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if priests were allowed to marry/have sexual relations with whoever would the same molesting scandal have erupted over the past couple of years?
in other words, did the priests who committed the offences go into the catholic church as paedophiles or did they happen to mutate into that form through years of no sexual contact?
Originally posted by trev33I would say they probably fell into that temptation because of not being allowed to marry. That is no doubt the reason Jesus warned against any prohibition of marriage. Again the Catholics go against the Bible and adopt their own rules.
if priests were allowed to marry/have sexual relations with whoever would the same molesting scandal have erupted over the past couple of years?
in other words, did the priests who committed the offences go into the catholic church as paedophiles or did they happen to mutate into that form through years of no sexual contact?
Originally posted by galveston75You obviously don't know what you're talking about.
I would say they probably fell into that temptation because of not being allowed to marry. That is no doubt the reason Jesus warned against any prohibition of marriage. Again the Catholics go against the Bible and adopt their own rules.
Many pedophiles (perhaps the majority) are married, there is no link between pedophilia and celibacy.
Blaming it on celibacy is really a lazy and simplistic take on this problem.
As for your last claim, it doesn't even deserve a reply.
Originally posted by generalissimoWhatever....
You obviously don't know what you're talking about.
Many pedophiles (perhaps the majority) are married, there is no link between pedophilia and celibacy.
Blaming it on celibacy is really a lazy and simplistic take on this problem.
As for your last claim, it doesn't even deserve a reply.
Originally posted by trev33Many people of the catholic persuasion, who are gay or have some other sexual orientation (including pedophilia), feel immense guilt over their feelings. The church condemns these people as sinners bound for an eternity in hell. Rather than face their issues, they hide themselves in the priesthood (or become nuns). Their problems remain unabsolved and fester until they act out in destructive ways. They mistakenly think that being a priest will hide them from their sexuality because of the vow of celibacy.
if priests were allowed to marry/have sexual relations with whoever would the same molesting scandal have erupted over the past couple of years?
in other words, did the priests who committed the offences go into the catholic church as paedophiles or did they happen to mutate into that form through years of no sexual contact?
"How could this happen?" one might ask. How could the church allow people with such sever issues to enter the ministry? Look around, people arn't pounding down the door to join the catholic church. Every year fewer and fewer young men and women answer the call to ministry within the catholic church. Some will go so far as to convert to Protestantism rather than be a part of a corrupt system. The standards have dropped.
"how could they allow this to continue?" good question. Far too many priests do not have a relationship with their God. It is simply a job, and the people are only important so far as they give money to the church. They have truly become the Whore of Babylon.
Originally posted by duecerIts obvious the church is in urgent need of reform, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it has become the "whore of babylon".
Many people of the catholic persuasion, who are gay or have some other sexual orientation (including pedophilia), feel immense guilt over their feelings. The church condemns these people as sinners bound for an eternity in hell. Rather than face their issues, they hide themselves in the priesthood (or become nuns). Their problems remain unabsolved and fester ...[text shortened]... rtant so far as they give money to the church. They have truly become the Whore of Babylon.
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Originally posted by generalissimoAnd your supporting data for these assertions is......is......?
You obviously don't know what you're talking about.
Many pedophiles (perhaps the majority) are married, there is no link between pedophilia and celibacy.
Blaming it on celibacy is really a lazy and simplistic take on this problem.
As for your last claim, it doesn't even deserve a reply.
By numbers as a whole, of course there are more pedophiles that are married, because more people are married than are priests. But what about as a percentage of the group?
I'm inclined to agree with G75. Living one's life in celibacy is abnormal and there are bound to be consequences of some description.
Originally posted by BadwaterOne might make that guess, but that is all it is unless backed up with something more than speculation.
I'm inclined to agree with G75. Living one's life in celibacy is abnormal and there are bound to be consequences of some description.
If the speculation was correct, then it should be trivial to show that there are more pedophiles (by percentage) in the Catholic Church than in say the Anglican Church which is very similar to the Catholic Church except that their priests get married.
There are three salient points which relate to this discussion:
1. Comparative statistics do not show a greater rate of abusers in the Catholic Church than in other religious denominations. The significant difference is not the number of abusers but the rate of abuse which is substantially greater because religious superiors failed to report allegations.
2. The John Jay Report, which was commissioned to investigate the nature of the abuse dating from the 1950s, shows that 1.2% of clerical abusers were in fact married. This is quite surprising because the number of married clerics is actually very low and so they are disproportionately represented among abusers.
3. Surveys conducted by the John Jay Report show that 6% of abusers admitted to consensual sex with adult women, 8% with homosexual men.
These priests were not starved of sex. Some were married; some had affairs. Celibacy was probably not the cause here. Certainly some ways celibacy has been taught, such as in a minor seminary, may have promoted an unhealthy sexual development. Celibacy may have exacerbated already existing psych-sexual problems. No evidence however indicates that celibacy causes pedophilia.
The whole findings of the John Jay Report can be found here with summary pages,
http://www.usccb.org/nrb/johnjaystudy/index.htm
Originally posted by BadwaterThanks and it only makes sense that if one is deprived of a natural God given desire, in time it can cause problems in many directions. If one decides on his own to not follow a life with a normal relationship and can do it, that is fine if they devote themselves to the ministry of God or whatever. But it is something that God does not require or command anyone to do. After all marriage was the first institution he established for humans with Adam & Eve.
And your supporting data for these assertions is......is......?
By numbers as a whole, of course there are more pedophiles that are married, because more people are married than are priests. But what about as a percentage of the group?
I'm inclined to agree with G75. Living one's life in celibacy is abnormal and there are bound to be consequences of some description.
Originally posted by galveston75Why not look at the evidence I just gave?
Thanks and it only makes sense that if one is deprived of a natural God given desire, in time it can cause problems in many directions. If one decides on his own to not follow a life with a normal relationship and can do it, that is fine if they devote themselves to the ministry of God or whatever. But it is something that God does not require or command ...[text shortened]... e to do. After all marriage was the first institution he established for humans with Adam & Eve.