bacht

I think Stephan's suggestion was in the context of ascetic movements in the ancient world. The example discussed was Daniel, who likely was a eunuch, and thus spiritually sensitive (according to some ancient thinkers). Buddha would approve I think of the notion of being detached from sexual desire.

Official Catholic doctirine affirmed the goodness of the material universe, including the human body. Being universal in scope, they did accept extreme behaviour up to a point as being inspired, but only for a minority of saints called to such a vocation.

I don't quite agree with your statement that our genitals have no volition. We did inherit certain instinctive drives from the animals, and procreation is one of the basic goals for all living things. In later life perhaps it's easier to retire from the mating dance and contemplate less earthy matters.

Chili

"Called to such vocation" is the key word and here they have or had different fraternities and kloisters that would best suit individuals. I believe that it is or can be a good life for many but bot for me (but then I never got called either).

I know that you mean but would not call that animal instinct. I see is as more like human nature instead of our animal nature that should indeed be exhausted at midlife (meno-pauze) after which the body is willing but the mind is weak and so we become 'eunuch-by-nature.'

bacht

Yes. Those who choose voluntary castration presumably wish to skip over the normal family-raising part of life and move to the post-sexual phase of spiritual consciousness.

We are animals so the terminology is kind of irrelevant. All living creatures seek to procreate, from tiny cells to the largest plants and animals. This is the essence of organic existence, survival and reproduction. Humans have the ability to imagine other levels/planes/dimensions of life but that doesn't mean they really exist.

Chili

Yes but that is like putting the cart before the horse and will prove counter productive since 'the end of the world' is found in its exhaustion 'out West' which then is why Catholicism is 'user friendly' that way by its readiness to forgive the cheerful sinner.Yes we are animal first but the fall of man made us rational creatures who remember that sex was fun and will do it again only for fun and therefore 'in sin' beyond natures call to procreate and that is how and where we are lower than animals. So then in the Catholic plan of redemption they created the concept sin to arouse in us all kinds of evil desire hoping that 'in time' we will reach the end of our sinfulness and finally stand convicted as sinner as exposed by the animal man that we really are and from there do a 180 and try to find our way back to Eden whence we came.

So this then is how self mutilation is counter productive in never having tasted love as the extraction of Love divine that is required to lead us back to the place we first started and so come full circle in a life of our own.

In short, they are nuts.