After reading a few commentaries in the opinion section of our local
newspaper regarding the Roman Catholic Church's practice of enforcing
celibacy upon its priests, I decided to make the following Scriptural
information available to my readers.

According to the Gospels, the Apostle Peter was married, as we see here:

"And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid,
and sick of a fever."
Matthew 8:14, KJV

The Apostle Paul likewise confirms that Peter was married in his first
Epistle to the Corinthians, where Peter is referred to by his Aramaic name
of Cephas:

"Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other
apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?"
1 Corinthians 9:5, KJV

This leads to an important question. If Peter -- who the Roman Catholic
Church claims was their first Pope -- was married, why do they not follow
his example and allow their priests to marry?

Please notice that Paul also states in that last verse that the Apostles
have the power to lead a wife if they so desire; so it is a personal choice.

The Apostle Paul apparently was not married, and practiced celibacy. He says
in 1 Corinthians 7 that remaining single allows some men to concentrate
their attention on serving the Lord; but Paul did not outright forbid anyone
from marrying. Again, he left the choice up to the individual. Please read
the entire chapter for more details.

Jesus seems to suggest that remaining single for the sake of the Kingdom of
God is a noble gesture in these verses:

"His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it
is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this
saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which
were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which
were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves
eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let
him receive it."
Matthew 19:10-12, KJV

A "eunuch" referred to a bedchamber guard. The norm was for them to be
castrated. However, the word also refers to men who were born physically
impaired, or who have simply chosen a life of celibacy.

The fact that Jesus said that people are not given in marriage in the
Resurrection does not mean that men must practice celibacy if they enter the
priesthood. This is merely an interpretation of the church, and is not
supported by the Scriptures. Again, celibacy is a personal decision.

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures,
nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."
Matthew 22:29-30, KJV

Paul warns in his first Epistle to Timothy that during the Endtime, (latter
times), some people will prohibit the eating of certain foods, and will
prohibit people from marrying as well. In fact, he seems to associate these
actions with "departing from the faith", as we see here:

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter 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 commanding to abstain from meats, which
God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and
know the truth."
1 Timothy 4:1-3, KJV

In short, whether or not one chooses to practice celibacy should be a
personal choice. It should not be something that is forced upon them by a
church or religious organization.

If the Roman Catholic Church removed this restriction, think of how many
less cases of homosexuality and pedophilia there might be within the church.

It seems to me that the Roman Catholic Church is shooting itself in the foot
by enforcing this restriction on its priests.


Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23
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