Gay Celibacy, Anyone?
By Mikee dela Cruz
PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 2010

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Cleary has seven reasons why this is so, to wit:

Reason 1: Because it prevents the revelation of the depths of this world's benevolence, and the mystical disclosure of the goodness and presence of God;

Reason 2: Because demanding the ritual vow against sexual partnering creates – in a homophobic and violence-threatening world – a too-attractive vocation for gay men who then must not only suppress their sexuality, but must pretend to be what they are not;

Reason 3: Because it places the devotee under far too much control of a religious institution, and sacrifices to that religion's purposes something far too precious for most people to appreciate at early age;

Reason 4: Because – as Japanese monasticism discovered and forbade 100 years ago – religious celibacy can become toxic for community morality, and for the development of healthy sexual and communitarian values;

Reason 5: Because it suggests unmistakably as morally superior another life path than the one that produces human life itself and the continuance of the human race;

Reason 6: Because the intense loneliness of religious celibates can be morally ruinous – as the scandal of clerical sex abuse of children demonstrates; and

Reason 7: Because it encourages the suppression of healthy sexual mutuality and too much of the joy of life.

“Religion,” says Cleary, quoting Diarmuid O’Murchu, a social psychologist and member of the Sacred Heart Missionary Congregation, “has that great power: to justify an insane and catastrophic level of cruelty – like 9/11, the pinnacle achievement of religious fanaticism. If you ‘do it for God,’ then even primary and foundational instincts like self-preservation, like your very life, can be set aside. Then potential suicide bombers emerge, men and boys, girls, even children. Religion can trump common sense – not all religion or every religion but some religion and only religion.”

Thus, Cleary suggests the focus on spirituality over religion.

“That is why people come to prize ‘spirituality’ rather than religion, a humane instinct for the holy and awesome rather than belief on the word or claim – or often the untruth or delusion – of another person or book or beautiful myth,” he says.

THE BIG “C”

Writing in The Bingo Report: Mandatory Celibacy and Clergy Sexual Abuse, Louise Haggett (CSRI Books, 2005) – after hearing from some 200 priests and victims scientifically chosen who tell you how faithful-to-vows they think priests are (not very), and how much the official church cares about misbehaving priests (not at all, unless scandal arises) – took a closer look at issues surrounding priesthood, including the sex scandals that belatedly plagued numerous Christian churches.

And for Haggett, these problems may have been caused by celibacy (NOT, by the way, homosexuality), as it “creates an atmosphere conducive to sexual deviance.”

Blinded, the Vatican, among others, continues to push for celibacy – e.g. quoting St. Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians: “About remaining celibate, I have no direction from the Lord but I give my own opinion as one who, by the Lord’s mercy, has stayed faithful. I believe that in these present times of stress this is right: that it is good for a man to stay as he is.”

Henry G. is not looking at breaking his celibacy anytime soon, as “this is something I am doing for myself, not for anyone – or anything – else,” he says.
And this is, then, the stress on becoming celibate – that it be done as an informed decision of the/a celibate, no because it was forced on him/her.

“I’m not sure how long this will last, but for now, I am able to stave off (sexual desires),” Henry G. says.  “It works best for me because it’s what I want.”