Articles
Unintended Consequences: Priestly Celibacy
When men flagrantly violate God’s word and make up their own rules, the outcome, sooner or later, proves tragic. God said all Christians constitute a “royal priesthood” wherein each can directly interact with our High Priest, Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Pet 2:4, 9; Heb 4:14-16). No separate clergy or professional religious class is authorized. Further, God created the covenant of marriage for all people; it was not restricted to or barred from elites. On the contrary, restricting or prohibiting marriage is specifically called a “doctrine of demons” (1 Tim 4:3). Why so? Consider this:
France published the results of a detailed study of the Catholic Church in that country (Associated Press, 10/5/21). The 2,500 page document was shocking: over the past 70 years sexual abuse of children was committed by about 3,000 priests and other officials. An estimated 330,000 children were victimized, 80% boys. Further, the abuse was actively covered up by the Catholic authorities. Of course, the same thing has occurred among the priesthood in the U.S. and other countries around the world.
Instances of moral failures plague every religious and secular body, for these institutions are comprised of fallible people. But why someone would choose to belong to an organization which fosters this behavior by its own unscriptural edicts, and then hides it, is beyond explanation.
