celibacy

American Heritage Dictionary:

cel·i·ba·cy

(sĕl'ə-bə-sē) pronunciation

Abstinence from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows.
The condition of being unmarried.

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The deliberate abstinence from sexual activity, usually in connection with a religious role or practice. It has existed in some form in most world religions. It may indicate a person's ritual purity (sexual relations being viewed as polluting) or may be adopted to facilitate spiritual advancement (as sexual activity would take place only within the bonds of matrimony, marriage and family were seen as an entangling distraction). In shamanistic religions, shamans are often celibate. In Hinduism, "holy men" (or women) who have left ordinary secular life to seek final liberation are celibate. Buddhism began as a celibate order, though many sects have since given up celibacy. Chinese taoism has monastics and independent celibate adepts. Islam has no institutional celibacy, but individuals may embrace it for personal spiritual advancement. Judaism has prescribed periods of abstinence, but long-term celibacy has not played a large role. The early Christian church tended to regard celibacy as superior to marriage. Since the 12th century it has been the rule for Roman Catholic clergy, though clerical celibacy was never adopted by Protestantism.

For more information on celibacy, visit Britannica.com.

Oxford Companion to the Body:

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The ideal of celibacy — abstaining from sexual activity for religious or spiritual reasons — exists within several religions. It has been an ideal within Christianity from the earliest times. Jesus spoke of those who are ‘eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 19: 12), and Paul recommended celibacy as the best way of living, for it enabled a person to be free from distracting ‘worldly’ concerns, especially the household, children, and sex — and for men, the worldly was particularly represented by the female body — and therefore free to serve Christ. Thus, for many centuries, especially in the West, marriage was regarded as an inferior option for Christians, for those who needed to produce heirs or could not practice self-control because they did not have the ‘gift’ of celibacy. Only at the Reformation, when Protestant reformers began to privilege and justify marriage, was this view seriously challenged. Even in the post-Reformation period, there have been new Christian groups which have set celibacy as an ideal or rule, most notably the Shakers in nineteenth-century America, who formed communities of celibate men and women to live a simple life together. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican monastic communities retain the ideal of celibacy to this day.

In the early Church celibacy had been an individual vocation, so marriage was not incompatible with holding ecclesiastical office; but beginning with the canons of the Council of Elvira (c.306), the Church in the West increasingly moved towards clerical celibacy as the norm; married men who were ordained were urged to put aside their wives, go on living with them as sister and brother, or exchange vows of continence with them; their wives might then become deaconesses or join a monastic community. Throughout the later Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church attempted to enforce clerical celibacy, not always with great success; the second Lateran Council (1139) made clerical marriages invalid. Clerical celibacy remains the rule in the Roman Catholic despite pressures in the late twentieth century to change this. The Church of England allowed clerical marriage in 1549, as did the Protestant churches at the Reformation. The Eastern Orthodox churches have always allowed their priests and deacons to marry before ordination, though not after, and their bishops must be celibate.

Within Buddhism, celibacy is a permanent vocation for monks and nuns. Within Hinduism, celibacy is part of the fourth and final stage — samnyasa — for the Hindu who is following the Vedic way. This is the stage of renouncing all ties to family, caste, and property. Within a number of religions, reactions to celibacy are mixed. For Sikhs, it is not an ideal, for the Gurus taught that the married state (grihastha ashrama) was the ideal. But there are two Sikh groups that dissent from this: the Udasis (meaning ‘withdrawn’ or ‘dejected’) are an ascetic order, also forbidden to consume flesh, tobacco, or spirits; they wear salmon-coloured clothing and are clean shaven, though they often have long, matted hair. The Nirmalas (meaning ‘spotless’ or ‘pure’) are a learned monastic group who live in monasteries called akharas (meaning ‘wrestling arenas’) and wear saffron robes. Islam is generally hostile to celibacy, emphasizing the God-given goodness of creation, though Sufism, especially in its beginnings, has emphasized the strong control of body and spirit via ascetical practices, including celibacy. Early Sufi leaders saw lust as one of the seven gates to hell, one Sufi leader even going so far as to say that Sufism was founded on celibacy.

