Liberated Christians
PO Box 55045, Phoenix Az 85078-5045
Promoting Intimacy and Other-Centered Sexuality
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Celibacy
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 (concubines). 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 not inherit anyway in society).
In 1022 Pope Benedict VIII banned marriages and concubines 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!
For many resources confirming this see: The History of Catholic Celibacy
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 Tanakh, Jewish priests suggest
4 wives was probably about the right number.
The whole celibacy nonsense was also 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."
Dave adds, I wonder why priests are four times more likely to have AIDS, than the general population and almost all based on homosexual sex. Perhaps many gays go into the priesthood, hoping it will "cure" their natural sexual orientation. But of course that is foolish and never works.
Another person's view on celibacy:
I agree with the unhealthy results of celibacy. I have several male friends that
are Catholic and not married. A few of them have revealed how they are affected
by long term abstinence after having a few drinks. One guy goes instantly into
fondle and grope mode when he has had about 3 beers. He's been slapped and run
out of places. Funny thing is, when he is sober, he preaches against casual sex
out of wedlock. Another friend, 53 year old man, has broken down into tears
after too many beers over not getting married or having any children. He to
cowers to the will of what he has been taught.
I once tried to show these two men how they were innocently mislead away from
understanding religions and how man has evolved the many different forms to
where we are today. I never was dragged into a church by my parents and now I
can view the human condition without prejudice. These two people will argue
points they know are not supportable. The church and their parents taught them
the ways and they are dearly afraid (programmed if you will) of what would come
to them in the afterlife if they blaspheme.
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.
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