ehizo25: Why does 1 Timothy 4:1-3 include "forbidding to marry" as one of the "doctrines of devils"?

by this, do you mean Jesus and paul practiced doctrine of demons? Why cant you guys stop leting your anti catholic feeling blind you

chukwudi44: Somepeople should quit embarrassing themselves by advertising their ignorance here.The word 'pastor' could be used to describe any member of clergy be it catholic or protestant.Pope Benedict xvi in one of his encyclicals called himself the "pastor of the universal church" .Any one suggesting the word 'pastor ' is only for protestants is living in ignorance.

Talk about ignorance personified. This dude reeks of ignorance and needs to find somewhere to discharge some besides on NL

souldust: my dear, i am not going to go into that arguement with you. If you call a catholic priest 'pastor' he will answer you, trust me. They do nmot deny that they are pastors. But let me call them priests so as to distinguish them from other men of God.

Distinguish them from other men of God? Get a life

jesus told his apostles that some people choose to be celebate for the sake of the gospel. This CLEARLY shows that God has no problem with you being celebate.

When he said, "what ever you consider bound on earth is considered bound in heaven..." he actually made celebacy (which he isnt against as i have shown earlier) legal if it is agreed upon by members of a group (priets)

as for the church forcing celebacy on priests, thats not true! For those who do not know, every one in this world knows from birth that priests do not marry. To be a priest, you have to spend 9years in the seminary. All through your 9years, you have the choice to leave. After that, you are ordained a deacon and given at least 6months to rethink your decision.

At your ordination as priest, the Bishop asks the candidate "do you understand that as priests, we are not allowed to marry?" the candidate says, "yes, i do". Then the Bishop says: "may almighty who has started a good thing with you, bring it to fufilment." candidate says "amen"

if the candidate says "no", the ordination comes to an end there and then. When he becomes priest, he still has the choice of leaving if he wants. So you can see the church does not force anyone.

[b][/b][color=#000099][/color]i,ve settled down to read through all these post , every 1 seems to either be in a hurry to accuse d catholic church, or to defend it,no 1 seems to indict the major culprits..@ Women, am never a sexist, but truth be said, mostly married women like d biblical Eve, these Devil incarnates would not let these Reverend fathers be...they do believe that seducing a catholic priest would earn them an extramarital sex mate who would never think of blackmailing them, cos they would hv to protect their own reputation too..sincerely,

souldust: by this, do you mean Jesus and paul practiced doctrine of demons? Why cant you guys stop leting your anti catholic feeling blind you

Jesus and Paul did not practice the doctrine of demons only those who impose a law of celibacy on others practice the doctrine of devils and i guess you know who i am refering to

naijadeyhia:

Distinguish them from other men of God? Get a life

although i can see your problem already, i am still going to reply you, not for your satisfaction (becos you canot be satisfied) but for other fair minded persons who can look through the whole arguement and see your biasness fueled by deep sitting hate.

By "distinguishing them from other men of God", i do not place one above the other (if thats what you are bothered about) but i was trying to identify men who God who serve in the Catholic church and men of God who dont serve in the Catholic church so that anyone i am refering to at any point in time is clearly seen.

souldust: jesus told his apostles that some people choose to be celebate for the sake of the gospel. This CLEARLY shows that God has no problem with you being celebate.

When he said, "what ever you consider bound on earth is considered bound in heaven..." he actually made celebacy (which he isnt against as i have shown earlier) legal if it is agreed upon by members of a group (priets)

as for the church forcing celebacy on priests, thats not true! For those who do not know, every one in this world knows from birth that priests do not marry. To be a priest, you have to spend 9years in the seminary. All through your 9years, you have the choice to leave. After that, you are ordained a deacon and given at least 6months to rethink your decision.

At your ordination as priest, the Bishop asks the candidate "do you understand that as priests, we are not allowed to marry?" the candidate says, "yes, i do". Then the Bishop says: "may almighty who has started a good thing with you, bring it to fufilment." candidate says "amen"

if the candidate says "no", the ordination comes to an end there and then. When he becomes priest, he still has the choice of leaving if he wants. So you can see the church does not force anyone.