Judaism has generally not advocated celibacy, seeing marriage as important for the fulfilment of procreation as commanded in Genesis 1: 28. The High Priest in Temple times had to be married (Leviticus 21: 13) and the unmarried were barred from holding various public offices, though there were two important Jewish first-century Ascetic groups. The Therapeutae (Latin, ‘healers’), described by Philo, lived in Egypt in solitude, poverty, and (as far as was possible) celibacy, meditating on spiritual writings. Both men and women could be members. Every fiftieth day, they gathered for a meal and sang and danced. The all-male Essene community by the Dead Sea (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947) sought to bring Israel back to God by their own rigorous and celibate way of life. This relationship between apocalyptic beliefs and the ideal of celibacy forms the backdrop to Jesus' preaching about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was intimately entwined with his call to follow him and leave behind all family ties. Thus in Christianity, the celibate was seen to anticipate the state of the human being at resurrection — described by some as a state in which the sexes do not exist and there is no place for marriage. The celibate therefore sought to return to his or her original — that is pre-Fall — state. As Genesis records Adam and Eve as having had sexual intercourse only after the Fall, sexual renunciation was a vital component in acquiring this pre-lapsarian ‘state’. This meant the transcendence of gender, and while, for some celibates at least, it meant that the body was seen as alien to the true self, many explored the possibilities of that transcendence. Celibacy, and the ascetic way of life in general, were appealing because they allowed any Christian, regardless of gender or social status, to transcend what their body represented in this world; this was particularly appealing for women, especially élite women, whose bodies functioned primarily to produce heirs and thereby circulate wealth in the Roman world. That some writers spoke of Christian women ‘becoming male’ to indicate their great holiness illustrates the double-edged nature of this ideal of celibacy for women. Suspicion of the female body, and projection onto it of all the male celibate's fears of ‘the world’ exists within Christianity generally, and has existed particularly within the monastic communities from the fourth century onwards, and is shared by Buddhism and the early Sufis.

— Jane Shaw

Bibliography

Brown, P. (1988). The body and society, men, women and sexual renunciation in early Christianity. Columbia University Press, New York

Antonyms by Answers.com:

celibacy

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Definition: abstinence from sexual activity
Antonyms: promiscuousness

Encyclopedia of Judaism:

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Marriage is a commandment in Jewish tradition and celibacy is deplored. The first positive precept in the Bible is "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28) and this sets the pattern for Jewish attitudes. Procreation is a holy obligation, so that deliberate abstention from marriage has never been condoned; indeed many authorities regard it as a sin. Halakhically speaking, the commandment to be fruitful is binding upon males only, so that female celibacy is less problematic. The biblical Nazirite took various vows of abstinence; sexual abstinence, however, was not among them. One exception in the Bible was Jeremiah, who apparently chose to remain celibate owing to his unwillingness to bring children into the world to face the impending doom of the Jewish people. According to Josephus, celibacy was practiced among the sectarian Essenes. The normative teaching is contained in the saying, "He who is without a wife is without joy, without blessing, without happiness, without learning, without protection, without peace; indeed he is no man" (Yev. 62b).

One talmudic scholar, Ben Azzai, never married, but he and his colleagues acknowledged that he was an exception. None of the medieval rabbis is known to have been unmarried, and bachelors were not allowed to occupy positions of leadership in the Jewish community. Judaism, moreover, encouraged early marriage to counter sexual temptation.

The Religion Book:

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Monastic orders of many religious traditions have rules concerning celibacy. Marriage and sexual union are forbidden for practical or spiritual reasons.

Sometimes, as in some Hindu and Buddhist traditions, sexual expression is considered to be a detriment to meditation and growth, a "giving in" to the body and its desires. Celibacy is then considered to be a form of asceticism.

In early Christianity, celibacy was inspired by the words of the apostle Paul advising that those who chose not to marry had more time to serve the Lord. He implied that sex, as opposed to spiritual work, was a base human need when he said it "was better to marry than to burn." And since the early church believed Jesus was soon to return, it didn't make much sense to settle into a stable home life that would not last much longer. Besides this, Jesus had said that "in heaven they neither marry nor are given in marriage." All these together seemed to imply marriage was for the weak, at best.

This notion was taken to its logical conclusion by the Shaker community in the United States. Nobody was allowed to have sex. The community only grew by conversions.

In Roman Catholic tradition, celibacy is seen as a crucial vow taken by ordained clergy to allow them both time and uninterrupted energy to devote to the practical matter of being available for ministry. It is not that clergy are not married. They are married to the church and are expected to give the same devotion to Christ as they would to earthly spouses. Although a mystique surrounding "unavailable" male priests and "pure" female nuns undoubtedly places celibate clergy on a pedestal in the popular psyche, this was not the official intention of the church.

