What stands out to me, is that according to Scripture, forbidding marriage for people (whether it's everyone or just clergy) is not of God.
Certainly, from a moral standpoint, when such has been forced on people, regardless of how sacred a duty it may seem, it has led to so much immorality and abuse.
This is why I believe that the decision not to marry should ultimately come from a personal conviction given by God, Who will then grant that person the ability to walk the path He has called them to, and not from demands, regulations and rules imposed on an individual by nature of his or her office or position. The fruit of such imposition has been quite clear.
You are still not understanding me. In the RC Church, if someone feels CALLED of God to become a priest, there is a long time, six-seven years that he (and his spiritual advisors) have in front of them before ordination.
If, at any time in those 6-7 years, the seminarian decides that he really does have a call from God, and he must make up his mind that he will be celibate. It is not IMPOSED on him from outside. It is a discipline, a voluntary step that he takes. No one is
forcing him to become a priest. Even after ordination, some priests decide they can't do this any more. They can go to their bishop and request a leave of absence to further discern if this is his life. If, at the end of that time, he feels he has made a mistake, his bishop can can give him a dispensation to live as laity.
No one is dragged, kicking and screaming to the feet of a bishop to be ordained. It is totally voluntary. Going through college and getting all the degrees he needs is still NO guarantee that the bishop will ordain him. That just means he has the training. No one knows for sure that he has a vocation to the priesthood until such time as the bishop calls his name and asks him to be brought forward to be ordained.
And just to let you know, I know a couple of priests that have been deposed. They both married, and as I recall, one is living a happy life, and the other one committed suicide, mourning what he had done. I also know of a priest that left the church, married a nun, and their marriage fell apart. He is a sad, sad man.
You (and a lot of other people on these fora) seem to think that the Catholic Church lands on people with both feet, and drives them with a whip into all these dogma and can't and must do certain things. Forget it! The Roman Catholic Church is just as much a voluntary organization as the church you go to. If you don't want to follow the rules, fine. I'm not going to stop you. (Oh I will, if your a friend, speak to you, and try to lead you back into the church, but that is a personal thing.) If someone feels that God is calling him to leave the church because he will find the truth elsewhere, then go. Don't let the door hit your back on the way out.
Just to let you know, in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, married men can be ordained to the priesthood. I know several, including Fr. Peter. He is an excellent priest in all ways. While I don't know any personally, after a married man is ordained, there are some cases where the marriage falls apart, and they get divorced. And no, the divorce has nothing to do with his priestly function.