I would think a young man would either have to be very dedicated or very “unusual” to venture into a lifetime profession that requires celebacy. The probability of “unusual” has to be much higher.
You’re absolutely spot on.
I have been a Catholic for seven years. Prior to becoming a Catholic I had no experience with Catholic Priests. I became a Catholic because after studying Roman Catholic theology, I concluded that if one is going to be a Christian, one must be Roman Catholic (or, perhaps, Orthodox) — but that’s a discussion for a different thread.
The point that I want to make here is that since becoming a Catholic, I have observed that on the whole Catholic Priests are the biggest group of weirdos and oddballs I have every encountered. In school, they were the guys who were picked last when choosing sides. They tend to display feminine characteristics and other unusual behaviors. They were the guys who no girl would date. You get the idea.
Protestant ministers on the other hand tend to be normal, regular guys. They typically have lovely wives who make positive contributions to their ministry.
Celibacy is a major sacrifice for a normal, regular guy. However, if you are an oddball who can’t get a date anyway or a homosexual, celibacy is not such a big deal. In fact, if you are looking for a way to hide your homosexuality or to try to contain your homosexuality, celibacy might look like an attractive solution to your problems.
It’s time Catholics recognize that celibacy is filtering the set of Priest candidates to the social misfits and homosexuals. I’ve seen Priests on TV who appear to be normal guys, but I’ve yet to come across one Priest in my diocese who does not display some personality trait that would be considered odd by most people.
Perhaps, cradle Catholics have become so use to the kind of men who become Priests that they just don’t see what a weird group these men are. Maybe it’s much easier for someone like me who dealt with Protestant ministers most of my life to see what a strange group Catholic Priests are in comparison. I think my wife, who is a cradle Catholic, falls into that category. She seemed to expect Catholic Priests to be oddballs until I pointed it out.
Since becoming a Catholic, I have concluded that the biggest weakness of the Roman Catholic church is its clergy — especially, the Bishops, who appear to be the Priests who are best at hiding or dealing with their social inadequacies. But then, one would expect the human component of any organization to be its weak point.
In any event, the fact that Catholic Priests tend to be weirdos will not discourage me from continuing as a Catholic. However, I would never allow one of my children to be alone with any one of them.
He’d probably have to be able to spell “celibacy” too! ;-)