Being celibate is an individual personal choice and not a collective rule of law passed on a group by someone else. As priests you are allowed to marry. Herein lies the error in the catholic church! As priests you can personally choose to marry in order to help you abstain from fleshly lusts so as to enable you function in the fullness of your vocation.

Let me post something here for you to read since you said the would be priest would first be ordained a deacon over a period before full priesthood.

[b]1 Timothy 3:

1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
[/b]

Now tell me the catholic church isnt in error

Its just pathetic that demons have finally taken over the catholic church.the beloved apostle Yochanan saw this happening in a vision when he was exiled to Patmos.he said,"a line of six kings would rule,the 7th won't last long and the 8th would be like the 6th but in essence he's a demon".checking from 1929 when the Lateran treaty was signed that made the Vatikan independent from Italia,this present pontiff,Frankis is the 8th and the DEMON being talked bawt by the beloved apostle of Yeshua HaMashiach...Shalom

nora544: I know that this will come, I hear this in Austria from a friend because Austrian priest and the priest in america and some priest in germany working on this since about 5 years, that is why a friend from me he was catholic priest went to the old catholic church that he could marry his girlfriend because old catholics can marry, he is now the head of the old catholics in Austria, and he was born in nigeria

Are u for real? Pls throw mor light on dis ''old catholic'' sth. I admit ignorancy wit regards to ''old catholic''

cheruv: Its just pathetic that demons have finally taken over the catholic church.the beloved apostle Yochanan saw this happening in a vision when he was exiled to Patmos.he said,"a line of six kings would rule,the 7th won't last long and the 8th would be like the 6th but in essence he's a demon".checking from 1929 when the Lateran treaty was signed that made the Vatikan independent from Italia,this present pontiff,Frankis is the 8th and the DEMON being talked bawt by the beloved apostle of Yeshua HaMashiach...Shalom

Source

Ericsdm55: Are u for real? Pls throw mor light on dis ''old catholic'' sth. I admit ignorancy wit regards to ''old catholic''

Go to google and run a search with the words "old catholic church" and you will get informed.

nora544:

That has nothing to do with this, that is about if every man should marry sorry i know my bible

It is part of it. Jesus said some will not marry because of the kingdom.

m.k.o2005:

You do not understand what Christ meant when he said that to his disciples.They got afraid when he explained that on no account should we divorce our partners and they said if marriage is for better for worse then it's better not to even get married.But Christ said the saying would not be accepted by all but if you can accept it,please do ! He concluded by saying some came to earth not to feel anything for marriage,some others decided just not to get married and the last set were 'forced' by others into bein eunuchs ! They did all these for the sake of the kingdom and who ever can accept this ought to do so !
From the above,it is very clear that Christ never intend to force or want's any other to force anyone one into bein any of the three kinds of Eunuchs ! He only explained that once you are married,remain married,if you want to be an eunuch for the sake of the kingdom,no wahala still but it is not compulsory to be single all through for you to serve as a pastor,prophet,teacher or what have you. If Christ wanted us to be eunuchs for us to function as bishops or pastors or prophet,he would hav chosen un-married disciples all through or instructed them not to get married after his depature but he didn't do that and the bible recorded that most if not all the disciples and apostles were married.-
I Corinthians 9:5 ''Don't we have the right to bring a Christian wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord's brothers do, and as Peter does?''

God help us

The Catholic church is not forcing anybody. The priesthood is a choice and a calling.

elampiro:

The Catholic chuerch is not forcing anybody. The priesthood is a choice and a calling.

Marriage is also a choice and a calling! nobody is disputing the fact that some may not marry but the choice to get married or not is their personal choice and not based on a law attached to a choice. What the catholic papacy is using is a technicality and a smart one at that but the truth remains that whatever we choose to do for God remains a choice and not a coercion

naijadeyhia:

Marriage is also a choice and a calling! nobody is disputing the fact that some may not marry but the choice to get married or not is their personal choice and not based on a law attached to a choice. What the catholic papacy is using is a technicality and a smart one at that but the truth remains that whatever we choose to do for God remains a choice and not a coercion

You know the consequence before you join the seminary. And you have 9 years of seminary life to decide before you are ordained a priest. It's still a choice.

