[gusty]

It is both. Looking at a life with no sexual contact with the female persuasion ever, who do you think would be attracted to this fate. My theory is that celibacy attracts those who are homosexual or deviant. The troubled person is sincere at first. He looks at the celibate lifestyle as a way of curing or avoiding what is in his mind. Become celibate and his problem will be solved. However it never works out that way. Down the road the deviancy will overcome that person, and unfortunately, as the study states, children are the most accessible. The whole concept of celibacy has disaster written all over it.

[PROCON]

The whole concept of celibacy has disaster written all over it.

You present an interesting theory; would you include remaining a virgin until marriage in this category?

[SatinDoll]

I disagree.

I became celibate, by free choice, in 1982. At the time I was 30 years old and my reasons are personal and definitely not perverse or deviant, as you suggest.

It is true that if you have made up your mind about something and stay focused on your goal, temptation is tolerable and can be ignored successfully.

[SamuraiScot]

My theory is that celibacy attracts those who are homosexual or deviant.

Or morally tough. I know a lot of priests, and they include the best men I know. Basically, if you're not giving anything up if you swear off women, they don't want you at most seminaries today. Certainly didn't seem to be the case in the 1970s, but the landscape has changed.

Young priests today are very conservative, very self-disciplined, and they are the future. Many of the older ones hate this about them. (TS.)

[karnage]

Must be why the Catholic Church disappeared so quickly after celibacy was instituted.

[baa39]

That is an interesting theory. Do you think it applies equally to celibate life for women, such as sisters and nuns? Or do you think women are inherently more suited to a chaste life?

It wasn’t until I read your comment I realized the “abuse crisis” has not seemed to include any cases of sisters molesting children, teens, male or female. It is, as far as we know, apparently a problem of 100% male behavior.