Hypothetical End-of-World Question

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Hi CAF!

I have a hypothetical question. Let’s say that an atomic bomb destroyed all of human kind except for one man and one woman. Over time, they developed a good Catholic relationship and wanted to get married; however, there are no priests alive to marry them. Would the two people be under any kind of moral obligation to continue the human race, and would it be a mortal sin for them to have marital relations as they weren’t able to get married?

I know this won’t happen, but I am curious of what the answer is. Thank you!
 
Well of such a thing happened the human race would most likely die anyway. The original marriage act was having sex and breaking the virgin barrier. Also seeing there would be no one they could cheat with expect themselves I would think it would be ok
 
SnowAngels said:
Hi CAF!

I have a hypothetical question. Let’s say that an atomic bomb destroyed all of human kind except for one man and one woman. Over time, they developed a good Catholic relationship and wanted to get married; however, there are no priests alive to marry them. Would the two people be under any kind of moral obligation to continue the human race, and would it be a mortal sin for them to have marital relations as they weren’t able to get married?

I know this won’t happen, but I am curious of what the answer is. Thank you!
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Marriage is not conferred by a minister; it is conferred by the spouses upon each other. So, yes, they could get married.

Arguably it could only be considered a natural marriage, not a sacramental marriage, but in any case, these two persons could promise marital love to each other and have relations without sinning.
 
dshix said:
Marriage is not conferred by a minister; it is conferred by the spouses upon each other. So, yes, they could get married.

Arguably it could only be considered a natural marriage, not a sacramental marriage, but in any case, these two persons could promise marital love to each other and have relations without sinning.
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👍 Right. Although if both were baptized, it would automatically be a sacramental marriage, wouldn’t it?

I’d think the absence of any pope, bishops, or priests would dispense them from following canonical form. 😛
 
Joe_5859 said:
👍 Right. Although if both were baptized, it would automatically be a sacramental marriage, wouldn’t it?
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Right! That’s the thing I couldn’t remember.

I worded it somewhat ambiguously because I knew there was **something **I couldn’t remember, but I couldn’t place it. 😃
 
SnowAngels said:
Hi CAF!

I have a hypothetical question. Let’s say that an atomic bomb destroyed all of human kind except for one man and one woman. Over time, they developed a good Catholic relationship and wanted to get married; however, there are no priests alive to marry them. Would the two people be under any kind of moral obligation to continue the human race, and would it be a mortal sin for them to have marital relations as they weren’t able to get married?

I know this won’t happen, but I am curious of what the answer is. Thank you!
Click to expand...
The way I would approach such a question is to go back to basics. Life is good. Marriage is about love and new life and bringing up children in the faith. I am not sure if the union of this hypothetical couple would be sacramental, but since the two would be all that remains of both civil and church authority, it would be at least a civil marriage and I imagine would have God’s blessing, which is the blessing that matters above all.

SnowAngels, what do you think?
 
Beryllos said:
The way I would approach such a question is to go back to basics. Life is good. Marriage is about love and new life and bringing up children in the faith. I am not sure if the union of this hypothetical couple would be sacramental, but since the two would be all that remains of both civil and church authority, it would be at least a civil marriage and I imagine would have God’s blessing, which is the blessing that matters above all.

SnowAngels, what do you think?
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Heh. It wouldn’t be a civil marriage; such a thing implies the existence of such a civil institution.

It would be a natural marriage if one of the two were unbaptized, and a sacramental marriage if they were both baptized.
 
SnowAngels said:
Hi CAF!

I have a hypothetical question. Let’s say that an atomic bomb destroyed all of human kind except for one man and one woman. Over time, they developed a good Catholic relationship and wanted to get married; however, there are no priests alive to marry them. Would the two people be under any kind of moral obligation to continue the human race, and would it be a mortal sin for them to have marital relations as they weren’t able to get married?

I know this won’t happen, but I am curious of what the answer is. Thank you!
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If this scenario were to happen, and all bishops were wiped out, this is sufficient proof against the indefectability of the Catholic Church, which means that all its claims, laws and teachings were false. This essentially leaves the man and woman free to engage in sexual intercourse according to the order of nature without a need for ceremony. This essentially constitutes a natural marriage, which is reasonably part of a purely natural existence.

