Celibacy

[poliphilo]

"No-one chooses the monastic life," said the monk, "unless they have serious problems with their sexuality." That took me aback. Up until then I'd supposed- if I thought about it at all-  that monks and nuns and celibate priests were heroes of spirituality.

So that's the first and biggest problem with the celibacy rule. You're going to attract a whole lot of people to the priesthood who are running away from themselves-

People who are confused,  immature, cowardly.

And the second problem is that you're attracting them on a false promise. The Church isn't the refuge from the world they think it's going to be. The new priest is the man he always was- with the same old urges- only now he can only satisfy them furtively.   Shut the door on  sex and it'll walk through walls to find you. So there you are- you and your sexuality- and instead of having the whole wide world to prance about in you're locked up together in a teeny-tiny cell.

Comments

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

I was about to say... if there really are "asexual" people out there, they would thrive in that environment, but might find it difficult to counsel their flock on issues relating to sex and sexuality.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I believe there are genuinely asexual people. I have someone who claims to be asexual on my FL. But it's a rare condition- and there certainly aren't enough of them around to staff the RC Church.

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

No, I do not think that an asexual person would 'thrive' in a celibate environment. I know that I would not. Real celibacy means taking someone with an actual drive, and making them redirect that energy elsewhere. An asexual person does not have or perceive that energy, so it would not make a difference to them.

I consider myself to be asexual, because I have never been 'turned on' or interested in sex at all. I have thoroughly educated myself in it, so as not to be seen as ignorant, and do enjoy some erotica, but that's about it.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

I had a too simplistic view :-)

But "directing that energy elsewhere" is really not simple. I think the energy may not be containable and therefore, vulnerable people get hurt.