Christianity: Celibacy, a sin. (ritual, Latter-Day Saints, moral, testimony, Moses)

[madhatter85]

I propose that celibacy is a Sin, Just like other sins like:

The Ten Comandments (quite a given)

(Ex. 34: 28; Deut. 10: 4). The Hebrew name for these is the “Ten Words,” hence the name Decalogue. They are also called the Covenant (Deut. 9: 9) or the Testimony (Ex. 25: 21). The giving of the Ten Commandments by God to Moses, and through him to Israel, is described in Ex. 19: 16 - 20: 21; Ex. 32: 15-19; Ex. 34: 1. They were engraved on two tables of stone, which were placed in the Ark; hence they were called the Ark of the Covenant (Num. 10: 33). There had been a difference of opinion as to the way in which the commandments were divided into ten. The Roman Church, following the example of St. Augustine, unites what we know as the first and second, and divides the last into two. Our Lord, quoting from Deut. 6: 4-5 and Lev. 19: 18, has summarized the Ten Commandments in “two great commandments” (Matt. 22: 37-39). To get their full significance we must read them in the light of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (see also Mark 2: 27 and Matt. 15: 4-6 for interpretation of 4th and 5th), where it is shown that they are intended to control our thoughts and desires as well as our acts.

Homosexuality -
Leviticus -

22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you

Now it is not my intention to debate Homosexual acts as sin because there is no debate about that in Christianity. I am bringing it up because it is very closely linked with the next commandment. Seeing as if every person on the earth were become exclusively homosexual today, the earth's population would die off in a single generation, effectively breaking 2 Commandments.

Celibacy -
Genesis 1:

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it

It is commanded of us to multiply and replenish the earth. if we have the capacity, we are to do it. Of course some people are barren and cannot concieve, but those who can are commanded to. Refusing to bear children would constitute a Sin, seeing as it is commanded.

[ChristineES]

While I am not celibate by any means (I am married and have 3 children), I don't think that celibacy can actually be necessarily a sin. For one thing, the Earth is now overpopulated. When God gave the commands to be fruitful and multiply, the Earth was not as full of people as it is now, in fact far from it. There are plenty of people now who have babies and keep the Earth populated.

I could not help but notice that both Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) like yourself and Catholics tend to have a lot of children. A Catholic I once debated on a Christian forum I post at told me that he was ordered to have that many children, since God commanded us to. I pointed out that in Genesis, there were a lot less people (2, in fact, if you take the story literally), and there were a lot more people now. After a few posts back and forth, we decided that we would not agree and decided to end the debate before it turned into an argument. Still, I hold on to my belief that the quote in Genesis is taken out of context and doesn't hold for today for reasons I have already mentioned.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by madhatter85

It is commanded of us to multiply and replenish the earth. if we have the capacity, we are to do it. Of course some people are barren and cannot concieve, but those who can are commanded to. Refusing to bear children would constitute a Sin, seeing as it is commanded.

What is wrong with being chaste?

Those who are being celibate are hardly sinning.

[angellous_evangellous]

Here we have an early Christian teaching concerning marriage from Paul in 1 Corinthians 7

1 Corinthians 7:1-9 NKJ 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. 8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Paul teaches that husbands and wives should regularly have sex, but agree to fast from it for a while to concentrate on spiritual things.

He does not teach that celibacy is a sin, but like marriage is a gift from God (in verse 7).

[madhatter85]

Originally Posted by beckysoup61

What is wrong with being chaste?

Those who are being celibate are hardly sinning.

I guess i figured people would already come to the conclusion that i mean within the bounds of marriage between a Man and a Woman.

Also this would be in ragrards to Birth Control as well. not exclusively celibacy, But the refusal to bare children when capable.

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by madhatter85

But the refusal to bare children when capable.

I don't think that you meant to say that.

If you think that all able-bodied married folks should breed wrecklessly, I suggest a reading of Bertrand Russell's Why I am not a Christian.

Thankfully, you cannot base your argument here on Christian Scripture, and most all of Protestant churches disagree.

[Terrywoodenpic]

There are many commandments that have come down to us especially from the old Testament.
Christ actually Gave us very few himself... and we are Christians....we follow Christ...
Not obeying these old commandments Is hardly the defining attribute of sin.