Okay, well that's not religion. I'm speaking of institutional religions that require people to take things like the vows of celibacy this writer has taken. That's what's sad about this writer's experience. He's part of a religion that requires him to abandon romantic and sexual relationships with other humans. I find that to be incredibly sad, and on the part of the institutional religion involved, I find it despicable and evil.

Just like I find most religion to be despicable and evil.

As a gay man, I'm sick of religious shit. I'm sick of religions condemning and persecuting loving people like me, and I'm sick of them treating healthy human relationships as something to interfere with. (Note that this writer used to be part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is heinously and sickeningly homophobic. He was an Eastern Orthodox monk, and Eastern Orthodox monks are disgusting homophobic pigs. You can't become an Eastern Orthodox monk without affirming theologies that brand people like me as demonically evil.)

At least this writer has abandoned that particular disgusting religion, but I wish he could heal from homophobia and abandon the religious chains that still bind him and tell him that genuine human love is not desirable or attainable.

He could choose to be free and loving instead of superstitious and religious. I hope he does!