| Site links | The celibacy of priests and nuns. |
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Where religious power comes from Atheist parent - church school Tricks of the
trade Letter to an
RE teacher E-mail think@writeme.com
"When a man is freed of religion, he has a better chance to live a normal and wholesome life." Sigmund Freud
"In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people." James Madison, U.S. President
Though long-winded and muddled, Paul's message in Corinthians, Chapter 7 is unambiguous. It is this, that it is that it is best not to practice sex at all but to retain one's virginity (like him) by exercising self control, but that marriage is the moral course for those who cannot practice self-control 'Yet for those who marry there is distress in life (Greek: in the flesh), and I cannot spare you that.' [7:28]. Paul makes it clear that marriage is an inferior state to celibacy since, instead of being 'anxious about the affairs of the Lord' married men and women are 'anxious about the affairs of the world' [32:34]. This is the perverted nonsense upon which the Christian attitude towards sex is based. Atheism Central
"Celibacy in the African context means that a priest does not get married, but does not mean he does not have children." African priest
quoted by Sister Maura O'Donohue of Cafod.
"Nothing is so much to be shunned as sex relations." St. Augustine
"Towards the close of the Patristic period (c. 500 AD), Gregory the Great (b. 540 AD), Jerome (b.340 AD), and Augustine (b. 344 AD) all considered sexual activity even in marriage to be tainted and even sinful. The central reason for celibacy during this period, then, was ritual purity: the priest, performing sacred rites, must not be tainted by sexuality that was suspect." Prof. Don Swenson at Mount Royal College, Alberta
In brief:
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Celibacy - abstention from having sexual relations and marriage. Female
circumcision or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - the removal
of the clitoris and labia surrounding the vagina - denying sexual pleasure
to the victim and other deplorable side-effects. Click
here
for links that look at this disturbing matter in depth. Perversion - the alteration of something from its original course, meaning or state or a distortion or corruption of what was first intended. Are you a child victim of abuse of any kind? Click http://www.nspcc.org.uk/help/ for the Free NSPCC Child Protection Helpline if you need to speak to a trained councillor confidentially - UK only. Australia & World Why priestly celibacy is morally wrong - sexual abuse and HIV - sex with nuns
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It is the blindness brought about by religious belief and the naive acceptance of social institutions handed down to us by less enlightened generations that leads us to ignore the profound immorality inherent in the celibacy of priests and nuns. It is a commonplace to contrast the sympathy we have with those suffering from physical illness and the intolerance and lack of empathy we have with those suffering from mental illness. We can see the broken bones and understand that the victim of a hit and run accident cannot walk - we sympathise with his condition and place ourselves in his shoes. But we cannot see a mental illness - only its effects, and do not so easily understand and sympathise with the victim - we may even suggest that he 'pull himself together' or 'get over it'. There is a similar contrast between female circumcision of young women (culturally associated with the Moslem religion) and the indoctrination of young men and women to lead a life of celibacy. The cruelty of this Female Genital Mutilation is a visible thing - we can see the mutilation of the woman's sexual organs and the loss of the sensitive tissue that makes lovemaking a pleasurable experience as part of a healthy and wholesome life. The cruelty of indoctrinating the young or impressionable, the naive and sexually inexperienced, to lead lives of celibacy is not so clearly visible to us - but the mutilation of their minds is no less real, followed as it is by a systematic programme of psychological manipulation and control with the express aim of ensuring the victim's compliance with this sexual perversion. It is a far less visible cruelty, but no less cruel in spite of that - it is a perversion of the sexual instinct no less than Female Genital Mutilation is a corruption of the body. We can wonder at the psychological mechanism that causes female circumcision to be perpetuated by those same women who were circumcised in their youth. We acknowledge that the young victims of sexual abuse are far more likely to become abusers in their turn when they become adults. The enlistment of others into celibacy involves a similar mechanism, follows a similar pattern, and most probably, a similar pathology. It is the celibate who themselves encourage others to join their ranks, deploying a range of psychological tricks and social contrivances to bring about this end. (A psychological trick would be the identification of a 'vocation' to make the young person feel special and a social contrivance would be the manner in which he is made the centre of attention and prestige in his community). Like abusers of any kind they visit their abuse on the generation that succeeds them - not hesitating to justify their abuse. Pederasts typically claim that young children are capable of making sexual choices and are willing accomplices and not victims. Priests make much the same claim about the children whose minds they abuse - training them for the sexual perversion that is celibacy and teaching them lies as fact (e.g., when has a priest ever told you that the Gospels were not written by Mathew, Mark, Luke and John - but he knows that this was not so - ask him). It is a simple matter to recognise how evil it is to castrate a young man - to retain his services as a choirboy, for example, but for some reason many do not recognise mental castration for the evil that it is. The enlistment of young men and women for lives of celibacy, and the methods of indoctrination and psychological manipulation designed to achieve this end is a breach of their human rights. The victims are condemned to lives of sexual repression, solitary masturbation and psychological stress (but for a lighthearted perspective on this download MP3 file - 3.14 Mb). They are denied the comfort, both physical and psychological of (a) normal physical relationship(s) with (an)other human being(s) and the potential of raising their own children - participation in the natural generational cycle of life. As a result of this mental cruelty many of the victims themselves become a danger to others - often the children entrusted to their care. The celibacy of priests and nuns is nothing less than a system of institutionalised sexual abuse - normally of children and young adults, and, like physical sexual abuse, carried out by those they most feel they can trust. It is a clear example of the moral hollowness that is religion - in particular the Catholic Church. No conceivable moral code starting from first principles could encompass the denial of normal sexual relations to another human being who has done no wrong. While there are greater evils in the world, the perpetuation of this particular evil has no satisfactory excuse, and a person who attempts to influence a minor to take up a celibate priesthood should be treated as a sex offender. If someone is trying to convince you or indoctrinate you to become a celibate priest or nun you being sexually abused. The state should offer a programme of rehabilitation to the victims of this abuse, including the offenders themselves.
