Priests Must Stop Being Celibate!

Catholic people are wonderful people. I have many Catholic friends. I mean no disrespect to them. I wish them all a Happy Easter Holiday.

The Catholic Church, however, is literally an abomination. This is not a few bad apples. Hundreds of priests molested thousands of children worldwide. The sheer enormity, the scope of abuse is stunning. This is a systemic problem specific to the Catholic Church, and there's a specific reason for it.

No other religious hierarchy demands celibacy, yet forbids masturbation. They went even further, of course, devising a doctrine which considers all sins on equal footing. For priests, masturbation is a sin, and raping a child is a sin. All sins are bad. They just count 'em up every week, go to confession, get forgiven, and continue on their way. Then they do it again. And again.

Their claim of "confession" as a cornerstone of Faith is hypocrisy shone bare by their response to the NY TIMES reporting (and others) on the vast monstrosity of abuse which has taken place.

The Church response to the magnitude of suffering Catholic Priests have caused around the world? They claim negative media coverage is "prompted by the devil." Not the sheer number of vile acts, mind you, nor the enormous number of Priest perpetrators whom the Church is claiming were prompted by the devil here, it's the media who published those stories! They're the evil ones - for publishing the Church's rap sheet for all to see.

Buddhist Monks who take vows of celibacy do so with the realization that the male human body, as a biological necessity, cannot be forced, by sheer will and prayer, to stop producing (and occasionally discharging) sperm. It's that simple. Monks refrain from having sex, but don't even consider a lifelong prohibition on ejaculation itself! It's inhuman.

Whether you believe in Jesus' 100% Celibacy, or believe he was married to Mary Magdalene, can't we all agree that a condition of the Catholic Priesthood shouldn't be to attempt, by sheer will, to prevent one's body from producing sperm that will eventually need to get out so more can be made? Why should entering the priesthood mean a life of celibacy anyway? What possible good does that requirement do, especially considering the magnitude of suffering it has caused?

For Easter 2010, the Catholic Church should resurrect itself by confessing its sins, apologizing with all required humility for its crimes, and dealing with the Karma of finally doing so.