Sources: Smart, Ninian. The Religious Experience. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996.

Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism:

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Celibacy is obligatory for all members of the Saṃgha. Sex is regarded as a powerful bond to the mundane (laukika) world and not appropriate for one who has renounced home and family. Since Buddhism regards craving (tṛṣṇā) as the cause of suffering (duḥkha), the dangers of sexual desire are obvious, and are frequently pointed out in Buddhist literature. There are strict penalties in the Vinaya or monastic code for monks and nuns who fail to remain celibate. The first of the four pārājika-dharmas prohibits sexual intercourse, and the penalty for breaking it is lifelong expulsion from the Order. More minor offences, such as masturbation or lewd conduct, reported in the Vinaya, are punished less severely. Married lay-people may also adopt the practice of voluntary celibacy for longer or shorter periods.

Columbia Encyclopedia:

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celibacy (sĕl'ĭbəsē), voluntary refusal to enter the married state, with abstinence from sexual activity. It is one of the typically Christian forms of asceticism. In ancient Rome the vestal virgins were celibates, and successful monasticism has everywhere been accompanied by celibacy as an ideal. Among ancient Jews the Essenes were celibates. In the Judaism of postexilic times, sexual activity in the married state was considered lawful and good; otherwise it was unlawful. This norm remained in Christianity. But the mainstream of Christian tradition from the start has interpreted the Gospels and epistles as teaching that voluntary celibacy, especially virginity, is peculiarly meritorious.

In the Orthodox Eastern churches, ordinary parish clergy are married, but monks, nuns, and bishops are celibates. In the West, celibacy was common among the parish clergy beginning the 3d cent.; as time passed, the Holy See became adamant in opposing the marriage of the secular clergy (see orders, holy). By the early Middle Ages, marriage of the clergy had fallen into disrepute; church reformers aimed at concubinage and violations of the laws of chastity rather than of marriage. In the 12th cent. the most stringent laws were enacted, and by the time of the Reformation popular opinion tolerated neither concubinage nor marriage in the clergy. Protestantism rejected voluntary celibacy as an ideal.

The Roman Catholic Church in the Roman rite allows no sacerdotal marriage, but the clergy of Eastern rites united with the Holy See are often married before ordination. Some married priests from other religions or rites have converted to Catholicism and been accepted, but not all dioceses have permitted these priests to practice. Although recent popes and various national groupings of bishops have insisted on the retention of celibacy for priests, there has been considerable pressure in the United States and Europe in support of voluntary marriage for the clergy. A standard defense of the Western discipline of celibacy for parish priests is that marriage would prevent the priest from giving his complete attention to his parish; critics complain that unmarried clergy are unfit to give counsel on marital and sexual problems. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church has restored the office of deacon to a prominent place in the ministry and accepts married men into it.

Quotes About:

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Quotes:

"How deep a wound to morals and social purity has that accursed article of the celibacy of the clergy been! Even the best and most enlightened men in Romanist countries attach a notion of impurity to the marriage of a clergyman. And can such a feeling be without its effect on the estimation of the wedded life in general? Impossible! and the morals of both sexes in Spain, Italy, France, and. prove it abundantly." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"I think that one of the qualifications of artists should be a vow of celibacy. They should be confined to ruining only their own lives." - Roger Lewis

"Marriage may often be a stormy lake, but celibacy is almost always a muddy horse pond." - Thomas Love Peacock

"Celibacy is not just a matter of not having sex. It is a way of admiring a person for their humanity, maybe even for their beauty." - Timothy Radcliffe

"A celibate, like the fly in the heart of an apple, dwells in a perpetual sweetness, but sits alone, and is confined and dies in singularity." - Jeremy Taylor

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'celibacy'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

For a list of words related to celibacy, see:

Marriage and Divorce - celibacy: state of being unmarried
Love and Romance - celibacy: state of being unmarried; abstention from sexual love
Practice and Doctrine - celibacy: abstention from marriage and sexual relations, as by priest

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See words rhyming with "celibacy."

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Celibacy

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This article is about the historical and current phenomenon of voluntary celibacy. For details on the psychosocial condition of an unwilling perpetually celibate state, see involuntary celibacy.

Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage.^[1] Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of personal development and self-discovery, or for many other reasons. Historically many cultures have venerated celibacy in certain individuals seeing the commitment as a form of discipline to be admired.