The tip of the iceberg? In 1999 400 Roman Catholic priests in the U.S.A. were found to be HIV positive, or to have died from AIDS. Attempts to conceal the manner of their deaths included the forgery of death certificates. There's moral integrity for you! (The Sunday Times, Feb 2000.) The extraordinary tolerance of the Catholic Church towards priests who have committed sexual offences against children is particularly noteworthy. As an example, Murphy O'Connor, now head of the Catholic Church in the UK permitted a known double sex-offender against children to continue practicing as a priest despite a warning from the social services that he continued to be a danger. Many other cases have been well-documented in the media - with some particularly horrific examples reported in Ireland. However, the failure of an institution such as the Catholic Church - with a priesthood made up entirely of the victims of a perverted teaching about sex - to regulate its own members can hardly be surprising. In Scotland, Cardinal Winning has reservations about handing over sex-offending priests to the police and has not clearly indicated that he will do so. It is not only the Catholic Church. In Canada, the Anglican Church is facing bankruptcy over financial claims arising from abuse. Since Anglican priests are permitted sexual relations it lead one to wonder whether there is something about priesthood that lends itself to the sexual abuse of others. Follow this BBC link and check out the 'Christian Brothers' and the 'Sisters Without Mercy' here
Out of Africa - sex with nuns The Vatican admits that priests in 23 countries have been sexually abusing nuns - some of the abuses have even taken place in the shadow of the Vatican itself. This practice, reports of which have been ignored by the church for at least a decade, is particularly prevalent in the Third World, says the National Catholic Reporter (USA). In Africa, where priests previously sought out prostitutes, the high levels of AIDS have caused them to prey on nuns and young girls to avoid contracting the virus. Priests often demand sex in return for favours, such as certification to work in a particular diocese - or even certificates of good Catholic Practice permitting young women to train to become nuns. Sister Maura O'Donohue, Cafod (Catholic Fund for Overseas Development ) AIDS coordinator, says that nuns have been identified as 'safe' targets for sexual activity, and quotes a case in 1991 of a community superior being approached by priests requesting that nuns be made available to them for sexual favours: "When the superior refused, the priests explained they would otherwise be obliged to go to the village to find women and might thus get AIDS". Sister Maura reported incidents of sexual abuse in 23 countries including India, Ireland, Italy, The Philippines and the United States. Some of the nuns were obliged to take the pill, and even told that taking the pill would protect against HIV. Catholic hospitals and medical staff reported being put under pressure to perform abortions on nuns and other young women. What was the Vatican's reaction? When Sister Marie McDonald, mother superior of the Missionaries of Our Lady in Africa, put together a paper on the sexual abuse of religious women in Africa she met what she described as a 'conspiracy of silence' and bishops suggested that it was disloyal of the sisters to have reported the abuse. She said nuns had repeatedly informed the authorities: "Sometimes they were not well received. In some instances they are blamed for what happened. Even when they are listened to sympathetically nothing much seems to be done". When something is done - the priests are sent away for studies but the nuns are usually chased away from their orders. Often too scared to return to their families they become outcasts or even prostitutes.
Atheism Central calls for a Public Enquiry in the UK into the nature and extent of sex abuse by religious ministers (whether male or female) of all religious groups and denominations.
In Torbay, Devon, England, Atheism Central's home turf, two local Catholic priests have been convicted of sexual abuse of the children in their charge in recent years.
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Oh but it doesn't happen here! It does. A family doctor, Abdul Ahmed, was struck off by the General Medical Council (UK) on Tuesday 19 December 2000 for offering to carry out Female Genital Mutilation on three young Somali girls for £50 each. Victims
of FGM can find contact details
for help, advice and support in several UK locations at this URL: http://www.forward.dircon.co.uk/fhelp.htm |
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