is celibacy related to sexual abuse?

[gopunk]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/03/15/archdiocese.editorial/index.html

some people think it is...

i disagree though... i don't think i would ever molest little boys, even if i was celibate for the rest of my life.

 

[db]

I don't think so.
But when someone is in a position of trust, they have all kinds of opportunities.
What they decide to do or not do is what that person is all about.

 

[F00BAR]

"... i don't think i would ever molest little boys, even if i was celibate for the rest of my life."


i agree

 

[gunf1ghter]

I was celibate for a VERY long time and never had any kind of weird inclinations.

I think it's just more hokum.

I did read somewhere that men who are still virgins by their 30th birthday are something like 75% likely to remain virgins for the rest of their life. Now that would be a depressing thought. Luckily I found a good woman to cure me of that problem before I got close to 30.

 

[911paramedic]

i don't think i would ever molest little boys

Uh, I know so. That is about the worst thing I can think of.

 

[Red Dawn]

I think ot's more of a case of Perverts being or pretending to be celibate rather than Celibates being Perverts.

 

[ivol]

Celibacy, or priesthood has nothing to do with what these sick men did. They would have done the same thing if they were janitors, police men, or computer programmers. The sickness is in their head, not in their profession, or what comes along with their profession.

 

[Nitemare]

I think it has to do with extremism. The christian church as a whole is a good thing, even Roman Catholicism... You just have to be very careful about who is in charge and what they are doing..which the Catholic church doesn't do, ships off all the priests who molest boys to other cathedrals so they can get new blood..while the Islamic fundamentalist are just fargin nuts...

link

 

[notfred]

you think they'd at least molest little girls, homosexuality being a sin and all....

 

[gopunk]

<< you think they'd at least molest little girls, homosexuality being a sin and all.... >>



yea that's what i was thinking... i think these priests are gay... why they think they can fix this with marriage to a WOMAN makes no sense to me.

 

[topcat903]

I agree with ivol.

 

[b0mbrman]

<< you think they'd at least molest little girls, homosexuality being a sin and all.... >>


heh...

 

[Optimus]

<< you think they'd at least molest little girls, homosexuality being a sin and all.... >>




<< yea that's what i was thinking... i think these priests are gay... >>



Huh?

Homosexuality and pedophilia are not the same. These men are sick pedophiles, not gay or straight.

If they were good people, they wouldn't molest ANYBODY. Sheesh - there are Gay priests who would never molest anyone!




<< why they think they can fix this with marriage to a WOMAN makes no sense to me. >>



You are confusing Catholicism with Fundamentalism. The Catholic Church recognizes that homosexuality is something people are born with. We don't try to "cure" anyone, nor advocate marriage as some kind of gay-fixer.



People who molest children are sickos - whether they are straight, gay, policemen, teachers, clowns, lawyers, farmers, or priests.

 

[gopunk]

Huh?
Homosexuality and pedophilia are not the same. These men are sick pedophiles, not gay or straight.
If they were good people, they wouldn't molest ANYBODY. Sheesh - there are Gay priests who would never molest anyone!

did i ever say all gay people molest? nooo. and they are either gay, straight, or bi. molestation is not an orientation. if you're straight and a molestor, you molest the opposite sex. if you're gay and a molestor, you molest the same sex. if you're bi and a molestor, you molest both. i see that these priests molest boys, i assume they're either gay or bi, but probably gay since they have never molested girls. i don't see what your gripe is.

You are confusing Catholicism with Fundamentalism. The Catholic Church recognizes that homosexuality is something people are born with. We don't try to "cure" anyone, nor advocate marriage as some kind of gay-fixer.

i was talking about fixing this molestation issue. i couldn't care less whether they try to fix the gay issue or not.

 

[Oyeve]

<< you think they'd at least molest little girls, homosexuality being a sin and all... >>



Well, if there were "altar girls" and not boys then I guess they would.

 

[b0mbrman]

<< molestation is not an orientation. if you're straight and a molestor, you molest the opposite sex. if you're gay and a molestor, you molest the same sex. if you're bi and a molestor, you molest both. i see that these priests molest boys, i assume they're either gay or bi, but probably gay since they have never molested girls. i don't see what your gripe is. >>


I don't think that's as true with child molestors/pedophiles as it is with normal folk...(not that it's completely false, just that it's not *as* true)

 

[gopunk]

<<

<< molestation is not an orientation. if you're straight and a molestor, you molest the opposite sex. if you're gay and a molestor, you molest the same sex. if you're bi and a molestor, you molest both. i see that these priests molest boys, i assume they're either gay or bi, but probably gay since they have never molested girls. i don't see what your gripe is. >>


I don't think that's as true with child molestors/pedophiles as it is with normal folk...(not that it's completely false, just that it's not *as* true) >>




so you're saying pedophiles molest regardless of gender? it doesn't make sense to me... *sigh* i guess i'm just not cut out to be a molestor...

 

[b0mbrman]

<<

<< you think they'd at least molest little girls, homosexuality being a sin and all... >>


Well, if there were "altar girls" and not boys then I guess they would. >>


There were altar girls at my church...and if their church is connected to a school, I don't think you can say with a clear conscience that catholic schoolgirls aren't pretty sexy...

 

[Optimus]

gopunk:

Ah - I see, the article mentions that people are wondering if celibacy attracts more gay people, hence the abuse...

I don't see the connection, really. If the priests are gay or not doesn't really wiegh in on whether they are also molestors.

 

[b0mbrman]

<< so you're saying pedophiles molest regardless of gender? it doesn't make sense to me... *sigh* i guess i'm just not cut out to be a molestor... >>


Not at the extreme...but at the margin

All else equal, they're *more likely* to disregard gender than non-pedophiles

 

[StormRider]

Wouldn't it be better if Catholics allowed priests to get married like other religions do? I think it's too hard for most men to give upwomen and be celibate.

I think the priesthood attracts a higher concentration of gays because of this fact. Who's more likely to be able to avoid having sex with women? Straight men -- or gay men?

 

[Optimus]

There are altar girls, BTW.

 

[b0mbrman]

<< Wouldn't it be better if Catholics allowed priests to get married like other religions do? I think it's too hard for most men to give upwomen and be celibate.

I think the priesthood attracts a higher concentration of gays because of this fact. Who's more likely to be able to avoid having sex with women? Straight men -- or gay men? >>


Mmm...so it's a combination of both then?

Gayness leads them to a life of no sex
A life of no sex leads them to gayness...

It's a vicious cycle :Q

 

[Optimus]

Stormrider:


<< Wouldn't it be better if Catholics allowed priests to get married like other religions do? I think it's too hard for most men to give upwomen and be celibate. >>


They could change this and well might - it is not dogma (official Church Teaching) that a priest be celibate, it is tradition (a rule set for the time being).

In the past it made more sense for priests to be celibate, due to complications such as providing for a family, allocating time to duties, etc.

Now, thanks to modern life (cars, telephones, etc etc) a priest could well get married and still perform his priestly duties.

Actually, Eastern Rite Catholic Priests (still full Catholics under the Pope) can marry before they become priests and remian married when they are ordained.

I once went to a mass and sat with the priest's wife and kids!


Still, I'm not sure it would help the molestation thing...

 

[fatalbert]

no