Do you mean sexless or genderless?
Sexual desire is innately human, we all have it in some way. You make a choice to embrace it and act upon it, or you don't.

Comparatively, it's a bit like saying I really like fish, I appreciate and enjoy their presence on the planet. However, I have no desire to keep them in my house, nor eat them as a tasty snack. I'm quite happy for them to be out there, getting on with their fishy ways. That pleases me that they do, and I enjoy watching them. That is as far as I want my relationship to fish to go.
I enjoy watching Formula 1. I appreciate the engineering. Do I want to be actively involved in the whole circus? No, but I'm glad other people do.

Can someone clear this up for me? Aren't all nuns effectively the wives of Jesus and in theory open to (so to speak) him if he turns up for them?

No, and neither are catholic priests (despite that being part of the 'reasoning' behind them being celibate).

They are sometimes referred to as 'The Brides of Christ' but it's not a primarily sexual context, more the idea of fidelity and loyalty. They take an oath to essentially be 'joined' to a life of religion the same way two people take an oath to be joined when married; marriage isn't all about sex, nor is a woman taking holy orders.

I think the Prof's distinction between abstinence and celibacy is valid. Abstinence, to me, suggests it's a temporary thing. To a catholic, Lent it a period of abstinence. To a muslim, Ramadan is a period of abstinence. These are for a set period of time and most people who undertake them probably would consider them a 'spiritual learning experience'. Abstinence forces us to examine why we desire that thing we are abstaining from and therefore know ourselves better.

Celibacy is a different thing, IMO. It is not an act with an end point. It doesn't 'run out'. Celibacy is a statement that you are leaving those aspects of yourself behind as a sacrifice because doing so gives you a different perspective, a vision no longer tilted by the instinct and desire for sex. Whether that's actually what happens or not I couldn't possibly say but my catholic upbringing suggests that's what it's supposed to represent anyway.

To me, it doesn't really matter if a religious figure notionally was hetero or homosexual. Once they take a vow of celibacy they are saying 'my sexuality is put aside to allow me to follow a different path', so at that point it becomes irrelevant. It's interesting that some religions require celibacy and some don't; To be honest I've never really seen celibacy as a requirement for someone to be wise and give good advice but if that's what some religions require I have no real authority to say they are wrong. However I have always considered that the one area an avoutly celibate organisation has absolutely no right to lecture anyone else about is sex...

Jon

Celibacy and abstinence, while used interchangeably, are usually used as quite different terms.

Abstinence usually indicates a decision to abstain from the physical act or acts of sexual intercourse. It is usually used to refer to unmarried people who would be willing to marry. For some, abstinence only means not having full penetrative sex whilst for others it means not kissing or anything else.

Celibacy, however, is usually used to indicate not only a withdrawal from the physical acts but also to refrain from the mental and emotional acts as well. It can be temporary and, (in its temporary form) is often seen as a means to self-improve or reflect. In its permanent form (esp. its Christian form), it is often seen as a means to avoid the distractions of the flesh.


Not really.

Nuns are sometimes referred to as "brides of Christ". However this is a play on the term "Bride of Christ" which is the name given to a biblical metaphor which refers to the church as a whole.

Cleared up, thanks.