of all suppression of sexuality, even to the point of condemning marriage, as some of them did in most uncompromising terms. From this situation arose the obligation of celibacy for priests.
The attempt to deny and proscribe sex is evident in various ways in many religions. The legends have accounted for the birth of the great religious teachers without "sin"; in other words, free from the stigma of sex. Thus, Christ was immaculately conceived; Buddha also was conceived supernaturally. The mother of Buddha was declared to be pure and holy; as, likewise, was the Virgin Mary. A Buddhist monk must not indulge in sexual relations, nor have intercourse of any kind with women. Celibacy is also a tradition among certain priests in China.
Early Ascetic Ideals. The factors involved in the concept that sex expression is sinful, impure or disgusting, are manifestly complicated, having their roots in the very early religious and ascetic ideals of mankind. It must be remembered that when these notions originated, comparatively nothing was known of the nature of the human body, its organic needs and the desirability of rational control of the natural functions of the organism.
The ascetic religions coexisted with cults that swung to the opposite extreme of sexual indulgence, and in part the former were the outcome of revulsion against the sensuous revelry of the time. But this by no means explains all the unconscious motives behind the dramatic attempt to outlaw nature. It is typical of supernaturalism that it should theoretically annul one of nature's most inexorable laws. But the law goes on operating just the same, often creating distress because it is not understood, and causing chaos when it is defied.
Celibacy cannot be considered a normal life for a normal
