has a history of such prior to entering the priesthood, or any clergy who are relatively new to the priesthood who have done such atrocities.

I've been celibate about 15 years and I feel I'm pretty psychologically healthy. But my celibacy was not forced on me. It instead came about by my following my heart in the matter. So, I think I would be an outlier in any study of male celibacy.

Booze fixes many things (J/K )

 

[Mister Emu]

Yes you're correct, but that's not the Catholic church's problem...I think what you're saying doesn't justify what the priests are doing behind closed doors.

I never suggested it justified sexually abusive priests.

All I'm saying is, changing the discipline of priestly celibacy would not resolve the issue of priests who sexually abuse minors...

 

[joea]

I don't know if that's entirely true. I think some people -- myself being one example -- find at some point in their lives that they deeply want -- even need -- to be celibate. And I further think that if one finds that is one's heart's desire, one should follow one's heart in the matter. But I also think that forcing oneself to be celibate -- when one does not deeply feel a need to be celibate --- is a dangerous folly and remarkably foolish.

You have a point, but I'm saying it's not normal to suppressed one's sexual urges. correct me if I'm wrong..even if these priest gets through okay in celibacy and (behaving themselves and not committing)..at some point in time, I suspect they would turn to masturbation,hence what I mean by being unnatural to pervert the sexual energy of man

 

[joea]

I never suggested it justified sexually abusive priests.

All I'm saying is, changing the discipline of priestly celibacy would not resolve the issue of priests who sexually abuse minors...

Your point taken..and you are absolutely correct. The Vatican has to clear it's pile of rubbish first. Discipline is not the Fix, but being truthful with the problem that exists.

 

[*Anne*]

I find it funny that Catholics are required to go through pre-marriage counseling with a priest.

At a wedding we attended last summer, the priest was yammering on about true love. At one point, he said, "Love means never arguing, never fighting..." to which my father loudly replied, "That's a crock of *****."

 

[Falvlun]

I don't buy the whole "celibacy is unnatural" argument.

Humans think. Humans are able to decide for themselves what course of action they desire to take. Thinking is a very natural part of being a human. The gift (and curse) of thinking means that we are not slaves to instinct or impulse. Celibacy is simply a human being using their brain to control an impulse because that is what they have decided to do.

 

[Baydwin]

You can't blame celibacy for paedophile priests. If a priest lacked the willpower to deal with a celibate life, then he could always choose to mastibate, that they chose to moleste children just demonstrates their immorality.

Most priests, and other celibate religious people like monks and nuns, both Christian and Buddhist, aren't paedophiles or any other kind of sexual deviant. It's unfair to blame the lifestyle of these good people for the acts of criminals.