Rendering Unto Caesar: Roman Realpolitik‏

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

When a person has been drawn into the depths of hellish governance his every action leads to additional degradation. It is similar to the way that struggling in quicksand only leads to a faster submersion. We can see this process at work in that magnificent bastion of outer darkness that goes by the name of the Vatican.

The latest news from that cavernous domain is that Roman practice is intolerant. Before this bit of "so what" insight, priestly celibacy was put on the table for discussion. It may seem that the newest Pontifex Maximus is open to reform in order to correct the wayward sexual tendencies that have plagued the Roman priesthood through the period of full-blown flat-Earth worship to the present day. As with American military intelligence, things within the Vatican are not what they seem to the outside world.

The official argument in favor of the celibacy requirement is that Roman priests need to dedicate their lives to the despotic kingdom of the material Creator. Raising a family will distract them from the task at hand. According to legend, Jesus and his followers had to forgo family life in their campaign against despotism. It makes sense that despotic priests must do the same in order to counter the opposition.

Now the tables have turned and it may be more to the advantage of Roman despotism to emulate the Protestant practice of allowing priests to wed. This is especially an issue now that Rome is trying to attract reactionary Anglican clerics to rejoin the Roman hierarchy. Anglican reforms have gone through a progression of abandoning the celibacy requirement, abandoning the gender requirement, and abandoning the homophobia requirement. Retrograde Anglican clerics accepted the first reforms but have been alienated by the relaxation of homophobia. It went too far too fast. By changing its policy on celibacy, Rome may be hoping to staunch the flux of rebellion and pick up some of Caesar's wayward sheep.

Even before the recent attempt to attract Anglican reactionaries there was a push to allow celibacy in order to promote Roman despotism in Africa. Advocates of clerical marriage observed that many Africans treat men better when they have a wife or more. This recent move to discuss relaxation of the celibacy rule may also be aimed at expansion in Africa.

Will this dialog on a change in the rules at the Vatican help the cause of Rome or will it lead to additional departures from Caesar's flock?

Links: Elliot Hannon on the Vatican's willingness to discuss priestly celibacy. Tracy Connor on some of the issues involved with priestly marriage. Tom Kington on plans to re-write the Vatican constitution.

Comments

[dexeron.livejournal.com]

The official argument in favor of the celibacy requirement is that Roman priests need to dedicate their lives to the despotic kingdom of the material Creator.

I don't think any "official" arguments from the Vatican would use the term "despotic" to describe their god, or his kingdom.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Okay, I mixed a little bit of reality into the official position. It does the Vatican more justice than simply repeating banal platitudes.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

The "material creator" bit sort of outs you as a Gnostic Christian, even if you're not one.
That, coupled with the anti-psychiatry theme could lead to endless speculation. Cathar, Hubbardist: what's in a name?

[telemann.livejournal.com]

What does this post have to do with politics, frankly?

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

So, you do not consider Church politics to be relevant?

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Not really. It's an Old Men's club that will probably be the last institution on Earth to acknowledge that women are human. Like royalty, it hangs around because of money and having been around a long time but eventually will fade away as it should.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Not in a political community, the way you've posted about it, no.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

The relevance is in regards to social politics in the international context. If you think a post isn't falling within lines, you can let us know in the reporting thread without causing unnecessary drama here. Thanks.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

That's cool, but I don't see a reason to freeze the thing.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Why do you never mention the Eastern Orthodox Church? After all, when it comes to doctrines of the the Creator of the Flat and Immovable Earth, there is no real distance between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. They spring from the same "rotten" root of Constantinian/Imperial/Nicene dogmatism, do they not? At the heart of both is the rejection of Arianism and Docetism and firm affirmation of both homoousios and Trinitarianism. The doctrinal separation between them came much, much later and didn't really touch on these points directly. Nevertheless, in the Orthodox tradition clerical celibacy was never the same kind of issue as it became with the Roman rite in the 11th and 12th centuries.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

The Eastern Church has its own closet full of skeletons. The reign of Justinian was particularly dastardly. The more recent support for terror brigades in Yugoslavia by Orthodox clerics is almost as bad. I do not intend to short them when it comes to spreading around the debits.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

There was a good deal of animosity early on between the Eastern and Western areas of Christianity as well, some of it was on pretty substantial (bad pun!) subjects. Although to an onlooker, those differences had to have been mind-numbingly trivial.

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

I was going to write something but

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Nihon-go wa sugoi desu!

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

I'm curious how you expect anyone to take you seriously when you lace everything you say with hyperbole.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

It was the "dutch lace (http://atouchofdutch.com/index.php?cPath=24)" of hyperbole. But yeah, less effect, more chord!

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

Condemning celibacy as a wayward sexual tendency reveals a grave disregard for the rights, dignity and sexual freedom of individuals.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I know of nobody who considers celibacy to be a wayward sexual tendency, except a guy I know who considered me to be celibate because I would not let him into my intimacy. There are some people who consider celibate conduct to be a "gay" thing. In southeast Asia celibacy is considered to be a sign of supernatural power.

[404.livejournal.com]

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

There is a certain amount of justice that the scientist got his picture on the C-note while the military general wound up on a petty single.

The "Coffee with Jesus" series looks like a nice antidote to Chick publications. It is too bad Jesus does not look more Jewish.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Petty priests pretend penis placement preferences perpetually perplex powerful pontiffs prudish proclamations.

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

=)

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Naughty nuns know nothing noble nixes narcissism.

[comeonyouspurs.livejournal.com]

The Pope's Penis

It hangs deep in his robes, a delicate
clapper at the center of a bell.

It moves when he moves, a ghostly fish in a
halo of silver seaweed, the hair
swaying in the dark and the heat – and at night

while his eyes sleep, it stands up
in praise of God.

Sharon Olds

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

That sounds like competition for a famous work of art.