should priests and bishops be allowed to marry?

[HerDotness]

There are real problems for a church with an influx of married priests.

married Anglican priests moving over to the Roman church. also bring their families with them.
These must be housed and supported even after the death of a priest, and pensions , Education and housing support continued. this has become a real issue.

Even Churches with normally married priests, have special issues of the cost and difficulty of relocation of priests families when priest are moved from one parish or post to another.

That's very interesting, and I can certainly see how it would present substantial difficulties.

Quite a lot of Christian denominations in the U.S. regard each church as an independent unit, so for those, there wouldn't be any obligation to move a pastor's family, and oftentimes, housing isn't provided by the church although there may be a small allowance designated for housing.

Some of these independent churches don't actually employ their minister. S/he is usually paid something, but it wouldn't be anywhere near enough to live on, and thus the person has a regular job.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Nope... all the early Church had was Scripture -- by that I mean what we refer to as the Old Testament.

The early leaders of the Church (the Fathers) without exception used the OT and eventually what became the NT gospels as the sole "pure" source of Christian teaching.

As the Church progressed, it became clear that one could use a personal interpretation of Scripture to advocate all sorts of heresy --- when disputes arose, the Bishops would be the deciding voice as heirs of the Apostles.

Their views and the everyday worship of the Church (the Sacraments / Eucharist / etc.) became the second part of what we refer to as divine revelation.
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The Priests in my Church may marry -- but my Priest (who is married) views celibacy as a profound gift of self to the Church.

I would hope that those outside the Church understand that this is something that may change one day in the Latin Rite --- but I pray it never does, even though that means I will never become a priest. :sad4:

One would suppose that the early congregations of Judo-Christians were led By married persons.As this was the norm for priests at the time.
As you say their "written" scripture was the Old Testament.
However The oral scripture, about and from the teachings of Jesus, was passed from person to person as well as from the Apostles.
There would have been thousands of people who had listened to a portion of his teaching in person, and passed on what they had learnt to others. Much of this would have passed through more than one generation, as their oral tradition was strong.
Eventually some of them recognised the need to gather the oral tradition, together with written letters, into what became the Gospels and New Testament.

It was a long slow process for that early Judo-Christian Jesus movement to morph into Christianity as we know it.

 

[e.r.m.]

Sex is not put in a positive light in many parts of the New Testament.

"For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."-Matthew 19:12

1 Corinthians 7
1 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband...
8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

The belief of early Christians:

-"We Christians marry only to produce children" - Justin Martyr

-"If a man marries in order to have children, he ought not to have a sexual desire for his wife. He ought to produce children by a reverent, disciplined act of will." - Clement of Alexandria


-"Matrimony is always a vice. All that can be done is to excuse it and to sanctify it; therefore it was made a religious sacrament" - Saint Jerome

Good response, but in all scriptures you mentioned, it is still a choice. Not decided for them.

 

[e.r.m.]

There are real problems for a church with an influx of married priests.

married Anglican priests moving over to the Roman church. also bring their families with them.
These must be housed and supported even after the death of a priest, and pensions , Education and housing support continued. this has become a real issue.

Even Churches with normally married priests, have special issues of the cost and difficulty of relocation of priests families when priest are moved from one parish or post to another.

Uh, who says these wives can't work?

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Uh, who says these wives can't work?

No one... many do work. But many also work in the parish.
However in the Cof E they are covered by their husbands pension arrangements, as are Children under 18. If they die in service their family needs are met under these arrangements.

If they transfer to the RC they would otherwise not have these insurance/pensions. unless special arrangements are made.

 

[e.r.m.]

No one... many do work. But many also work in the parish.
However in the Cof E they are covered by their husbands pension arrangements, as are Children under 18. If they die in service their family needs are met under these arrangements.

If they transfer to the RC they would otherwise not have these insurance/pensions. unless special arrangements are made.

I understand. Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Good response, but in all scriptures you mentioned, it is still a choice. Not decided for them.

True it was a choice.