Originally Posted by AC.
Hey Brian,
I believe you stated in the past that this is non-essential, but the fact that the Roman Catholic church places the condition on a priest that he take a vow of celibacy.
Its essential in the fact that, by and large (there are exceptions) Latin Rite (though not Eastern Rite) priests take this vow and they are expected to uphold it. Its non-essential in the fact that this discipline is not unchangeable. Its not dogma.

Originally Posted by AC
I don't know all the history there but obviously I would question those in authority on that issue as well as a few others that seem to run contrary to Biblical teachings.
Why? Would you have questioned the Council of Jerusalem when they bound all Christians (rather than a small few) to not eat meat from strangled animals, to not eat blood etc? Do you eat kosher only?

Originally Posted by AC
Are there any 'essentials' in which you ever questioned the authority or can you not entertain that type of thinking?
Not really. Sometimes I don't fully understand an issue at first, like in vitro fertilization for example. But in such a situation, I question myself before I question the church. If Paul and Timothy had come to my door in Acts 16:4 and told me not to eat chicken unless all the blood was drained out, I might be confused thinking that all foods were declared clean. But I'd question myself before I'd question the council. Other people, obviously, trust themselves more, and thus they have problems with abortion, gay marriage, birth control, celibacy, women priests etc. In other words, as you say, they have a problem with authority.