Rather than thinking of celibacy as a Christian doctrine that superseded the Pagan attitude, which was much more accepting of sex as a part of nature, we should realize that attitudes involving abstinence from sex are far more ancient than St. Paul.
In fact St. Paul's attitude towards sex was nurtured by the strict sect of celibate Pharisees to which he belonged before his conversion to Christianity.
You will not find this doctrine in Jesus' teachings.
Ascetics existed in the Ancient World.
In fact they are one of the oldest manifestations of religion.
One of the first characters to appear in the Mahabharata - Bishma - vows to abjure the love of women, for which he is praised by heaven.
But the Bhagavad-Gita states that the way of the heart is greater than those who mortify the body, greater than the learned, greater than the doers of good works.
So it is not essential to abstain from sexual activity to attain spiritual enlightenment.
God accepts us as we are.
Photo Credit: Heaven`s Gate (John) Flickr via Compfight cc
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