Where in the Bible does it state that Priests (in the Catholic faith) can't marry?

Question

Is this the reason why many of them got caught molesting kids in the church. I don't see anywhere in Bible where it says a man should not get married for ANY REASON. So where does that come from?

Doesn't it state the "He who finds a wife finds a good thing..."

Answer 1

The Bible doesn't say this. It may be that since Paul said he wished others to be like him (single) but He said this was him speaking... because he thought a husband would spend more time wanting to please his wife than the Lord.
We can see that the Bible encourages marriage. Peter was married (IE in reference to His sick mother-in-law).

Answer 2

This idea came from the Jews, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Paul.

The Jews. The Talmud argues that a person whose “soul is bound up with the Torah and is constantly occupied with it” may remain celibate (Maimonides, Laws of Marriage 15.3). This argument could certainly have been based on the biblical example of Jeremiah, a celibate prophet who was ordered by Yahweh not to marry (Jeremiah 16:1-4). Moreover, the Essenes was a group that was active in Jesus’ time that practiced celibacy and thought by most scholars to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

John the Baptist and Jesus are both believed to have been celibate for their entire lives. Some scholars believe that either or both Jesus and John the Baptist were influenced in their celibacy by the example of the Essenes.

The Apostle Paul is explicit about his celibacy (see 1 Cor. 7). There is also evidence in the gospel of Matthew for the practice of celibacy among at least some early Christians, in the famous passage about becoming “eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:12).

The concept took many twists and turns over the years and will probably take a few more before Christ returns in glory.

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

This is not from the Bible. In the middle ages, monks took a vow of celibacy (along with poverty, humility, etc.) but priests were expected to have "housekeepers" who seemed to get pregnant quite often. The celibate state of the monks became a requirement for all Catholic priests quite recently. (But NOT for Eastern Orthodox priests!)

I don't think it's the celibacy that makes priests molest children. I think it's the other way around: Young men who are conflicted about their sexual orientation (IE. potential pedophiles and gays) seek an environment where they can avoid ALL sexual activity, to avoid living with what they consider deviant sexual activity. Once they have spent some years being celibate, they can no longer resist opportunities. This has been made much more outrageous by the Catholic Church's practice of covering up such incidents and simply moving those priests to other parishes, where they can find more victims.

Answer 4

The closest is when Paul admonishes the faithful to remain celibate for the sake of the faith. His reasoning was that a man with a family cares first for that family and only second for God, while the celibate cares first for God. Yet even Paul counsels that if you cannot abstain, you're better off to get married, "better to marry than to burn", as he put it.

As for Wink Winkelman's response, hey buddy! Show me where it says in your Sola Scritura universe that playing cards, dancing, wearing shorts, buying and selling, singing anything but hymns, and a whole lot more can be found. In point of fact, the Catholic Church has a lot fewer caveats and rules than any other Christian denomination.

Answer 5

Celibacy in the priesthood is a man-made rule. Since there was no such thing as a Catholic when the Bible was written, obviously it could not address the issue. The verse most widely quoted in support of the practice is Matthew 19:12, but the subject has been a contentious one for centuries.

Answer 6

It doesn't. That "rule", like so many, many others in the Catholic faith are imposed on its members by their "higher-ups". Rather than depending on God's Word the Bible for guidance and direction, they feel the need to make up their own rules for their people.

And Peter was NOT the founder of the Catholic religion. Catholics like to point to a certain scripture, mangle its interpretation, and use that to try and make Peter the first "pope".

Actually the Catholic faith has a lot more "caveats and rules" and false teachings than other religions that, likewise, claim to be Christian. Infant baptism.....unscriptural. Mass......unscriptural. Worship of Mary......unscriptural. Transubstantiation......unscriptural. Veneration of the cross or other idols......completely unscriptural.

Answer 7

Where in the Bible does it state the Bible is all that we are to follow? Does it not speak of Traditions that are handed down? The Bible is important but it was not written to be a single book. Most of the NT was written as letters.

Answer 8

There isn't any place that specifically states Catholic priests can't marry because Catholicism is man-made. It is not Biblically based.

However, Paul wrote that it's better to stay single so that all your efforts are focused on God rather than your attentions being divided between God and your family.

Answer 9

Good question. The founder of the Catholic religion "Peter", one of the 12 disciples of Christ was married. So I would think that it was a law instituted by one of its leaders. But then again, they would say that a woman would be a distraction to the priests but look what happened....

It was a huge blow to all of Christianity.... and those many children who was hurt.

Answer 10

However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron; >>>>> forbidding to marry <<<<<, commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth. The reason for this is that every creation of God is fine, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified through God’s word and prayer over [it].