Why doesn't God want Female Priests?

[exnihilo]

A few post ago I asked this question about male and female…

What are the spiritual differences?

No one has replied.

I’m not qualified to enumerate the differences, but there are differences. Spirit is another word for soul. The soul is the form of the body. Necessarily, since men and women have different bodies, then our souls must be different. And yet within male and female there must be some commonality which follows from the very existence of sexual difference.

 

[edwest211]

The priesthood is not a job. Gender equality has nothing to do with it. Pope John Paul II has closed the book on this. For any job, having a woman do it the right way does not add or subtract to the final result. That should be obvious. And it applies to leadership as well.

 

[simpleas]

I went back a few days’ worth in postings, but don’t see that question. Nevertheless…

The difference isn’t spiritual. No one is saying that men have some sort of spiritual feature that women don’t (in fact, that would seem to be the point of “in Christ, there is no male and female” – in terms of our salvation, there is no difference).

Post 121 is where I asked what spiritual differences are there between male and female, since we know we are bodily different, one carries life etc.

It seems to me that this is what the church suggests, that men do have some sort of spiritual feature that women do not.
A women can not say the words of the mass and serve God in the same way a man can, because she isn’t a man…So men obviously are seen as more privileged because God came as a man and no woman can be a man.
I don’t say this with any anger btw, just so posters know,.

 

[wanderer69]

It doesn’t accuse God or anyone else of anything, it’s simply says, it’s a mystery. You can ask him when you meet him, then you can ask him if he’s a sexist and if he is why.

 

[simpleas]

As you well know, there’s nowhere in the Bible that this is expressed explicitly. Two questions for you:

where in the Bible does it say that Christ says ‘find all your answers in the Bible’?
where in the Bible do you see that Christ chooses women for the priesthood? (Or even, as we look back into the OT, where do you see women acting as Levitical priests, or even, familial priests?)

If the Bible is the standard reference from which we derive an answer, is there any support for female priests there?

On the other hand, we do have a Scriptural passage that tells us where the authority for such a decision comes from: “what you hold bound on earth will be bound in heaven.” If the Church pronounces it, then it is upheld by Jesus. (We believe that Jesus would not uphold injustice, so we believe that the Church is protected from making doctrine that Christ would reject.)

I read post 142 as the poster implying that God had said something somewhere in the scriptures that made certain that there should be no priestess serving in the church.

 

[stpurl]

And it’s not germane to the question.

"The Church has no authority to ordain women’.

Whether one possible reason for God’s choice is some kind of spiritual difference in men and women (choice is good, right?) does not ‘change’ the teaching. Obviously, consideration of such hasn’t had an marked effect of clarity, still less obedience. I don’t see people leaping to say, “Oh of COURSE, now I understand and accept.” Instead the mere mention of such leads to, “But that’s so STUPID, that’s so WRONG” and off we go into attacking something speculative and trying to use it as a battering ram to attack the real question. . .the authority of the Church, and what it has, and has not, been given authority over. .

we do not know the entire complete understanding that God has with regard to why He has not given the Church the authority to ordain women. It is probably extremely complex and at most we are touching on ‘points of it’. How can we be expected to act like rational, reasonable people who wish to understand God’s ‘rationale’ when we don’t even accept His say-so and are constantly acting like 2 year olds, not ‘discussing’ at all but whinging that things aren’t fair?

 

[Gorgias]

I read post 142 as the poster implying that God had said something somewhere in the scriptures that made certain that there should be no priestess serving in the church.

Do you mean this post?

The main reason the Apocryphal story of Paul and Thecla was deemed non inspired was Thecla Baptizing herself

It’s an apocryphal story, not Scripture. (The so-called “New Testament apocrypha” aren’t – and have never been – parts of the canon of Scripture. They tend to get confused with the so-called “Old Testament apocrypha”, which, as the “deutero-canon”, is part of the Catholic canon of Scripture.)

 

[JoshuaIsLord]

The simple answer is that during that time, it was a MAN’S WORLD. I could speculate that if the event of Jesus happened in the present, he probably would have chosen some women because it is no longer strictly a MAN"S WORLD. And that is the reality of the situation. Women were considered merely property to be given to marriage and to be a servant to the man.

 

[BornInMarch]

I’m not accusing anyone. I’m just looking for answers that I can use should I ever need to defend this stance in an argument.

And for everyone else, I’ve seen some people make their answer into a personal attack against me and I want that sort of thing to stop. This thread isn’t about me, it’s about the question.

 

[whalljim1]

You might want to check out Peter Kreeft’s thoughts.

I would try to summarize it, but I’d hash it up. But I generally find him very good on sorting out the more difficult teachings of the church.

 

[JoshuaIsLord]

I’m not accusing anyone. I’m just looking for answers that I can use should I ever need to defend this stance in an argument.

And for everyone else, I’ve seen some people make their answer into a personal attack against me and I want that sort of thing to stop. This thread isn’t about me, it’s about the question.

Well that is their nature. I will apologize on their behalf.
It is not that God doesn’t want Female Priest, he did not chose a timeline more favorable to women.
And Secondly, The Priesthood is a Man’s Club like it or not. Just like the Knights of Columbus. You ever think they will allow women into their ranks? Hell No. I was a Knight for 20 years. No more.

 

[JoshuaIsLord]

Top Ten Reasons to Ordain Women…

10.) A priest’s job is to serve the people of God — it’s not about gender (or for that matter, marital status or sexual orientation).