For any Catholic teaching to be even considered binding, the Church must prove herself infallible and indestructible. In the holocaust scenario, the indefectability of the church will allow at least the survival of one bishop, and one man and woman free to marry each other.
 
dshix said:
Heh. It wouldn’t be a civil marriage; such a thing implies the existence of such a civil institution.
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The two would be the civil institution. That was my understanding. They could take a vote and appoint a new government.
 
SnowAngels said:
Hi CAF!

I have a hypothetical question. Let’s say that an atomic bomb destroyed all of human kind except for one man and one woman. Over time, they developed a good Catholic relationship and wanted to get married; however, there are no priests alive to marry them. Would the two people be under any kind of moral obligation to continue the human race, and would it be a mortal sin for them to have marital relations as they weren’t able to get married?

I know this won’t happen, but I am curious of what the answer is. Thank you!
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Skipping the fact that enough Atom Bombs to destroy all but two of mankind would also destroy food and animals and leave radiation in the air and on everything to destroy the remaining two humans in a short time, you postulate the new Adam and Eve.

You also postulate that they were man and woman, not younger. And you implied they were Catholic. I would have to postulate that God was not destroyed.

That man and woman, recognizing their circumstance and having knowledge of God and His Commandments, would pray for God’s Blessing in everything. IF God so wished for mankind to regenerate in spite of the A Bomb damage, He would allow - encourage - them to mate and raise children and eventually re-establish a society. A society that would be taught just how the prior world was destroyed by people who ignored God and hated so much that those people would do such a unimaginable thing.

The lesson - do it God’s Way - would take with most people, but not all. We know the history since Adam and Eve. And Noah’s Arc.

Still we would try to do our best to do it God’s Way.
 
Even if it was an actual sin…Im sure God would keep in mind the dire situation they are in, maybe he would treat them like the next ‘adam and eve’ and just start over from scratch?

The same could be applied to these 2 people having to resort to stealing in order to survive, after all, they would not be employed and earning money, so they would be essentially stealing any food or other supplies needed to survive, so again, Im sure God would keep their situation in mind.
 
mikekle said:
The same could be applied to these 2 people having to resort to stealing in order to survive, after all, they would not be employed and earning money, so they would be essentially stealing any food or other supplies needed to survive, so again, Im sure God would keep their situation in mind.
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It would not be stealing. From whom would they be stealing? The dead certainly “can’t take it with them.” Legally, the survivors would inherit, by default, all worldly goods.
 
Beryllos said:
The way I would approach such a question is to go back to basics. Life is good. Marriage is about love and new life and bringing up children in the faith. I am not sure if the union of this hypothetical couple would be sacramental, but since the two would be all that remains of both civil and church authority, it would be at least a civil marriage and I imagine would have God’s blessing, which is the blessing that matters above all.

SnowAngels, what do you think?
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I was thinking along the lines of what some of you said. The two people would have to pray to God, and if it was God’s Will that they marry, they could. Also, another person brought up the important point that minister of the Sacrament of Matrimony is not a priest, but the contracting parties themselves. Once the people exchanged their vows, and did a substantial amount of praying together, I believe they could consider themselves husband and wife.

I have a question leading off this one, so let me know if I should start a different thread on it. Are the rules of the Church flexible in extreme circumstance? Say, this one? Normally, the people would need a priest to marry them, but here they don’t as one is not available. I know that some of the sacraments provide for such measures when they include “in case of emergency” rules, in ex) baptize. Since these rules are somewhat flexible, how does one judge what to do when the circumstances might not be an emergency, but appear to be one? For the scenario I originally gave, what if there was a priest within a ten mile radius who also survived, and the contracting parties did not know this?
 
SnowAngels said:
… I have a question leading off this one, so let me know if I should start a different thread on it. Are the rules of the Church flexible in extreme circumstance? Say, this one? Normally, the people would need a priest to marry them, but here they don’t as one is not available. I know that some of the sacraments provide for such measures when they include “in case of emergency” rules, in ex) baptize. Since these rules are somewhat flexible, how does one judge what to do when the circumstances might not be an emergency, but appear to be one? For the scenario I originally gave, what if there was a priest within a ten mile radius who also survived, and the contracting parties did not know this?
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I am not sure if there is much flexibility. Sacraments tend to be rather strict. Bear in mind, however, that Sacraments are but one way to receive grace. God would still look after the hypothetical surviving couple and provide for their spiritual needs, and it would perhaps be more effective if they make themselves receptive to God’s grace by prayer and virtuous living. That’s my guess, anyway.
 
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