Why aren't women allowed to be priests?

[Major_Tom]

Again, we are called to have DIFFERENT roles.

Broadly speaking, yes, we have different roles. They fit for the majority of us. But… there’s the occassional girl who excels at soccer, besting any of the boys. Is she not keeping her role anymore?

My brother’s wife died in her thirties, leaving him to raise two kids, age 4 and 6. Did he learn to be a “mother”? Hell yes, he did. Did he do it as well as his late wife? No. BUt he adapted, broke out of his original “role” as a money-earning, disciplinarian father and became a pretty good “mother” too. Did he fit the role biologically? No, of course not. He can’t birth children. But he fit it in every other way. Would you rather have him stay in his “place” and not make the effort?

You’re being far too rigid with roles.

 

[Major_Tom]

Why do some of you think you know better than Jesus Himself and insist on YOUR will instead of His will?

Excellent question. Why did Paul think he knew better than Jesus, in asking that priests should be celibate?

 

[LilyM]

You’re being far too rigid with roles.

Well, I know Someone else whoe is rigid with rules - remember those horribly rigid ol’ Ten Commandments?

 

[theotikos]

GO Major Tom!! I’m rooting for you

 

[curlycool89]

Again, consider the ‘seperate but equal’ argument used to defend keeping blacks in seperate schools from whites.

What’s the difference between a white man and a black man? Nothing that would have any effect on their lives in a perfect world.

What’s the difference between a man and a women? In a perfect world, only women can still have children and men cannot. How is that not a noticeable difference?

Further, I suggest that Paul’s push to celibacy shows that Jesus’s original intentions for his Apostles (future priests) were changed. This change is allowed, because Paul said so? Yet any additional change (allowing women) is simply not an option. Not even to be discussed as a possibility, now or ever, says John Paul II. Double-standard. PETER- the Rock of the Church- was married! The man whom Jesus makes the Rock of the Church is married. And Paul says what? Nah, y’all really need to be celibate. (sorry, it’s late! I get sarcastic when I’m tired! )

You know, I get sick of explaining this one. Celibacy is a discipline, not a doctrine. The discipline can be changed, the doctrine cannot. Celibacy is a discipline, the male only priesthood is a doctrine. Heck, the Eastern Catholic Church’s have married priests, so the argument is not even valid.

Broadly speaking, yes, we have different roles. They fit for the majority of us. But… there’s the occassional girl who excels at soccer, besting any of the boys. Is she not keeping her role anymore?

My brother’s wife died in her thirties, leaving him to raise two kids, age 4 and 6. Did he learn to be a “mother”? Hell yes, he did. Did he do it as well as his late wife? No. BUt he adapted, broke out of his original “role” as a money-earning, disciplinarian father and became a pretty good “mother” too. Did he fit the role biologically? No, of course not. He can’t birth children. But he fit it in every other way. Would you rather have him stay in his “place” and not make the effort?

You’re being far too rigid with roles.

And the big elephant in the room is that he still can’t bear children. That is a major biologically defined difference.

 

[SunnaB16]

.Hasn’t “feminism” done enough damage to our gender? To the nuclear family itself?

Its a fight to the death with that lot. We know Who ultimately wins the war, but when were in the middle of it, it`s pretty rough.

The radical feminist poison, which ultimately comes fron the fangs of the Serpent himself, is still spreading and infecting unwary and gullible people. How many “priestess” threads have there been on these forums?!!!

To say that the “male-dominated” ancients didn`t have priestesses is absolute hogwash!
The godesses had priestesses!

In her book “Ungodly Rage: the hidden face of Catholic feminism”, Donna Steichen says that their real aim is not to be “priestesses”, but to DESTROY the priesthood. Thats certainly Satans aim (pretty obvious!).

Major Tom:
Have you bothered to go to any of the links that other posters have provided?
eg Joanna Bogle`s “Women Priests - No Chance” is a perfect starting point.
The relationship between Christ (and His priests) and the Church stems from the very inner Life of God, but your denial of the truth of The Blessed Trinity would be a major stumbling block. Any heresy ends up contaminating the whole creed system.
Harsh, but true: Unitarianism is NOT Biblical.

 

[jmcrae]

Excellent question. Why did Paul think he knew better than Jesus, in asking that priests should be celibate?

You speak as if the priesthood were something like money, or talent, or power - that is being denied to women. It isn’t. You can become a very wealthy, very powerful woman, without ever becoming a priest.

 

[curlycool89]

You speak as if the priesthood were something like money, or talent, or power - that is being denied to women. It isn’t. You can become a very wealthy, very powerful woman, without ever becoming a priest.

Very true. Many people seem to think that the Priesthood is a special social status that must be possessed by women (sort of like being the POTUS or the way it is in some protestant denominations). The priesthood is a sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders, that leaves a permanent mark on the soul of he who receives Orders. It changes him forever.

 

[SunnaB16]

Excellent question. Why did Paul think he knew better than Jesus, in asking that priests should be celibate?

Jesus, Himself, refers to “eunuchs for The Kingdom of Heaven”: Matthew 19:12.

Saint Paul`s reasoning is that a celibate priest can devote himself to God, and not have to be concerned with the wellbeing of a wife and children.