9.) The Second Vatican Council calls for all discrimination to be eliminated.
•“Every type of discrimination … based on sex … is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent” — Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, #29

8.) Women were prominent leaders in Jesus’ ministry. In all four gospels, Mary Magdalene was the first witness to the most important event in Christianity — the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

7.) There is a severe worldwide shortage of priests and an increasing number of women called to ordained ministry.
•Fact: Between 1975 and 2005, the worldwide Catholic population increased by 57%, from 709.6 million to 1.12 billion, but the number of priests remained about the same, with an increase of 0.4%. — Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate

6.) The Bible includes many passages depicting women as leaders in early Christianity.
•“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon (diakonos) of the church at Cenchrea." — Romans 16:1

5.) Archaeological discoveries provide evidence that women served as deacons, priests, and bishops in early Christianity.

4.) In the 20th century, women have been ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood.
•Fact: On December 28, 1970, Bishop Felix Davidek ordained Ludmila Javorova a priest in the underground church of Communist Czechoslovakia. In 1991, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of Prague confirmed that five other women were also ordained as priests during that time.

3.) In 1976, the Pontifical Biblical Commission determined that there is no biblical reason to prohibit women’s ordination.

2.) Because women and men are created in God’s image, both may represent Christ as priests.
•“Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them, female and male, God made them.” — Genesis 1:27

1.) Through baptism in Christ, the distinctions between women and men disappear, so women should also be able to answer God’s call to priestly ministry.
•"In Christ there is no Jew or Greek, slave or citizen, male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28

Just wanted to throw that out there…

http://www.womensordination.org/resources/top-ten-reasons-to-ordain-women/

 

[edwest211]

I’ve read all this before. The Church has decided. The Church does not have the authority to ordain women.

 

[Gorgias]

8.) Women were prominent leaders in Jesus’ ministry. In all four gospels, Mary Magdalene was the first witness to the most important event in Christianity — the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

None of these were priests.

6.) The Bible includes many passages depicting women as leaders in early Christianity.
•“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon (diakonos) of the church at Cenchrea." — Romans 16:1

Again, none were priests.

5.) Archaeological discoveries provide evidence that women served as deacons, priests, and bishops in early Christianity.

Simply untrue.
In addition, the “deaconesses” were unordained.

4.) In the 20th century, women have been ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood.

No. Rather, “attempts were made at ordination”, all of them invalid. Worse yet, all these women are excommunicated from the attempt and from their simulation of the sacraments.

Just wanted to throw that out there…

Me, too.

 

[stpurl]

The operative words of “throw that out” resonate.

 

[simpleas]

No, I was referring to this one ::

stpurl2d

Right.
Now are you understanding that as “God is a Divine Being, farther beyond me, non-divine, than I could possibly imagine, therefore if He says something is fair, then even if it does not seem fair to me, He must be right and I must be wrong?”

Or are you understanding that as, “Human beings, not God, made up these rules. Therefore we can and should change them in order TO BE FAIR”?

 

[simpleas]

The question is, Why doesn’t God want female priests?

"The Church has no authority to ordain women’

Doesn’t really answer the question, IMO.

I don’t think I’ve read anyone saying it’s so stupid and so wrong on this thread.

Granted my posts are not well written like some good posters on here, but do I sound like a whinging 2 year old…

Actually I find it a fascinating topic, one that reveals more that I didn’t know each time I think about it.

 

[Duesenberg]

The simple answer is that during that time, it was a MAN’S WORLD. I could speculate that if the event of Jesus happened in the present, he probably would have chosen some women because it is no longer strictly a MAN"S WORLD. And that is the reality of the situation. Women were considered merely property to be given to marriage and to be a servant to the man.

You honestly believe that God in the form of Jesus Christ couldn’t handle the temporal world? Really? He was quite counter-cultural for the times and He’s GOD!

 

[stpurl]

Oh, I see.

I mean, let’s face it. The male Jewish apostles, going out to the Gentiles who had completely different customs and worldviews which included female ‘priestesses’ and which found the idea of women not being priests strange, and who preached to pagans this:

1. There are not many Gods, there is only one.
2. This one God came down from earth and became a person, born of a virgin, without losing any bit of His Godhood, no half and half like Hercules, pure God and pure Man.
3. This person Jesus did not come to be a king on earth.
4. He advocated not just the "Golden Rule’ but went even further.
5. He taught not just that God is Lord, but God is Father (Abba).
6. He forgave sins.
7. He asks you to eat (really eat) His body and drink (really drink) His blood or you will not have eternal life.
8. He said He and He only was the Way, Truth, and Life.
9. He lived 30 years in obscurity.
10. He performed miracles for 3 years.
11. He was put to death on a cross.
12. He died (really died).
13. He rose again.
14. He lives forever.
15. He is back in heaven now.
16. He asks us to give everything to Him and to be perfect.
17. And by the way that means no divorce, no fornication, no sodomy, no drunkenness, no lying, cheating, stealing. . .no worshipping other Gods.
18. He will forgive you if you’re sorry, but you have to go to the Church (the priests) who will forgive you in His name.
19. The more you humble yourself, the better. The more you exalt yourself, the worse you will be.
20. He taught equality of soul–the slave’s soul was just as important as the master, the Gentile as the Jew, the woman as the man.

Yep, all these words were just so ‘easy’ to accept, but to Gentiles who were used to seeing women priestesses as a matter of course, having a woman ‘priest’ or women being up there with men–after they heard about how ‘equal’ things were with Christ— well, that would have absolutely, positively, totally stopped Christianity in its tracks.

Pardon me whilst I laugh hysterically.

 

[Gorgias]

No, I was referring to this one ::

stpurl2d

Right.
Now are you understanding that as “God is a Divine Being, farther beyond me, non-divine, than I could possibly imagine, therefore if He says something is fair, then even if it does not seem fair to me, He must be right and I must be wrong?”

Or are you understanding that as, “Human beings, not God, made up these rules. Therefore we can and should change them in order TO BE FAIR”?

Oh. Hmm… I don’t see that as an argument from Scripture.