MAYOWAAK: Stories of Catholic priests sexually molesting male and female children have been on the increase in recent years. Sometimes, such inappropriate sexual acts are not with children but with adults. A few weeks ago, a Catholic cardinal, Keith O’Brien – the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland and the most senior prelate in all Britain – resigned after admitting to having had sexual relations with some priests. Ironically, O’Brien had been a vociferous voice against homosexuality in the United Kingdom.

It is not that such stories are not heard among other Christian denominations now and then, but they are on a large and recurring scale in the Catholic Church. It is not because Catholic priests have a higher libido than other priests and pastors or that they are worse in morals. The only reason for it is the compulsory celibacy enforced among the Catholic clergy.

Such sexual molestation stories are not rife in Nigeria. But it is not because they don’t occur – for Nigerian priests are as human as their European and American counterparts – but because of two main reasons: 1. There is still a deep stigma for rape – victims prefer to keep silent to avoid being stigmatised; 2. since most victims are usually Catholics, they and their families would prefer not to tarnish the image of their beloved church by going public – they would prefer to bear the trauma for life than be pointed to as the “enemies” that wanted to drag the name of the Catholic Church through the mud. So, the silence continues, and everybody pretends that nothing untoward goes on in Nigeria. That I dared to write this at all will be considered sacrilegious by many.

Has the priestly celibacy worked for the Catholic Church? Yes and no. Yes, because it has helped to portray the Catholic Church as different from other Christian denominations, and therefore unique. It has helped to portray the priests as different from the laity, thereby strengthening their power over the laity and increasing their aura in their eyes too. It has helped to sustain the image of the Catholic Church as an institution with a great tradition. In addition, it has helped it to a large extent to have priests that are not ruled by inordinate acquisition of wealth as well as priests that are not too afraid to die in the line of duty.

But celibacy has not worked and will never work for the Catholic Church, because it is against natural law. Only VERY FEW men and women can be truly celibate for decades. And those who want to be truly celibate do so without any compulsion. Some would say that the Catholic priests are not forced to be celibate. That is true, but a man who passionately wants to serve the Lord as a priest in the Catholic Church MUST take an oath to be celibate, even if he earnestly does not want to be one.

Celibacy was an introduction into the church. The church was over a thousand years old when it took a definite stand in 1139, at the Second Lateran Council, forbidding priests to marry. In 1563, the Council of Trent re-affirmed that celibacy policy.

Curiously, celibacy is not a biblical injunction. It is not in the Old Testament, neither is it in the New Testament. It is not ordered by Jesus Christ or His apostles as a condition for one to inherit the kingdom of God. Christ made it clear that in heaven, there is no husband or wife, while St Paul said that whether one marries or does not marry does not matter. In 1st Timothy 3, Paul listed the qualities of a bishop or overseer, and said inter alia: “A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money.”

Christianity does not force its adherents to kill their libido. Sex drive is a natural and healthy thing that cannot be subdued by force. If it is subdued forcefully, it brews like a latent volcano, exploding one day in a destructive and embarrassing manner. It is a force that needs to be channelled to fruitful ventures, not caged. It is like hunger and thirst. One can control how much one eats or drinks, but one should not be forced to abstain from food and water. Even animals are not taught by anyone to engage in sex. In matters of sex, the difference between animals and human beings is that unlike human beings, they don’t have the capacity to manage and channel their sex drive properly.

