Alydar

It's not denial. The key is that they KNOW they are, so they try to compensate by serving the lord out of guilt. My physics advisor was Father -------, and I know he was gay. He didn't tell me, but I knew. I asked him one day if he truly believed (as the lord will turn one straight if he prays ). He would not answer "yes." The most I got out of him was "I have faith." I felt so badly for him. Here was a truly wonderful person who was gay and turned to religion to try to change that. He knew after so many years that the "lord" didn't change him. I'm convinced he was, deep down inside, an atheist - so his struggle in life was compounded by that as well. Just another reason I fucking hate organized religion.

shome42

Ya, surely that's a big part of it. However, people who've been raised to think homosexuality is evil have a huge psychological incentive to deny being gay. However, with most people this would lead to practical problems like having to get married to a women when you really want men. Priesthood provides the perfect "out." You not only get to avoid the awkwardness of having to marry a woman when you're gay, but you also get to avoid hell by going into the priesthood, where all of your homosexual desires will surely be controlled. Of course, in reality this doesn't always happen.

shome42

How is everyone's gaydar? Now I know what I'm about to say is the antithesis of scientific, but I think I have a better than average gaydar, and let it be said my gaydar is beeping A LOT when I'm around priests.

Intentional Pariah

I don't know, JustinK. I actually enjoy the company of women because they neither hit on me obnoxiously nor behave as if every movement I make is an attempt to grope their rumps. The worst they do is get all giggly once in a while, and this doesn't occur at all with those who are lesbians. You could say that, around them, I can just be "one of the girls."

Alydar

Actually I read it in a periodical at my university library. Like I said, I don't trust any "statistical" study on the subject for the reason stated above. Again, from experience, I'd say it's far higher than the general population.

I'll see if I can find that article next time I'm there, just for the hell of it.

Alydar

B-I-N-G-O

shome42

How can you compare the preisthood to a sub crew? People often join sub crews for money, and the lack of women is only temporary. There're also no huge psychological issues associated with wanting to join a sub. By contrast, there is no economic motive to join the priesthood (at least for 1st world priests), and there is a huge psychological motive for gay men to join the priesthood to escape their feelings of alienation. I doubt gay men would feel less alienated in the military, whereas in the priesthood their guilt would be assuaged and their "evil" urges controlled.

scisyhp

Do you know why it is higher? I know that Christians are suppost to suppress sexual thoughts, and that weird things can happen to you psychologically when you do this *cough* Chatholic preists raping children *cough*.

shome42

I don't think suppression of sexuality causes pedophilia. I think people are probably just born with it, and Catholics who are born pedophiles join the priesthood for the same reason gays do-- to try to control their urges, assuage their guilt and avoid the awkwardness their sexual preferences would lead to in normal life.

JustinK

Intentional Pariah

Yeah, I suppose that what I said did go against the conventional thinking/reality of how gays (especially males) interact with members of the opposite sex.


shome42,

I could be wrong, but I just listed the sub crew because I've been told that the percentage is higher on subs from a friend of mine who was in the navy. Never having been on a sub, I guess I just took his word for it (though shouldn't have repeated it, I suppose).

However, what I can say is that I have (comparitively speaking) been around a lot of priests and monks, and haven't sensed much different (sexually) than normal people. Some monasteries are known for being more open to the gay lifestyle, but it's been my general experience that monastics and priests are just people who think God has called them to do something really unique. It is probably true that many suppress their sexuality because they think God considers it evil or sinful, but I don't think that 50% of priests or more could be said to be avoiding their homosexuality.