Although the word celibacy traditionally refers to being unmarried, in contemporary use it usually refers to sexual abstinence.

Contents

1 Etymology
2 Abstinence and celibacy
3 Buddhism
4 Hinduism
5 Christianity
- 5.1 Catholic perspective
6 Brahma Kumaris
7 Islamic perspective
8 Meher Baba
9 Secular
10 See also
11 References
12 External links

Etymology

The English word celibacy derives from the Latin caelebs, meaning "unmarried". This word derives from two Proto-Indo-European stems, *kaiwelo- "alone" and *lib(h)s- "living".^[2]

Abstinence and celibacy

This section requires expansion.

The words abstinence and celibacy are often used interchangeably, but are different. Sexual abstinence refers to abstaining from all sexual activity, often for some limited period of time;^[3] Sexual abstinence is also known as continence.^[4] The term celibacy refers to refraining from any romantic relationships, particularly marriage. According to Paul the Apostle, marriage is a social obligation that has the potential of distracting from Christ. For him, celibacy is the single life, free from such distraction, not a life of saintly denial. Sex, in turn, is not sinful but natural, and sex within marriage is both proper and necessary.^[5] According to the later St. Jerome, celibacy is a moral virtue, consisting by not living in the flesh but outside the flesh, as it were (vivere in carne praeter carnem). Celibacy excludes not only libidinous acts, but also sinful thoughts or desires of the flesh.^[6] The first Conciliar document on celibacy of the Western Christian Church (Canon 33 of the Spanish Council of Elvira, c. AD 305) states that the discipline of celibacy is to refrain from the use of marriage, i.e. refrain from having carnal contact with your spouse.^[7]

In her book The New Celibacy, Gabrielle Brown states that "abstinence is a response on the outside to what's going on, and celibacy is a response from the inside."^[8] According to this definition, celibacy (even short-term celibacy that is pursued for non-religious reasons) is much more than not having sex. It is more intentional than abstinence, and its goal is personal growth and empowerment. This perspective on celibacy is echoed by several authors including Elizabeth Abbott, Wendy Keller, and Wendy Shalit.^[9]

Many evangelicals prefer the term "abstinence" to "celibacy." Assuming everyone will marry, they focus their discussion on refraining from premarital sex and focusing on the joys of a future marriage. But some evangelicals, particularly older singles, desire a positive message of celibacy that moves beyond the "wait until marriage" message of abstinence campaigns. They seek a new understanding of celibacy that is focused on God rather than a future marriage or a life-long vow to the Church.^[10]

Buddhism

Hinduism

In Hinduism, celibacy is usually associated with the sadhus ("holy men"), ascetics who withdraw from worldly ties.

Celibacy, termed brahmacharya in Vedic scripture, is the fourth of the yamas and the word literally translated means "dedicated to the Divinity of Life". The word is often used in yogic practice to refer to celibacy or denying pleasure, but this is only a small part of what brahmacharya represents.^[12] The purpose of practicing brahmacharya is to keep a person focused on the purpose in life, the things that instill a feeling of peace and contentment.

The Vedic literature, Srimad-Bhagavatam, reject from its very beginning kaitava-dharma or false philosophy, thus it frankly speaks about the principle of material life, and it does have a meaningful relation to celibacy. Srimad Bhagavatam does not establish broad terms destined to fulfil the demographic expansion of mundane religiousity.

Lord Rishabadeva instructed his 100 sons in this way:

pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam

tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim ahuh

ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair

janasya moho 'yam aham mameti

The attraction between male and female is the basic principle of material existence. On the basis of this misconception, which ties together the hearts of the male and female, one becomes attracted to his body, home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one increases life's illusions and thinks in terms of "I and mine." (Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.8)

According with the Yajnavalkya-smrti, as quoted in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.13-14) (A.C. Bhaktivedanta's authorized commentary), bramacarya means celibacy:

karmana manasa vaca

sarvavasthasu sarvada

sarvatra maithuna-tyago

brahmacaryam pracaksate

"The vow of brahmacarya is meant to help one completely abstain from sex indulgence in work, words, and mind – at all times, under all circumstances and in all places."