Before becoming priests, many men would be convinced of their ability to be celibate all their lives. They start off well. But maybe a decade later, when the spiritual fire wanes or burns out, they see that they cannot control the sexual urge that rears its head in them regularly. And since they are not married and cannot resign as priests and face the odium of such an action, they look for the safest outlets: masturbation, paedophilia, homosexuality, and fornication. Children are naturally the easiest targets. Children are easier to deceive; children are easier to keep silent. CNN reported that a priest told a 12-year-old girl he wanted to defile who told him that such an act was a sin: “I am your priest. What I say is sin is sin. What I say is not sin is not sin!” And with such superior and fear-inducing arguments, he was able to disarm the girl, defile her and keep her silent until she became an adult and went public with her story.

Revolutionary men change things. Pope Francis can change this policy if he wants to. Luckily, clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church is not a dogma, but a regulation. A dogma like male-only priesthood is a Catholic dogma, irreversible by a Pope. But the ban on priestly marriage is a regulation, which can be changed by a pope overnight if he wishes.

Mandatory celibacy in the Catholic Church is an ill-wind that blows no-one any good. Just like the football ruling body, FIFA, saw reason after fighting against goal-line technology for many years for no other meaningful reason but to avoid change and maintain tradition, Pope Francis has the opportunity to be the pope that abolished compulsory celibacy in the Catholic priesthood. Every Catholic who truly loves his church should be on the campaign for the Catholic Church to discontinue that policy and save millions of children from sexual exploitation by the priests they trust and venerate, and also save the Church the embarrassment of constantly being bombarded with such unpalatable news from different parishes and dioceses.

Any time the story of sexual exploitation of children by a Catholic priest is aired or published anywhere in the world, it is not just the Catholic Church that is adversely affected by such news. The entire Christendom is affected and smeared too.

When a policy is not working, history makers face reality and change such a policy, thereby writing their names in gold in the process, while others prefer not to rock the boat and just continue to go with the tide, whatever the unsavoury consequences.

Well done. You really went to town. But while all you have said is reasonable, you have allowed sensationalism cloud your judgement. The media are very quick to jump on statements and blow them out of proportion and any funny news from the Catholic Church is news from the media. In truth celibacy is not a dogma and yes it was created for good intentions by council. U are quick to quote the bible and act like someone who really knows what he is saying. I am not a bible scholar but I will have u realise that this topic is not just starting in recent times but has been discussed over and over again over CENTURIES!!!!!!!!. Mind the word centuries. So whatever u have said is not knew. Now when u decide to make urself judge over matters that are way beyond ur reasoning discussed by people who have had better experience in interpreting the bible I really wonder what message u are trying to pass across. I would suggest u visit the Vatican website and search for discussion on the biblical foundation of priesthood and from what u read comment. Then I would respect what u have said. Then u would have read past arguments and understood why celibacy was aggred upon. Suffice it to say that as a priest u are called to model ur way after Christ who is the one High priest and groom His wife, The Church. Hence he has to give up his whole life for the Church. Now in plain terms ( no need for big grammar showing I have read the bible which unfortunately I don't do regularly) what that means is when a priest is called to perform the last rites for someone he won't say he has a responsibility to one wife and child hence he cannot come. When he is at mass celebrating The Holy Eucharist, he would not be surprised and distracted when he suddenly heard his first son was in an accident or his wife just had Caesarian section. No matter how u rationalize and quote the bible the priest will never be fully available for the work of God whenever it is so demanded should he be married and at no fault of his really because he has to be responsible. Admit it to me. Do u think ur pastors will have that much freedom to actually devote their whole life solely for the demands of the Church at the expense of his family. What I mean is will he be free so say suddenly pack his bags and travel to china to go and minister or wake in this Nigeria to travel how many miles because a parishioner is on his death bed. No definitely be cause he has to be responsible to wife and child.
U also mention all the scandals. Truly in all sincerity will allowing priests to marry solve that. A good example to buttress my point is that some of our Nigerian pastors still fall prey to the sin of adultery and lust even after being married to a wife. The issue is not to blow this out of proportion and help these people who are human beings overcome their temptation not crucify them. Because in truth we are no better than them. Scandals will always be and not everybody will agree to the same thing even within the Catholic Church. It does not justify u doing the wrong thing.
Anyone can work within the Catholic Church as a married person. He may even be more active thn the priest. Preaches, goes for evangelism, spends at least 6 hrs of his day in church sorting out one thing or the order but he is not bound to pick he baggage and answer a distress call because he is married. We need to have people who can do that.
So young man I refer you one again to the Vatican website and continue the discussion from there. The will always be a subject of discussion even 10 centuries into the future and I believe that The Lord will not allow the gates of hell to prevail against His Church.

elampiro:

You know the consequence before you join the seminary. And you have 9 years of seminary life to decide before you are ordained a priest. It's still a choice.

