[Steppes] RE: Living in the past

[Donna S. Mallory, CPA]

"Much of the Cathars' philosophy and doctrine was Manichaean, which was
dualistic in nature. In other words, if it was of the flesh or of earthly
nature, it could not be holy or good (including the sacrament of bread and
wine from the Christian communion). Therefore, the "Prefecti" or"Electi",
which were the teachers and holy men and women, abstained from eating flesh.
Marriage and sex, even for procreation, was also condemned.

Over time, the Manichaeans morphed into the Paulicians and Bogomils, whom
the Byzantine Emperors worked hard to eliminate. Even Anna Comnena wrote
about them at the end of the 11th century. The belief system went
underground until it showed up among the Cathars in southern France and
Spain the the 11th century. The Cathars also had a pure elite - the perfecti
or boni homines (or bonhommes), who accepted the discipline of austere
living, stict dietary rules and permanent celibacy. "Early Christian
Heresies", Joan O'Grady."

Xene,

If all these sects practiced strict celibacy how did they keep from dying
out
after one generation?  Did their followers come from new converts?  Just
wondering--
doesn't sound like a very sound practice for the survival of the species.

Anne