Celibacy

CelibacyLiberated Christians

PO Box 32835, Phoenix Az 85064-2835

Voicemail: 602-955-0711

Promoting Intimacy and Other-Centered Sexuality

The real issue about celibacy is respecting a persons choice. However, that

choice should also be based on a factual understanding of the options.

For too many Celibacy is based on guilt founded in false religious teachings

that were developed to control people such as with Catholics.

Clearly there is no biblical basis for celibacy whether married or single. And

too often someone who seeks celibacy is hiding deeper fears of intimacy.

Celibacy is physically unnatural and can result in physical problems, especially

in men unless they masturbate so the body is used as it was intended. Prostate

blockage and painful wet dreams are often the bodies reaction to the unnatural

act of celibacy. This is what I experienced as a teen and young adult, believing

the lies of the fundamentalists that totally twisted the bible to make me feel

sex was somehow wrong before marriage.

Likewise in women, there are healthy benefits of sexual release- physical as

well as emotional.

However, if someone for whatever reason, whether logical or not to others,

chooses celibacy, that choice should be respected. But that person should know

the disadvantages of their choice.

The idea of Catholic celibacy is especially foolish when you realize the reason

behind it:

Before the middle ages it was allowable for Catholic priests to have multiple

wives and mistresses. But with concerns for protecting Church property from

inheritance Pope Pelagius I made new priests agree offspring could not inherit

Church property. Pope Gregory then declared all sons of priests illegitimate

(only sons since lowly daughters could inherit anyway in society).

In 1022 Pope Benedict VIII banned marriages and mistresses for priests and in

1139 Pope Innocent II voided all marriages of priests and all new priests had to

divorce their wives. This had nothing to do with morality, multiple women for

males had long been the norm since before biblical times, but it was about

MONEY! In biblical times many wives, concubines and breeders was common and

never spoken against other than by Paul to the Elders of Timothy and Titus. In

the Tankra, Jewish priests suggest 4 wives was probably about the right number.

The whole celibacy nonsense was the result of middle age gnostic influences that

false taught that the body was dirty and not spiritual and to be more spiritual

you had to avoid natural sexuality. Talk about getting people really screwed up!

Celibacy May Be More A Disease Than A Blessing

Someone who wants to be celibate may be showing a deeper emotional issue that

needs to be dealt with. Celibacy may be more of a disease than a blessing - we

are not created to be celibate. Only someone quite immature would want to

exclude one of the most powerful ways of sharing loving intimacy. If someone

chooses celibacy it may be due to lack of self-esteem, performance anxiety, or

religious false teachings based on shame based, sex negative tradition rather

than true scriptural sexuality. Many women say the biggest mistake they made was

not having much more sexual experience and variety before marriage.

A Student Priests View Of Celibacy & discussion with Dave on internet

Caroline House: "Personally, celibacy is not a choice I would have chosen in my

youth but after talking to numerous members of every flavor from fundamentalists

to Buddhists who have chosen it, I accept with wonder and appreciation the

choice they have made.

Dave of Libchrist: "Celibacy may be more a disease than a blessing. Someone who

wants to be celibate may be showing a deeper emotional issue that needs to be

dealt with.

Dave Harman to Caroline House: "I agree with what you have written. But I also

agree with Dave of Libchrist. That the monks...embraced celibacy 'for better or

worse' does not obviate the fact that it is, in fact, unnatural, and move often

than not betrays underlying problems and insecurities. As one who studied for

the priesthood, and who - while pursuing those studies followed the celibate

life, I can attest that to follow it requires an almost superhuman feat if

denial and sacrifice. And, looking back to those priests who taught and guided

us, I can remember that some - but not all - exhibited patterns and traits that

would have made it difficult for them to live in secular society. Years later,

when I and other classmates gather together, we talk if the issue of celibacy -

remembering those who left the Order to find..hopefully..peace in the expression

of that part of their nature they had suppressed. And we remember those who died

silent and bitter. For myself, eventually not only the issue of celibacy but the

whole fabric of dogma, sin and sacrifice seemed so unnecessary and untrue, that

I left those studies."

Late Irish priest's wife Stirs storm over celibacy

Associated Press, Dublin, Ireland- To the world, the late Michael Cleary was an

ebullient priest and a firm supporter of the church's teachings on birth

control, divorce, abortion and priestly celibacy. However, to Phyllis Hamilton,

Cleary was a lover, a husband, and the father of their two sons. In Ireland

folks are increasingly questioning the 850-year-old rule on celibacy. "It is not

humanly possible to remain celibate. Even animals don't do it," said Rosemary

Scott, a friend of the late Michael Cleary.