I guess you didnt read my previous post.

[b]1 Timothy 3:

1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
[/b]

Now tell me the catholic church isnt in error

teddy2011: NONSENSE!!!!!! Any priest that wants to marry should quit priesthood. Period!!!

ewu but u might be married wt a wife.y wunt dey get their own wives

nora544: That catholic priest could not marry is not from the beginning of the church, it starts 1100 years later and it has to do with the money and nothing more.
I know some Kids from catholics priest and no one will say anything. It is only the catholic church where priest cannot marry and i know it will help the church.

When you know the history of the catholic church than you will understand.

Tell us what history u so wisely know

MAYOWAAK: Stories of Catholic priests sexually molesting male and female children have been on the increase in recent years. Sometimes, such inappropriate sexual acts are not with children but with adults. A few weeks ago, a Catholic cardinal, Keith O’Brien – the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland and the most senior prelate in all Britain – resigned after admitting to having had sexual relations with some priests. Ironically, O’Brien had been a vociferous voice against homosexuality in the United Kingdom.

It is not that such stories are not heard among other Christian denominations now and then, but they are on a large and recurring scale in the Catholic Church. It is not because Catholic priests have a higher libido than other priests and pastors or that they are worse in morals. The only reason for it is the compulsory celibacy enforced among the Catholic clergy.

Such sexual molestation stories are not rife in Nigeria. But it is not because they don’t occur – for Nigerian priests are as human as their European and American counterparts – but because of two main reasons: 1. There is still a deep stigma for rape – victims prefer to keep silent to avoid being stigmatised; 2. since most victims are usually Catholics, they and their families would prefer not to tarnish the image of their beloved church by going public – they would prefer to bear the trauma for life than be pointed to as the “enemies” that wanted to drag the name of the Catholic Church through the mud. So, the silence continues, and everybody pretends that nothing untoward goes on in Nigeria. That I dared to write this at all will be considered sacrilegious by many.

Has the priestly celibacy worked for the Catholic Church? Yes and no. Yes, because it has helped to portray the Catholic Church as different from other Christian denominations, and therefore unique. It has helped to portray the priests as different from the laity, thereby strengthening their power over the laity and increasing their aura in their eyes too. It has helped to sustain the image of the Catholic Church as an institution with a great tradition. In addition, it has helped it to a large extent to have priests that are not ruled by inordinate acquisition of wealth as well as priests that are not too afraid to die in the line of duty.

But celibacy has not worked and will never work for the Catholic Church, because it is against natural law. Only VERY FEW men and women can be truly celibate for decades. And those who want to be truly celibate do so without any compulsion. Some would say that the Catholic priests are not forced to be celibate. That is true, but a man who passionately wants to serve the Lord as a priest in the Catholic Church MUST take an oath to be celibate, even if he earnestly does not want to be one.

Celibacy was an introduction into the church. The church was over a thousand years old when it took a definite stand in 1139, at the Second Lateran Council, forbidding priests to marry. In 1563, the Council of Trent re-affirmed that celibacy policy.

Curiously, celibacy is not a biblical injunction. It is not in the Old Testament, neither is it in the New Testament. It is not ordered by Jesus Christ or His apostles as a condition for one to inherit the kingdom of God. Christ made it clear that in heaven, there is no husband or wife, while St Paul said that whether one marries or does not marry does not matter. In 1st Timothy 3, Paul listed the qualities of a bishop or overseer, and said inter alia: “A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money.”

