Simple question?

Quote: FrGamble

Anyway love is the opposite of perverted and controlling. Love is selfless and freeing. It is a willingness to desire the good in another, to serve them, and to allow them to be the best version of themselves.

So in your version, love isn't controlling but you allow them some thing, like I would allow a dog in the house, or allow him a milk bone? You appear to think of a loved one as property.

As far as this perversion you mention,,,, this celibacy thing, is the opposite of what God or evolution dictated. For you to think God appreciates that sacrifice is lunacy, and not entirely believable.

The Heavens Gate followers were serious about celibacy, and proved it by self castration. Now that was believable. But they also believed a spaceship was picking them up. http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/halebopp/hg/

Quote: Dalex64

It is still going on today: forced conversions in the name of the Catholic religion.

Oh, but it's ok. After all, the perpetrators can repent, and three hundred years from now the church can acknowledge a "mistake." Problem solved.

Quote: petroglyph

As far as this perversion you mention,,,, this celibacy thing, is the opposite of what God or evolution dictated. For you to think God appreciates that sacrifice is lunacy, and not entirely believable.

It's not believable because it's not true.

"I stand by my findings that at any one time 50% of American clergy are sexually active. When in 1994 a BBC television reporter faced Cardinal Jose Sanchez, Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy at the Vatican with those and other figures from the study, the Cardinal's response was, "I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of those figures." http://www.awrsipe.com/Articles/Celibacy_is_a_Problem.html

Studies have shown that 80%-90% of
priests masturbate on a regular basis.
Like anybody in their right mind would
think otherwise.

Continuing with insightful quotes from the Simpsons...

Bart is being fought over by Protestants and Catholics to pick their religion. Near the ends he says: "It's all Christianity people! The small, stupid differences are nothing compared to the big, stupid similarities!"

Quote: petroglyph

You appear to think of a loved one as property.

EVERYTHING and I mean everything I believe about love is the exact opposite of this! Christianity is crying out in a world that constantly objectifies and uses people that EVERY human being no matter age, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender is a human person with inestimable worth that needs to be respected.

Quote:

As far as this perversion you mention,,,, this celibacy thing, is the opposite of what God or evolution dictated. For you to think God appreciates that sacrifice is lunacy, and not entirely believable.

I feel that God has called me to embrace celibacy so that I may be more free to serve all people, is that wrong? It also helps me in my spirituality to be more radically dependent on my relationship with Jesus.

Quote: Evenbob

It's not believable because it's not true.

"I stand by my findings that at any one time 50% of American clergy are sexually active. When in 1994 a BBC television reporter faced Cardinal Jose Sanchez, Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy at the Vatican with those and other figures from the study, the Cardinal's response was, "I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of those figures." http://www.awrsipe.com/Articles/Celibacy_is_a_Problem.html

Studies have shown that 80%-90% of
priests masturbate on a regular basis.
Like anybody in their right mind would
think otherwise.

I have lots of reasons to doubt the accuracy of those figures. They are absolutely not true in my experience of the priesthood in my Archdiocese and in the United States. Also your stats about masturbating are just plain wrong as well.

Quote: FrGamble

I feel that God has called me to embrace celibacy so that I may be more free to serve all people, is that wrong? It also helps me in my spirituality to be more radically dependent on my relationship with Jesus.

I don't think it is necessarily "wrong" but it is contradictory to the word of God in Genesis to be fruitful and increase in number.

The celibacy thing is an invention of the Catholic church that didn't come until much, much later, and I think it is questionable if there is any support for the practice in the bible.

On the one hand you have genesis telling people to go forth and multiply, on the other hand you have apostles, who are associated with women who may or may not be their wives, and Jesus on which the bible doesn't say one way or the other if he was celibate. Some historic documents outside of the bible could be interpreted as indicating that he wasn't celibate.

So is it wrong to choose to be celibate so you can do your job better? No, I don't think so. The origin of the tradition, the reasons for it then, and the justification given for those reasons I think can be questioned.

Quote: Dalex64

The celibacy thing is an invention of the Catholic church that didn't come until much, much later,

I think the Orthodox splinter would be stark, raving mad at your depiction of the early church as "Catholic."

Quote:

and I think it is questionable if there is any support for the practice in the bible.

The Bible isn't exactly open about sexual practices, but it does often state who was sleeping around with whom. I think there's no mention of Jesus sleeping with anyone, therefore the whole celibacy thing.

Which gives rise to a really big question: was Jesus ever described eating pork? If not...

Quote: FrGamble

I have lots of reasons to doubt the accuracy of those figures. They are absolutely not true in my experience of the priesthood in my Archdiocese and in the United States. Also your stats about masturbating are just plain wrong as well.

We can only look for more sources to corroborate or refute those statistics.

According to this article, http://www.catholic.org/news/hf/faith/story.php?id=59123
Pope Francis wants to eliminate celibacy as a requirement for priests.

If that policy change happens, would you remain celibate, and do you think that would have a negative impact on your or other priests ability to do their jobs?

Is it a necessary change in order to attract more people to the priesthood? Even if you became only 75% as "effective" at the job if you weren't celibate, you could make up for it by doubling the number of priests, which I understand to be rather shorthanded at the moment.

Quote: FrGamble

Also your stats about masturbating are just plain wrong as well.

How would you know, everybody lies
about sex, especially if it's prohibited.
Celibacy doesn't make you holier, but
it does make you cranky and out of
touch with the natural rhythms of your
body. The prostate is always producing
seminal fluid (not semen) and needs to
get rid of it on a regular basis.