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March 15th

3/15/2013

 
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Is it realistic for someone to permanently go without sex? After another sex scandal involving a senior member of the Catholic Church, questions are being raised about celibacy.

There are many unrelated items on the news this morning, yet all are connected on a deeper level.


·         A father accused of setting fire to his home, which killed six of his children, did not wash for twelve weeks and lived with his wife and his mistress.

·         Pregnant Palestine women have admitted smuggling their husband's sperm out of jail.

·         People give their account of living a celibate life.

We are all different. To deny our sexuality would remove a part of being human. Western society dwells on the huge importance of the search for a romantic life partner. Giving up the idea is a huge sacrifice. Modern life is about sex and the individual. People in past centuries were either married, in which case they could have sex, or celibate if they were not. Now the options are more varied.


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Certain individuals live a free life, some would say irresponsible, and indulge their sexual drive with whoever takes their eye at any given time. The spread of Aids should have halted the free love explosion which begun in the sixties. Unfortunately, young people still disregard the need for protection.

Still others choose to abstain from sex in their role of devoting their life to God or for personal reasons. See twelve revelations here.

Some choose a partner for life and vow to remain true—often failing. I made a similar choice when I married at nineteen years of age. For twenty-seven years, I remained with my husband until I was forced to leave to save myself. I can keep my vow in my final marriage of over twenty years.

To the purists, celibacy, derived from the Latin for unmarried, means a permanent state of being without sex. Abstinence can be temporary. And it's possible to be abstinent in a relationship. True celibacy means a life without both sex and a spouse or partner. Of course, there are many who give it a looser definition—indicating some sort of commitment to be without sex.

Often, celibacy is thrust upon men via loss of libido. If they're not ready for life's sentence, they try medical aids and counseling to regain their vigor.

Studies show that men are driven by testosterone to want sex. Women are driven to a lesser degree by a mixture of testosterone and estrogen. Given these facts, perhaps celibacy is a totally abnormal state.


Gandhi quote: Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.

Suerae Stein link
3/15/2013 05:58:50 am

I believe that celibacy is not a healthy state. And it's not just about the sex, but also the intimacy, companionship, and ability to express emotional love. These are basic human needs. These sex scandals are inexcusable and I think the church needs to step up and do something to keep these from happening. And I think that eliminating celibacy as a requirement would be a step in the right direction.

Francene Stanley link
3/15/2013 07:52:52 pm

I agree with you entirely, Suerae. Maybe if women were in charge, things would imporve.

Cathy Morton link
3/15/2013 06:02:43 am

This was an interesting post. I think the church needs to stop hiding and take a look at what is going on and make changes. Thanks for your thoughts.

Francene Stanley link
3/15/2013 07:54:40 pm

It's a massive problem, which might require a complete overhaul of church procedures.

AMummys Life link
3/15/2013 12:14:41 pm

The stupid thing about the celibacy state that the catholic church impose on their priests etc is that it was introduced centuries after the religion was started. Before that, priests were allowed to marry and usually were. They were probably much happier then.

Francene Stanley link
3/15/2013 07:56:39 pm

This brings up the problem of why some priests are pedophiles, which is thought to be untreatable.

Stella Scott link
3/16/2013 05:11:07 am

The fear of sexuality all over the religious arena puzzels me. If God created sex, why would she be against it?

Francene Stanley link
3/16/2013 07:38:44 pm

Quite right. Sex is a neccessary drive used for procreation. I guess all the deviations cause the problems--particularly to children, who are not ready mentally or physically.


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    Author

    Francene Stanley, author of many published novels. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books? You'll see them on the sidebar below.
    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life.

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