Christianity does not force its adherents to kill their libido. Sex drive is a natural and healthy thing that cannot be subdued by force. If it is subdued forcefully, it brews like a latent volcano, exploding one day in a destructive and embarrassing manner. It is a force that needs to be channelled to fruitful ventures, not caged. It is like hunger and thirst. One can control how much one eats or drinks, but one should not be forced to abstain from food and water. Even animals are not taught by anyone to engage in sex. In matters of sex, the difference between animals and human beings is that unlike human beings, they don’t have the capacity to manage and channel their sex drive properly.

Before becoming priests, many men would be convinced of their ability to be celibate all their lives. They start off well. But maybe a decade later, when the spiritual fire wanes or burns out, they see that they cannot control the sexual urge that rears its head in them regularly. And since they are not married and cannot resign as priests and face the odium of such an action, they look for the safest outlets: masturbation, paedophilia, homosexuality, and fornication. Children are naturally the easiest targets. Children are easier to deceive; children are easier to keep silent. CNN reported that a priest told a 12-year-old girl he wanted to defile who told him that such an act was a sin: “I am your priest. What I say is sin is sin. What I say is not sin is not sin!” And with such superior and fear-inducing arguments, he was able to disarm the girl, defile her and keep her silent until she became an adult and went public with her story.

Revolutionary men change things. Pope Francis can change this policy if he wants to. Luckily, clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church is not a dogma, but a regulation. A dogma like male-only priesthood is a Catholic dogma, irreversible by a Pope. But the ban on priestly marriage is a regulation, which can be changed by a pope overnight if he wishes.

Mandatory celibacy in the Catholic Church is an ill-wind that blows no-one any good. Just like the football ruling body, FIFA, saw reason after fighting against goal-line technology for many years for no other meaningful reason but to avoid change and maintain tradition, Pope Francis has the opportunity to be the pope that abolished compulsory celibacy in the Catholic priesthood. Every Catholic who truly loves his church should be on the campaign for the Catholic Church to discontinue that policy and save millions of children from sexual exploitation by the priests they trust and venerate, and also save the Church the embarrassment of constantly being bombarded with such unpalatable news from different parishes and dioceses.

Any time the story of sexual exploitation of children by a Catholic priest is aired or published anywhere in the world, it is not just the Catholic Church that is adversely affected by such news. The entire Christendom is affected and smeared too.

When a policy is not working, history makers face reality and change such a policy, thereby writing their names in gold in the process, while others prefer not to rock the boat and just continue to go with the tide, whatever the unsavoury consequences.

Nobody FORCED anyone to become a priest = Nobody FORCED anyone to be celibate. . . Consequently, if you wanna marry and procreate; stay out of priesthood, IF you must 'serve' God as a clergy, then find a church that permits you to have it all.

I think its that simple. . .

And; I also think

A lot of things are beginning to go wrong in the church, things that defined the uniqueness of different churches.

And like I've been saying, Pastors/Priests etc get their reverence from the congregation because we see them as 'closer to God' by virtue of their decisions to lead better lives than the rest of us. . .

They shouldn't be made to come down to our level. . . Just my ignorant submission

Pattey:

Nobody FORCED anyone to become a priest = Nobody FORCED anyone to be celibate. . . Consequently, if you wanna marry and procreate; stay out of priesthood, IF you must 'serve' God as a clergy, then find a church that permits you to have it all.

I think its that simple. . .

And; I also think

A lot of things are beginning to go wrong in the church, things that defined the uniqueness of different churches.

And like I've been saying, Pastors/Priests etc get their reverence from the congregation because we see them as 'closer to God' by virtue of their decisions to lead better lives than the rest of us. . .

They shouldn't be made to come down to our level. . . Just my ignorant submission

I like your comment, but don't get carried away. I don't know about pastors but I guess the idea for priests was that they should model their life after Christ. See how he was able to move round freely preaching the gospel and offering His life in an action and finally on the Cross so that we will all be saved and not be shackled down by one wife and kid. I don't think it necessarily means they are holier than us. They just need to be freer than us to be fully available for the work of God

It is a welcome development,as it would greatly help reduced child molestation by some priest.