There are eight aspects of brahmacarya, as described in Sridhara Swami's commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.12:

smaranam kirtanam kelih

preksanam guhyabhasanam

sankalpo ‘dhyavasayas ca

kriya-nirvrttir eva ca

One should not:

Think about women.
Speak about sex life.
Dally with women.
Look lustfully at women.
Talk intimately with women.
Decide to engage in sexual intercourse.
Endeavor for sex life.
Engage in sex life. (SB 6.1.13 Purport)

One who practices brahmacarya is called a brahmacari. In the varnasrama system, the brahmacari-asrama is the first of four, namely, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa.

"According to Vedic principles, the first part of life should be utilized in brahmacarya for the development of character and spiritual qualities." (SB 3.22.19)

Brahmacarya is thus student life. It was traditionally rigorous, disciplined, and austere. It is a life of cultivation, of preparing for the future. In all asramas devotees are cultivating Krsna consciousness, preparing for the examination of death. But the brahmacari period is specifically meant for training: training in how to control the senses and subdue the mind; training to be a grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasi. This training is by submission to, service to, and friendship to the guru. (SB 7.12.1)

In terms of varnasrama principles, the highest standard of brahmacarya means the vow not to marry but to observe strict celibacy throughout life. (SB 7.12.7) This is called the brhad-vrata ("great vow"), or naisthika-brahmacarya. "Naisthika-brahmacari refers to one who never wastes his semen at any time." (SB 3.24.20) "The word maha-vrata-dharah indicates a brahmacari who has never fallen down." (SB 6.17.8)

Prahlad Maharaj, the Vaisnava devotee of Lord Nrisimhadev had prayed:

om namo bhagavate narasimhaya

namas tejas-tejase avir-avirbhava vajra-nakha

vajra-damstra karmasayan randhaya randhaya

tamo grasa grasa om svaha; abhayam

abhayam atmani bhuyistha om ksraum.

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demon-like desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world."

Unless one is completely freed of all material desires, which are caused by the dense darkness of ignorance, one cannot fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord. Therefore we should always offer our prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva, who killed Hiranyakasipu, the personification of material desire. Hiranya means "gold," and kasipu means "a soft cushion or bed." Materialistic persons always desire to make the body comfortable, and for this they require huge amounts of gold. Thus Hiranyakasipu was the perfect representative of materialistic life. He was therefore the cause of great disturbance to the topmost devotee, Prahlada Maharaja, until Lord Nrsimhadeva killed him. Any devotee aspiring to be free of material desires should offer his respectful prayers to Nrsimhadeva as Prahlada Maharaja did in this verse. (SB 5.18.8 Text and Purport. See also 5.18.10 and 14):

yadi dasyasi me kaman

varams tvam varadarsabha

kamanam hrdy asamroham

bhavatas tu vrne varam

"O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within the core of my heart there be no material desires." (Text SB 7.10.7)

Celibacy also is also the natural state of a pure and advanced devotee of the Lord. This principle of having a superior taste depicted in Bhagavad-Gita as param dristva nivartate is clearly expressed by the great Saint Sri Yamunacharya:

yad-avadhi mama cetah krsna-padaravinde

nava-nava-rasa-dhamany udyatam rantum asit

tad-avadhi bata nari-sangame smaryamane

bhavati mukha-vikarah susthu nisthivanam ca

"Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental humor, whenever I think of sex life with a woman, my face at once turns from it, and I spit at the thought."

It is also advised by the avatar of Lord Visnu, Devahuti-suta-Kapiladev that the attraction to the oppossite sex is the cause of material captivity:

yopayati sanair maya

yosid deva-vinirmita

tam iksetatmano mrtyum

trnaih kupam ivavrtam

The woman, created by the Lord, is the representation of maya, and one who associates with such maya by accepting services must certainly know that this is the way of death, just like a blind well covered with grass.

Sripad Sankaracarya showed how one must one consider illogical that so called beauty of a woman's body as an argument to stay celibate:

nari-stana-bhara-nabhi-desam

drstva ma ga moha-vesam

etan mamsa-vasadi-vikaram

manasi vicintaya varam varam

Having seen the supposed beauty of a woman's heavy breasts and her thin waist, do not become agitated and influenced with illusion, for these attractive features are simply transformations of fat, flesh & toxins. One should chant this in his mind again and again.

Christianity

Celibacy is viewed differently by the Catholic Church and the various Protestant communities. It includes clerical celibacy, celibacy of the consecrated life, voluntary lay celibacy, and celibacy outside of marriage. There is general agreement that it should not be seen as purer than marriage but its equal,^{[citation needed]} unlike the attitude of some dualist groups such as the Gnostics who hold the material world to be evil.

