The Religious Obsession with Celibacy

[Metis]

There's far too many theories about this, some plausible and some nothing short of ridiculous. Why do you personally think most of the major world religions (some exception made for Judaism and Hinduism) have developed this obsession for celibacy?

While the very earliest archeological evidence have shown that sexuality and faith have often gone hand in hand (just look at some of those mother goddess statues they dug up in Turkey!) there came a stage where people seem to have switched for want of a better term to "sex is bad". I don't doubt Christian and Islamic influences brought it onwards onto a whole new scale but even before then we have the Vestal Virgins of Rome, Buddhism (exception to Tantra), the Oracle at Delphi (a 40 year old virgin woman), the priesthoods of Artemis and even more extreme that of Cybele (who ordered the full castration of her male clergy).

I know most of my examples are Hellenistic, but I admit I'm rather ignorant of eastern culture. Why do the religious seem to fear sexuality? They often seem to emphasize the role of father/motherhood and yet at the same time despise what makes that happen.

Any thoughts are welcomed.

[Nope]

Sex is a very powerful urge. By controlling that urge, religions can control the humans. They also can make people feel very guilty and worthless because many people are going to fail at celibacy. Of course, their failure means that religion can dig its claws in deeper

[Pyrrho]

In primitive cultures, there is a mystique surrounding life and childbirth.  Since sex is connected to that, it is naturally of interest and naturally going to be something that people will want to control in some way or other.  That is, in any culture advanced enough to make the connection between sex and childbirth.

Control of reproduction means controlling sex.  And so there are naturally going to be prohibitions of some kind or other.  For any specific instance of a religion's particular position, one would have to look at the specific culture in which the attitude developed, and most likely, one will find its origins lost in prehistory, making it likely impossible to know exactly why a particular attitude was adopted.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I don't think there's an overall, or even a majority, of religious 'obsession with celibacy'.  In a very few religions, the clergy are celibate, but the laity are not.  In the majority of ALL religions, neither the clergy nor the laity are celibate. 

This is not to say that most religions don't have loony ideas about sex - we know that they do.  But celibacy?  That seems to be an aberration rather than the norm.

Boru

[Minimalist]

Judging by the number of altar boys with a size-15 asshole it seems as if "celibacy" is more of an abstract concept than a practice.

[vorlon13]

Making a big deal of (supposed) celibacy would tend to put potential partners (victims) off guard.