Priests should not marry?

Question

Timothy 3:2-5

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

Answer 1

That's right. The Apostle Paul, although he preferred to remain unmarried so that he could devote himself 100% to ministry, did not condemn those who wanted to marry. In fact, he says it is better to marry than "to be inflamed with passion" and he gave guidance to the overseers on how they and their families were to be the spiritual example to others.

I think it is expecially ridiculous that priests and popes in the Catholic church can't marry. So, now, we have priests that we hear of who are "inflamed with passion" and channel it into child molestation. And, if the apostle Peter is considered to be the first pope. . . . . do they not realize that Peter was married? He had a mother-in-law whom Jesus healed. Only one way I know of to get a mother-in-law, and that is to be married to her child. DUH!

Answer 2

Tim does not say priests and deacons and bishops must marry but that they should be "of one wife'.
Celibacy was praised by Jesus ,Who was celibate Himself,inMatt19:12.
St Paul(1 Cor7;8) was celibate and Jeremiah was too(Jer 16:1-4) St Paul recommended celibacy for full time ministers in1 Cor 7:32-35
Priests in the Western Church as well as the Eastern were often married before ordination until the 11th Cent. The East kept the custom but they cannot remarry if widowed.

Answer 3

Historically, part of the reason Catholic priests were finally forbidden to marry had to do with logistics. Back in the middle ages, priests lived at the parish... they "owned" the land, had a farm, etc, etc. Well, when a priest dies, the new one comes in to live on that land. So what happens to the wife and kids? Or what about inheritence?

These aren't issues today the way they were a thousand years ago, but it is one piece of the puzzle.

Personally, I would love to see the RCC install an order of married priests (just like we have orders such as the Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, etc. ) and see how it goes.

Answer 4

I believe that Priests, of either sex, should remain celibate.
The demands of their calling, are such that family life is difficult, if not impossible.
In reaching a conclusion to this question, the welfare of a possible family, as well as the welfare of the priest, should be considered.
Anybody that has done a full time job (Including unpaid overtime, in emergencies) and tried to rear a family, at the same time, will know, that at various times, choices have to be made, between family and work.
Whichever choice is made, the alternative suffers and I don't believe Priests should be in this position.

Answer 5

Paul Cyp has the official Roman Catholic answer.

I have a couple of questions for you: Do you think all ministers must be married? Do you think all ministers must be men? Can a single man or woman be called to the ministry? What happens if a minister gets a divorce, does he have to leave the ministry? What if a minister's wife dies, does he have to leave the ministry?

I think you see my point. How narrowly do you want to read and apply this verse? Does this verse forbid all women, single men, divorced men and widowers from the ministry?

Of course, you can take this to a ridiculous extreme. What if a minister has a quarrel with his wife, must he leave the ministry?

Answer 6

Priests should not marry.

Men are called by God to the priesthood, they have the freedom to reject that call. Each man who accepts the priesthood, accepts that he will not be married and that he will be celibate. One of our priests said, the idea of getting married is would be like adultery to him because he considers himself already married in a monogamous relationship.

Celibacy is important because it gives spiritual strength to priests and the Church. Being a Catholic priest is not a career; it is a complete dedication to a spiritual lifestyle. Therefore, a priest must only do those things that lead to his own sanctity and holiness. The Catholic Church believes that refraining from marriage is an important way in which priests may unite themselves more closely to Christ.

It does not seem to me that all the protestant ministers and pastors that are married have been,or are, better leaders of their churches.

http://www.swansontec.com/ochaste.htm

The erroneous idea that celibacy leads to sexual abuse of children or young people is ludicrous. That has been proved wrong over and over. The MAJORITY of this countries sexual abuse is perpetrated by non-clergy, non-celibate men. They have access to perfectly normal sexual interaction, and many are having sex with their wives/girlfriends and still commit these sexual crimes. So there is absolutely no basis for that claim.

Answer 7

Priests originally were allowed to marry, but because of the influx of followers into Catholicism, one of the Councils (dont remember the name) ordained that the priesthood would not marry and thus not split their devotion/time between the church and family.

Answer 8

This often misunderstood passage is not a requirement that priests should marry. It is a proscription against polygamy. The early Christians came from two sources - Jewish and pagan. The Jews of course were monogamous. But many of the early Christians who had come from pagan backgrounds brought with them their wives. Men from both groups eventully assumed positions of authority in the Church. In this letter, Paul tells Timothy that those with multiple wives cannot become "overseers", that is to say, bishops.

However, in another place, Paul strongly recommends that those who enter full time ministry remain unmarried, for a married man is divided between trying to please his wife, and the responsibilities of ministry. Hmmm, I wonder if this is why Protestant ministers have one of the highest rates of divorce by occupation??

The notion that abstaining from marriage turns a man into either a homosexual or a child molestor is, of course, absurd. Especially considering that over 70% of convicted child molestors are married men.

Answer 9

Priests were allowed to marry until only a few hundred years ago. Then the church discovered that it was losing a LOT of it's property by it being willed away to the priests' children. They started out "suggesting" that priests not marry, and then it eventually evolved into a rule. Even Popes were married and had children.

Answer 10

Do you have any clue as to how long Priests go to College to become a Priest?

Do you think one has to be an alcoholic to minister to them.

Do you have to be a Psychotic to be a Psychologists?

I as a Catholic would not have a problem with Married Priests, but I am not going to condemn my whole faith over this issue, and I am not going to pretend I know the will of God better than the Church who has been in this business for 2000 years.

Peace and God Bless!

Answer 11

exactly! I love this scripture in a way because it shows that just because you or your religion claims to be Christian, doesn't mean that it is. It must truely follow the Bible.

In the KJV verse 2 uses the word Bishop and verse 8 uses the word deacon. Other translations use words like overseer, elder, ministerial servant...either way, God does not insist that overseers of the congregations not be allowed to marry! Marriage is a blessing from God!