The Celibacy Con: When the Catholic Church Banned Sex to Keep the Land
You ever hear someone say, “Priests have always been celibate”? Yeah—bullshit. Let’s tear off that starched collar and look at the greasy truth: Catholic priestly celibacy isn’t ancient holiness—it’s medieval asset management. You want receipts? I’ve got centuries of them. In the Beginning, There Was... Sex The early Christian church wasn’t worried about celibacy. Peter—the so-called first pope—was married. Had a mother-in-law, which implies at least one poor woman had to hear him snore. In the first few centuries of Christianity, priests, bishops, and even popes were often married men. Some had kids. Some even passed on their “spiritual dynasties” like holy hand-me-downs. The Church didn’t just tolerate this—it functioned with it. The Bible didn’t ban priestly sex. Neither did Jesus. The whole “sex is dirty” doctrine came later—after the church got a taste for power, land, and the delicious terror of controlling your every impulse. The Council of Elvira: First Crack at the...