Unfortunately, 5,000 years of enforced celibacy seems to add up to quite a bit of the repressed emotion. Seems like a lot of priests are sticking their heads out the proverbial window and yelling, "I'm mad as hell and just can't take it any more".  Much to the chagrin of choir boys and other youngsters. But let's not pigion hole the term. Celibacy can be practiced by anyone. And Clerical celibacy is just one sub category of the genre.

It stands to reason that if celibacy is going to be practiced, then abstinence won't be far behind. Although I can think of any number of friends who have managed to practice celibacy and renounce marriage, but still engage in sexual relations without feeling a lot of guilt. Heck, wasn't the sexual revolution of the 1980's all about sexual freedom without the confines of matrimony holding us down? 
 
I suppose celibacy has a plus side. The whole Buddah-road to enlightenment thing has it's roots in celibacy. While not being an authority, I believe that Buddha said that it is better to control and discipline our senses in order to have a calm and peaceful life. But one has to do this gradually, slowly, only through understanding and not abruptly. It cannot be forced. It has to be done gradually and with deep understanding. If people do not understand this and try to stop it all of a sudden, they will get more frustration, more fear and so forth. And therefore in his gradual teaching, he said that first there is the pleasure in sexual activities, and then there are the disadvantages, then there are the problems. And only when you see the problems, only then do you begin to realize that these disadvantages, this negativity, are inherent in sexuality - they are intrinsic. These troubles, these problems, are intrinsic to lust. And now I know why my path along the road to enlightment has been so short.

But maybe there is some sense to it all. We want our children to embrace their childhood and not grow up so damn fast. We've tried to introduce chastity training into their train-of-thought so they wait a little while before stripping down to their all-togethers. We've actually given them contracts to sign that makes them promise to keep their clothes on and their John-Henry's tucked away. No stats on whether it works. Although in some parts of the country the child/teen pregnancy rate has gone down. But it's not for the celibacy. We want our youngsters to renounce sexual activity but honor the institution of marriage.

So it's up to the individual. If celibacy is strictly observed, that is good only for the person observing it. Celibacy is not something that can be institutionalized. It cannot be organized. You cannot have a celibate society. It is a totally personal, individual practice. And therefore if people object to it, they may be objecting to the organization of celibacy.

When you practice celibacy you are always facing challenges. It does not matter whether you are asexual or not. The challenge of keeping your pants on for one, and the challenge of staying away from those darn vows of marriage for another. Not an easy decision to make.