Thanks to everyone who has shown such concerned interest in the future of the Catholic Church. I am so excited to see the level of commitment you all have shown by dropping your comments. I know most of us are scared and worried at what this change may portent but I want us not to. I can only guess the reaction of the populace that 1000years ago when priestly celibacy was put in place, am sure if they had their own blog spaces we would have seen the same outpouring of grievances and doubts.

But let us be truthful priestly celibacy has worked for the Church, because without the burden of caring for a nuclear family, men and women were able to go to all corners of the earth preaching the Gospel and now that Gospel has reached all corners thanks to their sacrifice. Is it time to do away with the law and restrategize to deal with the challenges of today? Maybe yes. But it is not on "human reasoning" that we will make that decision. It has to be made with the full backing of GOD.

So if you don't mind, say a little prayer with me
"Eternal Father, Our Saviour said to St Peter "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it" (Matt 16:18) and we your children who trace our history to that day claim the fulfilment of that promise. Through generations many enemies, scandals, confusion, uncertainties etc have arisen within and without the Church but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we have always resolved it. Once again we ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon your Church that the leaders and the followers may do what is right and pleasing in YOUR eyes. We ask for a renewal of vocation and sincere desire to serve YOU and and our neighbours. We love you Lord even though a lot of times our actions say otherwise. Thank YOU Father. Amen

Once again thank you all for the interest you have shown and remember to continue to pray for the Holy Catholic Church.

teddy2011: NONSENSE!!!!!! Any priest that wants to marry should quit priesthood. Period!!!

na wa oh! This marriage things pain you oh! See raking!

teddy2011: NONSENSE!!!!!! Any priest that wants to marry should quit priesthood. Period!!!

Who are you to decide?

am jst followin d thread..

teddy2011: NONSENSE!!!!!! Any priest that wants to marry should quit priesthood. Period!!!

u talk like a kid or rather teddy bear as ur id implies.i am not a catholic but i have come accross so many priest that are fornicating,so many,i keep on telling myself they should just allow these people to marry or make it voluntary for celibacy nt compulsory.its just disgusting seeing a priest sneak into my neigbours apartment in the night.most of them did nt fully understand what celibacy means as they start the journey from secondary school.

what a world,even those in marraige are cryin while some want to jump into it.but 2 be frank some married men(both pastors nd revs)are engagin themselves in aborminable sexual acts.infact it is good anyway but let them keep d unique nature as a rule i.e,either bit them or u join.

sexual misconduct in not more prevalent in the catholic church than it is else where. And the priests being celebates adds to nothing to the occurence of se.x scandals.

The reason we think it is more prevalent in the Catholic church is becos it is reported more and We can understand why!

Here is a church that is one of the biggest organizations in the world so definitely, a scandal from it will sell more newspapers than a scandal from other smaller churches.

Also, these priests are supposed to be celibates. As the saying goes: "when a dog bites a man, it is no news. But whe a man bites a dog, then it becomes news."

also, the church is in a place where many people hate religion and think religion shouldnt exist. These societies (west) are ruled by aggressive secularism, athiesm and agnosticism. decerning believers know that this is the age long contest between God and the devil. It is a continuation of the fight that took place in heaven when devil lost his place among the angels. Agressive secularism, athiesm and agnosticism, though speak the truth about whats going on in the church, but are the "accuser of the brethren"

booqee: dem no fit hold d conji again bah?? Well i'm waiting for them to also drop their mary worship. Gud for them sha

Please,Catholics dont worship Mary,they only honour her as the mother of Jesus Christ. Mary occupies a prime place in Catholicism,and by extension,Christianity.It is important that you dont talk on something on which u are ill-informed. I am not flustered by this and other criticisms against the Catholic church because even th Holy Bible has been variously criticised by non-christians and even christians,but that does not make it invalid or unreliable.You should focus on your personal journey to salvation instead of faulting the patterns,regularities and pathways of others' journies.