Do you agree that Catholic Priests should be allowed to get married ?

Answer 1

Yes, and I'm a Catholic. If people would research the real reasons that priests were banned from marrying (it had to do with property and inheritance in the medieval Church), they'd see how bizarre and antiquated the entire notion of clerical celibacy really is. I have many Episcopalian friends, and their priests can marry; it doesn't seem to make them less effective priests in any way. Also, the insistence upon celibacy keeps a lot of good men out of the priesthood. How many people are willing, in this day and age, to sacrifice their sexuality and capacity for normal human intimacy?

Answer 2

A couple of points.

First in a number of parts of the Catholic Church married men do become priests. The norms are just that norms not doctrine.

Second, going back into the early Church priests and deacons could not remarry unless they had small children and were widowed.

Third, both Jesus and Paul recommend celibacy, but neither require it.

Fourth, all unmarried Christians are obligated to remain celibate. Priests do not promise celibacy, they promise not to marry in order to serve only God. Sex is only permissible in marriage.

Fifth, the Catholic clergy have had child molesters in the clergy but the rate of incidence is at 1/6th the rate in the general population. The Church is pretty good at keeping abusers out of the clergy. However, since most abusers are master manipulators some do get through. The rate of abuse by married men is actually much higher. Further, the problem of pedophiles and a few others not commonly mentioned such as sociopathy are higher in a number of denominations with married clergy. It isn't celibacy that is the problem. People who are pedophiles are attracted to places that have children such as churches, schools, soccer and baseball coaching, and Scouting. I would point out that Jim Jones who massacred hundreds of members of his own denomination was ordained even though they knew he was nuts and only nominally Christian. Group decision making failures happen in all groups.

Sixth, the priests don't seem to be complaining. Nor do candidates for the priesthood seem to be complaining either.

Finally, if you are not going to be considering the priesthood, then what does it actually matter to you? If you really were married and wanted to be a priest it isn't actually completely a closed topic, just mostly. Still, it does guarantee a dedicated clergy. They dedicate everything to Jesus, there isn't much left to keep. They receive trivial pay, they do not control where they live, they give up marriage, all to follow Jesus. Foxes have holes and birds have trees but the Son of man has no where to lay his head. Even Hitler in Mein Kampf discusses the celibacy of the Catholic clergy as a problem to his rise to power. He felt co-opting Protestant communities would be easy, but the Catholic Church was a serious danger to him. He spent alot of time neutralizing it before he started killing people. He worked it masterfully to the destruction of many and the embarrasment of almost all Christian communities Catholic and Protestant.

Answer 3

I think that as long as they force priests to be celibate, they will get a LOT of priests who don't mind being celibate (*cough* child molestors *cough*).

When they allow priests to marry, I think they'll get a lot of priest applicants who are nice, regular people with normal sex drives. Besides, who wants marriage counseling from a virgin?

Answer 4

Sometimes, letting go seems like the easiest thing to do. But think about this: you've invested so much of your time and energy into another person; you've made a solemn promise; and you still know there's love, even if it's hiding underneath the surface. This website will show you how to save a marriage and avoid divorce, even if you're the only one trying https://tr.im/CjR6l

Answer 5

Yes, I agree. There's nothing to say that you can't be married and serve God at the same time....but I also believe that women should be allowed to become priests, too.

Answer 6

Yes

Answer 7

Yes I do. Why shouldn't they? Isn't everyone always saying that sex, etc is natural, and not a sin? If they weren't allowed to get married and have children, then that would be unnatural. Either that, or cruel and unusual punishment.

Answer 8

Yes, there is no biblical support for priests to not marry

Answer 9

The church decided that priests cannot marry because they had so many people claiming ownership of any particular church because the priest had so many children who claimed they had the legal right of ownership.

Answer 10

Yeas Rabbis can get married why not it would make the job more. Tempting if you could marry it would reduce pedophile in the Church. and it no longer would be a Job ashamed gays could hide in.