Celebacy in the Church?

Question

If God's law is be fertile and multiply then why when you become a priest they tell you that you have to be celebace? The one with the best and most detailed answer gets my vote. Use bible or other quotes as well!!!!!!

Answer 1

It's celibate and celibacy.

in 1 Corinthians 7, in that very chapter Paul actually endorses celibacy for those capable of it: "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion" (7:8-9).

I say this by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another" (7:6-7)

"Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage. . . those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. . . . The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband" (7:27-34).

Paul’s conclusion: He who marries "does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better" (7:38).

After Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19 on divorce and remarriage, the disciples exclaimed, "If such is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry" (Matt 19:10). This remark prompted Jesus’ teaching on the value of celibacy "for the sake of the kingdom":

"Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom it is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it" (Matt. 19:11–12).

Celibacy is neither unnatural nor unbiblical. "Be fruitful and multiply" is not binding upon every individual; rather, it is a general precept for the human race. Otherwise, every unmarried man and woman of marrying age would be in a state of sin by remaining single, and Jesus and Paul would be guilty of advocating sin as well as committing it.

Answer 2

Let me get you some quotes!!!

EDIT: Here goes;

Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (Priestly Celibacy, 1967), endorsed celibacy as a requirement for the clergy, but he admitted that “the New Testament which preserves the teaching of Christ and the Apostles . . . does not openly demand celibacy of sacred ministers . . . Jesus Himself did not make it a prerequisite in His choice of the Twelve, nor did the Apostles for those who presided over the first Christian communities.”—The Papal Encyclicals 1958-1981 (Falls Church, Va.; 1981), p. 204.

1 Cor. 9:5, NAB: “Do we not have the right to marry a believing woman like the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?” (“Cephas” is an Aramaic name given to Peter; see John 1:42. See also Mark 1:29-31, where reference is made to the mother-in-law of Simon, or Peter.)

1 Tim. 3:2, Dy: “It behoveth, therefore, a bishop to be . . . the husband of one wife [“married only once,” NAB].”

Before the Christian era, Buddhism required its priests and monks to be celibate. (History of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church, London, 1932, fourth ed., revised, Henry C. Lea, p. 6) Even earlier, the higher orders of the Babylonian priesthood were required to practice celibacy, according to The Two Babylons by A. Hislop.—(New York, 1943), p. 219.

1 Tim. 4:1-3, JB: “The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times there will be some who will desert the faith and choose to listen to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from the devils; . . . they will say marriage is forbidden.”

It is neither wrong to marry or not marry- it is wrong when someone forces another to go either way, lying that the Bible "orders" us to do so.

Answer 3

Good answers but let me clear up something that some believe to be true. Some believe that the Catholic Church forbids marriage. This is absolutely not true, the Church encourages marriage. Priestly celibacy is a discipline for some but marriage is NEVER forbidden.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 4

there were no regulations concerning celibacy for the Church. celibacy for priests came from the influence of monks and hermits who were consecrated entirely to serve God.

basically, there was a time when monks(not priests, but laymen who desired to be closer to god) were ascetic hermits. they lived in the wilderness alone and avoided all people as an act of consecration.

they were performing lent year round and abstaned from all things. in their extreme asceticism, they refused to come near women and desired celebacy. people began to think of these monks as holy because their devotion to god caused them to fast from worldly desire.

some priests, not wanting to be looked at as less holy than these laymen, in turn, were compelled to take up celibacy themselves. and virginity became stressed to be the highest regard. even married couples were frowned upon for having sex, but this was excused because the act of sex, in turn created more virgins.


there were many objections to this new requirement of the Latin rite. most priests refused to submit resulting in scandal amongst believers and this seriously hurt the credibility of the Church. after many unsuccessful attempts, the rule of celibacy was definitively promulgated under the papacy of Pope Gregory VII (1073-85).


so, in short terms, celibacy became traditional because the Church wanted to keep its "holier than thou" stature and forced unwilling priests to abide by this new rite although, if you do some research, you will find several popes afterward that fathered illigitimate children.


if you want to make it really interesting, look up the "banquet of chestnuts"

Answer 5

Of COURSE the Bible recommends celibacy!

First of all, it is the way of life for ALL the unmarried.

Paul begins the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians: "A man is better off having no relations with a woman. But to avoid immorality, every man should have his own wife and every woman her own husband." He goes on to say (v. 6) "I say this by way of concession, not as a command. Given my preference, I should like you to be as I am. Still each one has his own gift from God. Still further on (v. 32) "I should like you to be free of all worries. The unmarried man is busy with the Lord's affairs, concerned with pleasing the Lord; but the married man is busy with this world's demands and occupied with pleasing his wife. This means he is divided."

I recommend that you read all of 1 Corinthians for more context, but you will clearly see that while marriage is a "good," celibacy is counted as "better."

I also invite you to look around at the state of the married clergy, and the stresses they experience. The pressures of maintaining a family on a pastor's salary are extreme, and there are many times a good man feels contstrained in his speech or actions in order to keep his pastorate to maintain his family.

There are married Catholic clergy (rare in the Latin Rite, but not forbidden), who will point out the SAME as I have here.

Answer 6

The church are trying to get the clergy to follow Jesus and since he was somebody who remained celibate for his entire life then they want their people to also do the same so that way they can commit their whole life to serving God and being slave to the church and humble masses without getting distracted by other more mundane activities.

Answer 7

i believe that its only the catholic church that has priest that are not allowed to marry. and the bible has somthing to say about that in 1st timothy chapter 4:1-3 Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the later 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 comanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be recieved with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Answer 8

You have it wrong---you don't become a priest and then they tell you ---it is the other way around so you don't have to be a priest if you dont want to be so SHUT UP about it already!!! GEEESH! Don't be a priest for crying out loud.

Answer 9

Spiritroaming pretty much said it all.

The original Jewish command to be fruitful and multiply doesn't necessarily apply to us anymore, because like many other things, Jesus changed it. He said that anyone who can be single should be single. Paul says it is good to be celebate in 1st Corinthians quite a bit.

Answer 10

the Bible doest talk about thhis but in a certain way/....the person that the priest can marry has to be perfect, it says that, so where are you going to find a woman so eprfect???
instead of that they just pass a rule to not get married....what's the biggy???