In Matthew 19, Jesus Christ says "11 Not all can accept [this] word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."

Thinking that the end of the world was near, a time of great upheaval, the Apostle Paul advised the Corinthian people to remain as they were, either married or unmarried:

"To the married I give this instruction (not I, but the Lord) A wife should not separate from her husband. A husband should not divorce his wife...Because of cases of immorality every man should have his own wife and every woman her own husband...Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by mutual consent for a time to be free for prayer, but then return to one another so that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control. Now to the unmarried and widows, I say it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do but if they cannot exercise self control they should marry for it is better to marry than to be on fire. Now in regards to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord but I give my opinion as one who is trustworthy. Time is running out. For the world in its present form is passing away...I desire to have you to be free from cares. He who is unmarried is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife. There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world – how she may please her husband. This I say for your own profit; not that I may ensnare you, but for that which is appropriate, and that you may attend to the Lord without distraction"^[13]

Celibacy as a vocation may be independent from religious vows (as is the case with consecrated virgins, ascetics and hermits). Traditionally though, most celibate persons have been religious and monastics (monks resp. brothers and nuns resp. sisters). In the Catholic, Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, bishops are required to be celibate. In the Eastern Christian traditions, priests and deacons are allowed to be married, yet have to remain celibate if they are unmarried at the time of ordination.

The Protestant Reformation initially rejected celibate life as a whole and even sexual continence for priests, though especially from the 19th century on, Protestant celibate communities have emerged, especially from Anglican and Lutheran backgrounds.

A few minor Christian sects even advocated celibacy as a better way of life for everyone. These groups included the Shakers, the Harmony Society and the Ephrata Cloister.

Celibacy not only for religious and monastics (brothers/monks and sisters/nuns) but also for bishops is upheld by the Catholic Church traditions.^[14]

Catholic perspective

In the Catholic Church, the apostles are considered to have been the first priests and bishops in the Church. Some say the call to be eunuchs for the sake of heaven in Matthew 19 was a call to be sexually continent and that this developed into mandatory celibacy for priests as the successors of the apostles. Others see the call to be sexually continent in Matthew 19 to be a caution for men who were too readily divorcing and remarrying. A footnote in the New American Bible says: “Some scholars take the call [to be eunuchs for the sake of heaven] to be meant for those who have been divorced by their spouses and who have refused to enter into another marriage” (p. 1041). The view of the institutional church is that celibacy is a reflection of life in Heaven, a source of detachment from the material world which aids in one's relationship with God. Celibacy is designed to "consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord, they give themselves entirely to God and to men. It is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God."[1] In contrast to this, St Peter, the first apostle called by Jesus (Matthew 4) and considered today the first pope, was married (Matthew 8).

Celibacy was not required of popes, bishops, or priests in the early church. Popes, bishops, and priests married and sired children for over a thousand years after Christ^[15] Celibacy was first written into law for all priests in the 12th century at the First Lateran Council (1123). Because clerics resisted it, the celibacy mandate was restated at the Second Lateran Council (1139) and the Council of Trent (1545–64).^[16] Historically, priestly celibacy became law for all only through coercion and enslavement of clerical wives and children.^[17] “The earliest decree in which the children [of clerics] were declared to be slaves and never to be enfranchised [freed] seems to have been a canon of the Synod of Pavia in 1018. Similar penalties were promulgated against wives and concubines (see the Synod of Melfi, 1189 can. Xii), who by the very fact of their unlawful connexion with a subdeacon or clerk of higher rank became liable to be seized by the over-lord”.^[17]

The early church resisted asceticism and celibacy as ideals for clergy. Scripture reflects the fact that early Christians embraced marriage and yet felt ascetic biases against marriage were seeping into their culture: 1 Timothy 4:1 "In the last times, some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and demonic instructions through the hypocrisy of liars with branded consciences. They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving for those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving. For it is made holy by the invocation of God in prayer".^[18] Mandatory celibacy for priests continues to be a contested issue even today.

