As an ex-Catholic who studied to be a diocesan priest at the time I had an adolescent willy, and as one raised on the anti-body strictures of the Church, I want to say two things about your comment: 1) at no time was there any supernatural cause of evil, such as the Devil's rod, put forth in sermon or Catholic school teaching, especially in the confessional. That language may have been used by the Church in other nations, however. The US Church was far too Puritanical ever to explicitly refer to any part of the male anatomy--publicly. Maybe that was one of the reasons clerical abuse of boys became so prevalent among American priests--that is, what the priests wanted and got had been so unmentionable, therefore, so really unthought of, its demand, such a surprise? 2) Masturbation was an "impurity" that had to be confessed with the detail of number of times since the last confession. The number could be astronomical, occasioning a sigh from the confessor, who world-wearily would reply with the admonition/question, "Don't you have anything else to do? Find something else to do." The penance would also be very minor--maybe ten Hail Mary's. I was never the Devil's agent, object, or helper. In its defense, the American Catholic Church is trying to stay relevant and to make human and accessible its dogma. It is climbing a very steep hill.
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As an ex-Catholic who studied to be a diocesan priest at the time I had an adolescent willy, and as one raised on the anti-body strictures of the Church, I want to say two things about your comment: 1) at no time was there any supernatural cause of evil, such as the Devil's rod, put forth in sermon or Catholic school teaching, especially in the confessional. That language may have been used by the Church in other nations, however. The US Church was far too Puritanical ever to explicitly refer to any part of the male anatomy--publicly. Maybe that was one of the reasons clerical abuse of boys became so prevalent among American priests--that is, what the priests wanted and got had been so unmentionable, therefore, so really unthought of, its demand, such a surprise? 2) Masturbation was an "impurity" that had to be confessed with the detail of number of times since the last confession. The number could be astronomical, occasioning a sigh from the confessor, who world-wearily would reply with the admonition/question, "Don't you have anything else to do? Find something else to do." The penance would also be very minor--maybe ten Hail Mary's. I was never the Devil's agent, object, or helper. In its defense, the American Catholic Church is trying to stay relevant and to make human and accessible its dogma. It is climbing a very steep hill.
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