You mention both abstinence and celibacy, but they aren’t the same thing. Abstinence is refraining from some indulgence, usually meaning sex; celibacy usually means choosing not to marry. So I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking -- maybe you haven’t decided exactly what the topic will be either, I dunno.
Anyway from a Christian standpoint, celibacy is a bad idea:
"Marriage is honourable in all..." (Hebrews 13:4)
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife..." (1 Timothy 3:2)
"Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." (1 Timothy 3:12)
"...if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" (1 Timothy 3:5)
"...the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18)
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
"But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever..." (Mark 1:30). Matthew 4:18 and 10:2 tell us that Simon is the name by which Jesus called Peter. So we see that Peter, whom the Catholic church claims as their first "pope", was in fact married.
The Catholic church on the other hand (which is NOT Christian) commands celibacy for priests:
"All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate ’for the sake of the kingdom of heaven’ ... Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Church’s minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God." (#1579 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church)
And of couse, it’s the Catholic church that has the problem of priests molesting little boys, and raping nuns then forcing them to have abortions... it seems pretty clear to me that God didn’t intend for us to suppress our sexuality. Celibacy is a man-made idea.