Usually, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the Latin Rite.^[19]^[20] More recently, married clergy who have converted from other denominations have been ordained Roman Catholic priests without becoming celibate.^[21] Mandatory priestly celibacy is not a doctrine, or dogma, of the Church (examples of Catholic doctrine would be the principle of the absolute respect for life or the belief in the Assumption and Immaculate Conception) but a church rule or discipline, like the use of the vernacular (local) language in Mass or the ancient rule of Lenten fasting and abstinence.^[22] As such, it can, at least theoretically, change at any time, though it still must be obeyed by Catholics in good standing. The Eastern Catholic Churches ordain both celibate and married men. However, in both the East and the West, bishops are chosen from among those who are celibate.^[23]^[24] All rites of the Catholic Church maintain the ancient tradition where marriage is not allowed after ordination.^{[citation needed]} However many priests who resign end up marrying, and in remote areas or "missions" practicing Catholic priests sometimes have de facto wives. In Ireland several priests have maintained "secret" families, the two most prominent being Bishop Eamonn Casey and Father Michael Cleary (priest).

One explanation for the origin of obligatory celibacy is that it is based on Christ's example (though the bible says nothing about Jesus' sexuality) and on the writings of Paul, who wrote of the advantages celibacy allowed a man in serving the Lord,^[25] Celibacy was popularized by the early Christian theologian Origen and Augustine. Another possible explanation for the origins of obligatory celibacy revolves around more practical reason, "the need to avoid claims on church property by priests' offspring".^[26] It remains a matter of Canon Law (and often a criterion for certain religious orders, especially Franciscans) that priests do not own land and therefore cannot pass it on to legitimate or illegitimate children. The land belongs to the Church through the local diocese as administered by the Local Ordinary, or Bishop.

Brahma Kumaris

In the religious movement of Brahma Kumaris, celibacy is also promoted for peace and to defeat power of lust and to prepare for life in forthcoming Heaven on earth for 2,500 years when children will be created by the power of the mind even for householders to like holy brother and sister.^[27]^[28]

In this belief system, celibacy is given the utmost importance. It is said that, as per the direction of the Supreme God those lead a pure and celibate life will be successfully able to conquer the surging vices. The power of celibacy creates an unseen environment of divinity bringing peace, power, purity, prosperity and fortune. Those with the power of celibacy are eligible to claim a bright future of Golden Age of heaven / Paradise. Brahma Kumaris' concept of identifying the self as a soul, different from physical body, is deeply linked to the philosophy of celibacy. It is said that the craving for sex and impure thoughts are the reason for the whole trouble in the universe today.

Islamic perspective

Meher Baba

The spiritual teacher Meher Baba stated that "[F]or the [spiritual] aspirant a life of strict celibacy is preferable to married life, if restraint comes to him easily without undue sense of self-repression. Such restraint is difficult for most persons and sometimes impossible, and for them married life is decidedly more helpful than a life of celibacy. For ordinary persons, married life is undoubtedly advisable unless they have a special aptitude for celibacy"^[29] Baba also asserted that "The value of celibacy lies in the habit of restraint and the sense of detachment and independence which it gives"^[30] and that "The aspirant must choose one of the two courses which are open to him. He must take to the life of celibacy or to the married life, and he must avoid at all costs a cheap compromise between the two. Promiscuity in sex gratification is bound to land the aspirant in a most pitiful and dangerous chaos of ungovernable lust."^[31]

Secular

The radical feminist group Cell 16 were strongly championing celibacy as a challenge to male dominance, following in a tradition of celibacy dating back to the early feminists. They advocated women separate from "men who are not consciously working for female liberation", but advised periods of celibacy. There have been activists who have been celibate to devote energy to their cause.

The earliest roots of celibacy were secular. In the 6th century BC, "Pythagoras himself established a small community that set a premium on study, vegetarianism, and sexual restraint or abstinence. Later philosophers believed that celibacy would be conducive to the detachment and equilibrium required by the philosopher's calling. Similarly, the increasing number of cults—e.g.s, Manichaeans and Gnostics—had an inner circle requiring continence"^[32]

