Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!gatech!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tp0x@spica.fac.cs.cmu.edu (Thomas Price) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: I AM DISGUSTED! Message-ID: Date: 13 May 91 06:30:52 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon Lines: 28 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) writes: >Here's an interesting passage from Matthew... >Matthew 19:10-12 > > 10 His disciples said to him, "If this is how it is between a man and >his wife, it is better not to marry." > 11 Jesus answered, "This teaching does not apply to everyone, but only >to those who God has given it. 12 For there are different reasons why >men cannot marry: some, because they were born that way; others because >men made them that way; and others do not marry for the sake of the >Kingdom of heaven. Let him who can accept this teaching do so." >(TEV) Rather than interpreting this teaching as being in favor of celibacy, I think it is one of the strongest statements in the Bible about the sanctity of marriage. "This teaching" Jesus keeps referring to is his teaching that marriages are not to be broken up. (Which precedes these verses.) Those who do not marry for the sake of the kingdom of heaven are those who for whatever reason do not feel that they will be able to make a lifelong commitment and keep it, and therefore do not wish to make shipwreck of their own and someone else's spiritual lives, not to mention of an institution of God. Whoso is able to receive it (that is, whoever is able to live up to marriage as it was intended by God to be) let him receive it. Tom Price tp0x@cs.cmu.edu Disclaimer: The above is as good an oversimplification as any