Are unhealthy sexual attitudes to blame for the Priest sex abuse scandals?

July 3rd, 2010

The media/public etc seems to believe/suggest that all those Priests that commited clergy abuse are ‘Predators’ that with evil intent choose those positions so they can get close to and prey on children or that celibracy causes it.
The Church maybe? seems to pass the buck onto Homosexuals and say that the issue is caused by Homosexuality/that theres Homosexual-Child abuse connection.However psychological studies are conflicting regarding this and at this stage with such small studies there is no way to say for certainty either way.Suggestion have been made of people twisting studies and also the highly subjective nature of the studies-eg:a Psych pro-gay can make statistics seem like Gay-pedo isnt connected.Likewise a Psych anti-gay could do the oppiosite with the statistics.
I dont know if the Church is trying to avoid whats happened or alternatively whether they simply have no biases but simply believe that there is a strong gay-pedo connection through ‘innocent’ means.
Ie:do they have a preconcieved bias towards gays due to the bible verses arround gays or are they innocently just believing that that is the reason for the abuses because someone eg:a psychologist suggested so and the church just believed their word and is ‘in the dark’ about these matters.
The media suggesting all these men are predators/predatory evil nature,im not fully convinced by either.Im neither aware of a strong connection between celibacy and sexabuse.
That said,i dont think that priests should be celibrate unless given the gift of celibacy from God but i think they should be allowed and encouraged to marry.I dont think this is fully what is causing the clergy abuse but i think nothing should be compulsory-ie;the celibacy inclined preist should be frre to be celibrate and the marriage inclined preist should be free to get married.

I wonder strongly though,whether much of the sexabuses are caused by unhealthy sexual attitudes?
Whether this is the real primary cause in many cases.
Many in the Church have been taught unhealthy attitudes towards sex,its been passed down from generations/church and it seems many preist have this.Eg:that sexual boldily feelings are bad/dirty/shameful/filthy/to be suppression etc.
This cycle of suppression-shame-longing could very well cause the sort of abuses that have happened.
Priests end up with distorted sexual bodily feelings that they struggle to suppress then they long for the connection then they fight these urges,feel selfhatred and shame and eventually end up not able to find these sensatiosn and molest someone.
Some of the priests have been molested too as children.
I wonder whether theres a whole culture of people-in plain words-beign sexual screwed up-the religious and the non religious.
Coudl these tragedies all be avoided by Church openly teaching clergy about sex=shame is wrong and teach things like the below book and Theology of the Body by John paul 2 and helping them heal their distorted sexual feelings which could literally have changed their chemistry?
Ie:healthy sex is niether about ‘dirty/shame/guilt’ nor is it about ‘im horny/need a root/im tapping that’ but it is instead beautiful,healthy and Holy.
What are your opinion please?
Thankyou

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=mEQbnc92z-gC&pg=PA205&lpg=PA205&dq=unhealthy+sexual+attitudes+catholic&source=bl&ots=t5FYivQBDe&sig=fxvRnGJ4WhAAqQ2EUxEyVANG2AA&hl=en&ei=WcokTNX0Ko-TkAXb8s1q&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CEQQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://www.atma-o-jibon.org/english/wilkie_au_7.htm
Thanks Ratz-yes its like everyone seems to forget that.
Marysia-why are you full of anger?
If you had of read the question properly instead of exploding off emotion and anger you would have seen that i was not suggesting that celibacy is the cause.
I am raising questions whether unhealthy sexual beliefs/raising eg:being taught sex=dirt/shame/suppression etc and the struggle with that was the main contributing cause.
I know many priests have unhealthy perception towards sex(not through their own fault) cause from what some have told me.
Its not new to us that many in the Church or society in general have been taught confusing things about sex-i dont see why it angered you so much-by discussing Gods plan for sex maybe we could be helping to avoid things in the future.
This is a seperate issue from celibacy althogether.

do you have CLUE what you are talking about…..
MARRIED MEN are the most common pedophiles — 79.9% are MARRIED – they could have a healthy sex life if that was their choice

Every man who becomes a priest KNOWS HE IS THE REMAIN CELIBATE…. they are not FORCED to be a priest! they could marry and be a deacon OR change denominations!

98% of priests who are celibate have NO PROBLEM AS THEY ARE NOT PEDOPHILES

THE PROBLEM IS THERE ARE PEOPLE (PRIMARILY MEN) WHO ARE PEDOPHILES….. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HEALTHY SEX!!!!!!!!!!