References

^ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Celibacy. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
^ Online Etymology Dictionary, Celibacy. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
^ art. Abstinence and Continence, in Dictionary of Moral Theology. Compiled under the Direction of H. E. Cardinal Roberti. Ed. Mgr. Pietro Palazzini. London: Burns & Oates Publishers of the Holy See 1962;
^ Melody, John (1913). "Continence". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04330b.htm. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
^ Will Deming, Paul on marriage and celibacy: the hellenistic background of 1 Corinthians 7. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co 2003; 2nd edition.
^ art. Celibacy, clerical, in Dictionary of Moral Theology. Compiled under the Direction of H. E. Cardinal Roberti. Ed. Mgr. Pietro Palazzini. London: Burns & Oates Publishers of th Holy See 1962;
^ Roman Cholij Clerical Celibacy in East and West. Gracewing 1990; 2nd Rev. ed., p. 36.
^ Brown, Gabrielle. The New Celibacy: A Journey to Love, Intimacy, and Good Health in a New Age. Rev. ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1989.
^ Abbott, Elizabeth. A History of Celibacy. Cambridge, MA: DaCapo, 1999.; Keller, Wendy. The Cult of the Born-Again Virgin: How Single Women Can Reclaim Their Sexual Power. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, 1999.; Shalit, Wendy. A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue. New York: Touchstone, 2000.
^ Colon, Christine, and Bonnie Field. Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must Be Reinvented in Today's Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2009.
^ Richard M. 2001. Neither Monk nor Layman: Clerical Marriage in Modern Japanese Buddhism. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, p 4
^ [1]
^ 1 Corinthians 7
^ Celibacy. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2009. Archived 31 October 2009.
^ Encyclopedia of Catholicism, San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1995.
^ New Advent, "Celibacy of the Clergy" (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03481a.htm)
^ ^a ^b The Catholic Encyclopedia vol 3, New York: The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., 486
^ 1Timothy 4:1
^ "Canon 1037". 1983 Code of Canon Law. Vatican. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3R.HTM. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
^ "Canon 1031". 1983 Code of Canon Law. Vatican. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3Q.HTM. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
^ Cholij, Roman (1993). "Priestly Celibacy in Patristics and in the History of the Church". Vatican. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_chisto_en.html. Retrieved 6 April 2008. A priest who is married at time of ordination continues to be married, with full obligation to all expectations of the marriage, but cannot remarry and remain in the practice of the priesthood.
^ "Celibacy and the Priesthood". http://www.catholic.com/library/Celibacy_and_the_Priesthood.asp.
^ Niebuhur, Gustav (16 February 1997). "Bishop's Quiet Action Allows Priest Both Flock And Family". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07EEDD133FF935A25751C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
^ "1990 Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium, Canons 285, 373, 374, 758". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 1990. http://www.gwo.cz/pravda/1990_Code_of_Canon_Law.htm. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
^ Schreck, p. 255.
^ Vitello, Paul (22 March 2009). "On Eve of Retirement, Cardinal Breathes Life Into Debate on Priestly Celibacy". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/nyregion/22egan.html. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
^ Babb, Lawrence A. (1987). Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0706925637. "Sexual intercourse is unnecessary for reproduction because the souls that enter the world during the first half of the Cycle are in possession of a special yogic power (yog bal) by which they conceive children"
^ Barrett, David V (2001). The New Believers. Cassell & Co. pp. 265. ISBN 0-304-35592-5.
^ Baba, Meher (1967). Discourses. 1. San Francisco: Sufism Reoriented. p. 144-45. ISBN 978-1880619094.
^ Baba, Meher (1967). Discourses. 1. San Francisco: Sufism Reoriented. p. 145. ISBN 978-1880619094.
^ Baba, Meher (1967). Discourses. 1. San Francisco: Sufism Reoriented. p. 146. ISBN 978-1880619094.
^ "celibacy", The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed.,vol 3 Chicago, 2007.

External links

v d e Human sexuality and sexology

Sexual relationship phenomena	Single person · Sexual partner · Sex life · Platonic love · Romance (love) · Promiscuity · Asexuality · Celibacy · Involuntary celibacy · Free love · Casual relationship · Polyamory · Sexual ethics · Sexual abstinence

Sexual dynamics	Sexual capital · Physical attractiveness · Sexual attraction · Hypergamy

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Translations:

Celibacy

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - cølibat

Nederlands (Dutch)
celibaat, seksuele onthouding

Français (French)
n. - célibat, chasteté

Deutsch (German)
n. - Zölibat, Ehelosigkeit

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - άγαμος βίος, εργενιλίκι

Italiano (Italian)
celibato

Português (Portuguese)
n. - celibato (m)

Русский (Russian)
безбрачие, сексуальное воздержание

Español (Spanish)
n. - celibato, soltería

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - celibat

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
独身生活

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 獨身生活

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 금욕, 독신, 독신주의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 独身, 独身主義

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عزوبه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮רווקות, פרישות‬

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