Religious question

[foreigncorrespondent]

I am really trying to understand religion. As a kid growing up, I never had much interest in religion. Now, I am in my mid thirties, I am finding an interest in religion.

Anyway, today I find myself wondering about preachers. More to the point, the preachers who belong to religions where they are not allowed to marry.

When a preacher enters into one of thse religions, does he take vowes like nuns? I know nuns are the brides of Christ, but what is a preacher? Does he marry Christ as well?

[Dookus]

1. no...

that would be gay ;)

[foreigncorrespondent]

2. Dook, you caught me out. ;)

Yes it would be. ;)

[Cannikin]

3. They're just 'good friends'

'roomates in the house of the Lord'...you know..but not married!:evilgrin:

[foreigncorrespondent]

6. ROFLMAO

[Sapphocrat]

12. To lift a line from Boys in the Band...

If they're over 30 and they're not lovers, they're sisters.

[BlueJazz]

4. Not that there's anything wrong with that !

.

[foreigncorrespondent]

7. Of course...

...there isn't anything wrong with it. But just imagine throwing this back in some religious zealots face.

[DCDemo]

5. Like in many religions, they give up sexuality for knowing wisdom and God

That at least is the idea I always took, and not a bad one either.

Monks, Nuns, and Catholic Priests are supposed to channel that energy, thought, and base part of their being (the animal nature) and keep it in control. Using that energy to further your understanding and love of God is of course the goal.

From what I recall, the same is asked of monks of many other religions besides the Christian ones.

Find a good book on Comparative Religions. It's a great way to get a much better feel for the wisdom and searching endemic to mankind.

Understanding the different belief systems, not just what they believe, but how this informs their worldview and sense of self vs reality, is some of the most precious knowledge one can have.

[Sapphocrat]

14. In theory, I couldn't agree more...

In practice, I'm afraid the nuns channeled all that "animal-nature" energy into child abuse. I think our order missed the message somwehere.

[Ekova]

8. Interesting question

My guess is that there's some sort of servant of God terminology as opposed to being married to God. I'm sure most churches would want to make sure the language used wouldn't imply a preacher/father was married literally or figuratively to God, particularly when the common accepted view of God is as a male entity.

Other than that I'm not sure, the front office intricacies of the Christian faith aren't something I've delved all that deeply into. I do work with a guy who is a devout Catholic and have another acquaintance that has a "father" for a father, I'll ask them.

[bobbieinok]

9. years ago my brother had a good friend who was a Roman Catholic pries

Over the years he observed the priest, who was celibate and had 'no family' and 'no children.'

But therefore all the children in the area were his children and all the families were his family.

For this priest the system apparently worked the way it's supposed to.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. Among Christians

only Roman Catholic priests are absolutely required to be celibate. Eastern Orthodox priests may marry as long as they do so before taking their vows. Protestants have no restrictions on marriage.

[Sapphocrat]

11. The way I was taught...

-- and you're just going to LOVE this -- is that a priest is the representative of God the father on earth. A nun, on the other hand, is subordinate to God (or, a bride of Christ, just as a wife is supposed to be subordinate to her husband -- although I don't know of even one Catholic woman who would ever put up with that notion). That doesn't mean a priest is equal to God -- it means a priest is sort of holding God's place on earth.

That's what the nuns taught us, anyway.

You don't have to like what it all means, but does that answer your question a little more clearly?

[foreigncorrespondent]

13. Yes it does.

I had stumbled across a rather obnoxious and homophobic Web site today, and of course after reading the shit the person was spilling, this was the one question that it left me with. LOL

Thanks, honey. AMLFYA :)

On edit, fixing a typoe, cuz I miss keys all the time. LOL

[Book Lover]

15. And the real reason the Catholic Church made celibacy a requirement

for priests is, of course, money. Too many bishops decided their flesh and blood deserved to inherit their land more than the Church did, so the Church put the kibosh on legitimate heirs. This was, oh gosh I'm pretty sure I'm right here, in the 8th century CE at the Council of Nicea.

The way I was taught was that the priest was the only conduit through which God could be experienced, and so he had to therefore be pure, defined as sexless. The nuns were just women who decide to dedicate themselves to God, and so could not devote themselves also to a husband and children.

[Sapphocrat]

16. Good points...

...both re inheritance, and your more-eloquent explanation of priest-as-conduit (thus, the ritual of penance). That's perfect.

[SOteric]

17. Nuns are called the brides of Christ, so too

is the Christian church named the Bride of Christ. The role of the nun in Roman Catholicism is to serve as an earthly bond between the spiritual and the corporeal. As is intended for the church itself, she is an earthly conduit to the glory of God.

The Catholic church does at this time require celibacy of her nuns and her priesthood. (She hasn't always, and she doesn't everywhere, but that's another story for another day.) If one takes holy orders in the Catholic church, one takes a vow of celibacy. Celibacy means that one will not enter into marriage.

Chastity, which is the expectation for all those who practice Catholicism, is a state of sexual purity which forbids sexuality outside marriage and allows sexuality within the marriage only for the purpose of procreating.

The role of the priest is more as a place marker for God. Not for His convenience, but for the comfort of mankind. He may hold us in the palm of His hand, and know the cry of our hearts, but there's cold comfort in spilling your soul to an empty room and hearing nothing in reply.

A good analogy might be that nuns and the church are much like Mum, hearth and home; while the priest is more or less a vid-phone that let's us talk to Dad from time to time.

Personally, I believe that the notion that one role seems to take on a greater importance or hierarchy or esteem is the construct of a deeply flawed mankind and not the intention of a loving deity.

Your mileage may vary. My God does not hate; but my neighbours do. :hi:

[Mikimouse]

18. The last paragraph of your post tells it all...

I couldn't agree more. It also very neatly summarizes the salient points from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan.

[Clark Can WIN]

19. OK WOW there is a whole life of religion outside of Catholisiszm

For acceptance check into the the Episcopalians and the United Methodist Church. Both have openly gay and/or female Bishops.

God IS LOVE. That's where everything should start from.