Quote:
|
Originally Posted by PAULYBEE2656
as regards the clergy matrrying. the only reason that the clergy take a vow of celibacy is to do with land ownership. if a priest married, and the marraige broke down, the wife could take away half the land by law..the land which is owned by the church...celibacy guaranteed that all church land and money remained in the church..this law has been in force for years and isnt likely to change at all..again ...devoid of any reality!
|
That is the most delightful socio-theological insight I have seen in a long time.. simply revelatory, we should chat more.
The Orthodox Church simplified this EXACT problem,individual parish priests are NOT land-owners for the Church, only Bishops (who are celibate, generally elevated from the monks) are land owners, more like trustees actually, and it has been this way for 1400 years. This takes the complication out of married clergy, which are quite common in Greece, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, the Middle East like Syria and Jordan, and of course Ethiopia.
This is essentially a politico-historical issue, regarding the differences between Anglo/Northern European (ie, Catholic/Protestant) land ownership traditions and Eastern/Asian (ie, Orthodox Christian/Muslim) land ownership. The issue with the vulnerability to pedophilia as a truly unintended consequence is interesting indeed.