Originally Posted by The Raptor,Jun 20 2006, 11:50 AM

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 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.

Originally Posted by 2002S2000,Jun 26 2006, 11:25 AM

I'm not saying that sex is bad for you or anything