Introduction
The two basic urges/instincts of humans and animals
are self-preservation
and self-propagation.
The Instinct of Eros — Life
Instinct:
It is popularly known
as the life instinct or love instinct or sex. It is also called the pleasure
principle. The energy of the life instinct which finds its outlet in bringing
people into close physical contact is called libido. Libido means the
energy of sex motive or the urge of life. It is not the life instinct itself,
but only a part of the life instinct. Life instinct is the source which goads
one to develop the need for self-preservation.
It is the instinct
which motivates one to preserve oneself. Otherwise known as the instinct of
Eros, it impels us to do whatever possible to preserve ourselves in society. The sexual life is also derived from the instinct of Eros.
Catholic Church's obsession with sex
The most serious sins that trouble Catholics, right from early
childhood, are those of a sexual nature,
whether by commission or omission. Cardinal
sins
like anger, pride, greed, envy, laziness, and gluttony are insignificant in
comparison with sexual sins. Even sins against the Ten Commandments like thou
shall
not steal, honor thy father and mother, etc. fade into insignificance. I
have always wondered why the Church suffers from this obsession with sex.
I found a great deal of clarity in this matter in a book that I came
across recently: Sex, The Catholic Church has got it all wrong by Peter
De Rosa. This book is a sequel to his best-selling book Vicars of Christ:
The Dark Side of the Papacy and from which I have frequently quoted in my
earlier blogs. In this book, he analyses the development of the Church’s
obsession with sex. In two parts, I shall try to summarize some of his
findings. All credit to him.
De Rosa starts off with the “Ten Catholic
Commandments” of the Church which,
for all practical purpose, seem to have replaced the Ten Commandments handed
down to Moses by God.
1.
Thou shalt not sin against chastity for that is
always a mortal sin.
2.
Thou shalt not consent to impure thoughts for that
is always a mortal sin.
3.
Thou shalt not sexually arouse thyself for that is
always a mortal sin.
4.
Thou shalt not have sex before marriage for that is
always a mortal sin.
5.
Thou shalt not interrupt the sex act for that is
always a mortal sin.
6.
Thou shalt not use condoms/contraceptive pills for
that is always a mortal sin.
7.
Thou shalt not engage in vitro fertilization for
that is always a mortal sin.
8.
Thou shalt not abort a one-minute old conceptus for
that is always murder.
9.
Thou shalt not engage in homosexual acts for that
is always a mortal sin.
10. Thou shalt not divorce and marry for that is to
live in mortal sin.
The first observation is that every sexual sin is mortal, never venial. With
this kind of sin, there is no chance for a stay in purgatory; it deserves
eternal damnation.
De Rosa gives several reasons for this heavy
emphasis on
sex.
Rome is both a power structure and a religion. When
the two clashes, as
in the case of clergy sex-abuse scandal, religion goes out of the window.
Rome controls through its sexual discipline
1.
Rome controls the clergy through celibacy or non-breeding.
Celibacy makes priests creatures of the system.
2.
Rome controls the laity by regulating their breeding
habits.
One interesting observation is the oddity in the “Ten
Catholic
Commandments”. There is no reference to 'love' of any kind as taught by Jesus. Another oddity as compared with the Big Ten of Moses is that it allows
for no exceptions.
Take some commandments of the Big Ten of Moses.
For example, ‘Thou shall
not kill’. Rome is ready to qualify it in many ways. You can kill in
self-defense; you may kill in a just war; you can hang a murderer for his crime. In the case of ‘Thou shall not steal’, is it wrong for a starving child
to steal some food?
Why is it that sexual sins are always grave sins with
no exceptions?
Part 2 will discuss how Rome got sex so wrong.
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