The celibate priest can concern himself with the BRIDE: ie the Church.
Again, your creed is preventing you from seeing the true role of a faithful Catholic priest.
It`s not an easy life for a faithful priest.

 

[bibleguy180]

And why couldn’t a woman priest take the Church as her HUSBAND?

 

[LilyM]

And why couldn’t a woman priest take the Church as her HUSBAND?

Because the Church isn’t groom, the Church is bride - the husband (bridegroom) is Christ. You can’t have a male (Christ, represented by the priest) marrying another male (Church) - it’s unnatural.

 

[bibleguy180]

… Me thinks we’re taking the whole Church is a girl thing a bit to literally…

 

[curlycool89]

And why couldn’t a woman priest take the Church as her HUSBAND?

Because the Church has always been she. The Church is the Bride of Christ. Just to recap, a bride is female.

And it’s based on the Bible actually, you can read it here.

 

[bibleguy180]

Then riddle me this:

Ships are metaphorically described as girls, does this prevent women from being captains?
Cars are metaphorically described as girls, does this prevent women from driving cars?

 

[LilyM]

… Me thinks we’re taking the whole Church is a girl thing a bit to literally…

It’s not meant in a particularly literal sense. The description makes it more understandable though.

“Bride” and “Bridegroom” imply a whole host of functions and roles and attitudes that the congregation is to have vis a vis the priest and the priest vis-a-vis the congregation. The nature of the priest’s role is such - ‘representing’ Christ doesn’t describe it remotely adequately, after all a wooden statue ‘represents’ Christ - that it can’t be properly fulfilled by a woman.

Christ didn’t come to earth as a man for no reason - God doesn’t make such choices idly. Israel had plenty of female prophets - even in His day Anna was one who proclaimed him to be Messiah, along with Elizabeth - and other women of notable leadership quality, including Miriam, Deborah and Judith.

It wouldn’t have been too hard for Him if He’d come to earth in fact as female instead. And the Gentiles who would convert to Christianity had long traditions of priestesses, so they would’ve had no problems with a female priesthood at all.

So His choices, both to come to earth as a man and appoint male only Apostles, and the choice of those Apostles also to restrict themselves to appointing only male successors - are significant. Not merely based on cultural considerations, which were of far less import than you seem to think, but on the soul-deep differences that distinguish man and woman from each other.

 

[bibleguy180]

I’d make the argument the differences are merely biological, not “soul deep”

 

[LilyM]

I’d make the argument the differences are merely biological, not “soul deep”

Well, let’s just say differences in biology do create/accompany differences in character and outlook that, if not exactly ‘soul deep’, are certainly enough to make men suited to the office of priesthood and not females.

Yes, a woman can do most things just fine. Being an ‘alter Christus’ is not one of them. Nor, for that matter, is playing the role of Romeo, even though the great Sarah Bernhardt tried to play Hamlet. Likewise men aren’t suited to playing Cleopatra or wearing skirts (sorry for those guys who think they look alright in a kilt - you don’t).

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

And why couldn’t a woman priest take the Church as her HUSBAND?

Because the Church been the bride of Christ is feminine.

“Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the saviour of his body. Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it:” Ephesians 5

Its pretty simple, I repeat Christ was man, the priest represents and in some ways becomes Christ and so needs to be a man.

Or should we just rewrite our entire faith to accommodate a few malcontent’s? But then it would not be Catholicism and there would no longer be a Catholic Church so you still couldn’t have Catholic women priestesses instead you just would no longer have a Catholic Church.

There are other reasons to all of which are in the links i posted which you seem to have no interest in reading, I suggest you do read them and that you accept them because that is the Catholic Faith in those magisterial documents.

You do not seem to be a person looking to understand, nor do you seem to be open minded seems to me your mind is made up and closed tight and you are just here to try and push a mistaken point of view.

 

[SunnaB16]

Because the Church been the bride of Christ is feminine.

“Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the saviour of his body. Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it:” Ephesians 5

Its pretty simple, I repeat Christ was man, the priest represents and in some ways becomes Christ and so needs to be a man.

You do not seem to be a person looking to understand, nor do you seem to be open minded seems to me your mind is made up and closed tight and you are just here to try and push a mistaken point of view.

The title “freethinking Catholic” says a lot. The word “Catholic” seems inappropriate.

Have we been set up?

Link to some comments about the heresy of Americanism:
www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p22.htm

At the bottom of that page is a link to the EWTN library and Pope Leo XIII`s encyclical: “Testem Benevolantiae Nostrae”.
The combo of the two gives more than just a clue to the current sources of spiritual anarchy.
Individualism running amok.
Personal opinion comes first.

 

[Prophesy]

I’m not sure if the “Cannot be married to the Church because they’re female” is an argument advanced by the Church. Men are part of the Church that will be married to Christ, while nuns sometimes see themselves as being married to Christ.

HOWEVER

Don’t think that I’m arguing in favor. The two arguments that I know are advanced are this:
The priest stands in persona Christi when he has consecrated the Eucharist, since Jesus was a man, the priest must also be a man.

The second is this, the priests are appointed to serve under the apostles. The apostles were all men handpicked by Christ, Christ had the ability to select even one woman to serve (and He didn’t care about social norms), but He didn’t.

-Prophecy