(I pray this inclusion concerning celibacy will not confuse people. My purpose is to intertwine this “state of being” into what ‘I believe’ is the true meaning of this position with God; therefore, please abide with me to explain this.)
In the Old Testament, a few people known for celibacy or bachelor- hood were Elijah, Joshua and Gideon, along with the Jewish Essenes. While there were other outside groups (such as; Hinduism, Buddhism and numerous monks in organizations, etc.), and individuals that practiced celibacy; still, Christianity noticeably elevates the sacred practice to a higher level. There are countless Christian stories relating to this; such as, one that is rather unknown concerns one of Jesus closest disciple, the Apostle Peter. Biblical scholars have no problem embracing Peter’s crucifixion; at the same time, basically keep quiet regarding the reason he dies in the first place that involves celibacy (next chapter).
In addition, the Apostle Paul, and a woman called Thecla, traveled in the region preaching a strict code of celibacy. (Several centuries later, a Church Father, Terlvilian, dismissed Thecla as a myth …show more content…
Yet, why did the belief in celibacy continue on, and increase steadily through the centuries into the church’s presence thinking? The backlash from people seems to have been ongoing, as opinions shifted as the idea of ’total celibacy’ and intense ascetics became too much for followers, therefore the church condemn its actions to ‘calm the people down,’ and even eventually branding the practice as heresy. On the surface, human sexuality became the enemy of spirituality, or the other way around, and from there it intensely stays in a forever stalemate. Ultimately, this endurance of celibacy position inevitably leads us back to Christianity’s
In the Old Testament, a few people known for celibacy or bachelor- hood were Elijah, Joshua and Gideon, along with the Jewish Essenes. While there were other outside groups (such as; Hinduism, Buddhism and numerous monks in organizations, etc.), and individuals that practiced celibacy; still, Christianity noticeably elevates the sacred practice to a higher level. There are countless Christian stories relating to this; such as, one that is rather unknown concerns one of Jesus closest disciple, the Apostle Peter. Biblical scholars have no problem embracing Peter’s crucifixion; at the same time, basically keep quiet regarding the reason he dies in the first place that involves celibacy (next chapter).
In addition, the Apostle Paul, and a woman called Thecla, traveled in the region preaching a strict code of celibacy. (Several centuries later, a Church Father, Terlvilian, dismissed Thecla as a myth …show more content…
Yet, why did the belief in celibacy continue on, and increase steadily through the centuries into the church’s presence thinking? The backlash from people seems to have been ongoing, as opinions shifted as the idea of ’total celibacy’ and intense ascetics became too much for followers, therefore the church condemn its actions to ‘calm the people down,’ and even eventually branding the practice as heresy. On the surface, human sexuality became the enemy of spirituality, or the other way around, and from there it intensely stays in a forever stalemate. Ultimately, this endurance of celibacy position inevitably leads us back to Christianity’s