re: #143 Westward Ho

I apologize for the flippant remark but stand by my provisional hypothesis that enforced celibacy in a highly pornographized culture is the prime suspect behind this systemic child abuse.

I would suggest that it’s not the “enforced” celibacy that screws up the brains of some Catholic priests, monks, and nuns — since, after all, the Church has never been able to prevent members of religious orders from sneaking off to have sex with adult women or men. Rather, the glorification of celibacy as a moral ideal, and the accompanying denigration of normal adult sexuality, may be contributing factors.

I was raised Catholic, and I have come to think that the doctrine of Mary’s Perpetual Virginity is possibly the single most awful idea the Church has ever produced. According to the Church, God said to Mary and Joseph: “Guess what! As your special reward for giving birth to my Son, Mary, and as your special reward for being his stepfather, Joseph, I’m going to bless you by taking away those bothersome libidos that other grown-up humans have, so that you can enjoy a completely Platonic marriage and never even think about having sex! Isn’t that super?”