Beliefs > Question & Answer > Marriage

Question

Are ecclesiastical leaders allowed to marry?

Response

Some churches in the world require their leaders to take vows of celibacy or agree to remain unmarried. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes celibacy is not of God, whose law is that: "Marriage is honorable in all." (Hebrews 13:4) and that men should "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." (Gen. 1:28) Paul wrote some things to the Corinthians that have been interpreted by some people to mean that he was unmarried and that he thought it was preferable if others didn't marry. The Latter-day Saints believe in modern day revelation, and believe that Paul himself was in fact married. Of this, we have no doubt. He had the sure promise of eternal life; or what is referred to as "his calling and election made sure" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p. 150) -- which, according to God's eternal laws, couldn't have happened unless he had first entered into the order of celestial marriage. (D&C 131;132) It makes me wonder if what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 7, has been changed or misinterpreted as compared to what he originally wrote. As I've pointed out in other answers, there are definitely contradictions within the Bible because of erroneous translations, etc. Any Bible scholar can attest to that. Paul says that certain people should not marry. He gives this as his opinion (plainly saying that it is a personal view and not the voice of the Lord). It may be that he was referring to some particular persons for whom it would have been unwise to contract marriages. Former President Ezra Taft Benson, agreeing with Paul's proclamation, said that a young man should not marry until after he has completed an honorable full-time mission for the Lord. Paul understood the doctrine of celestial marriage and exaltation, so it's unthinkable that he would counsel against marriage completely, except in some peculiar circumstance. There might be cases today in which individuals should not marry, but it is not the general rule, and the principle of not marrying is not the doctrine of the Church now, any more than it was in his day. If we knew the situation which Paul wrote about, and had a full transcript of his actual words, there would be no ambiguity as to his meaning and doctrine. Regardless of this though, even as the record stands, it doesn't support celibacy; and when it is read in harmony with the rest of the scriptures (which you should always do when interpreting scripture), it's found to teach quite the opposite. With the confusion of some of Paul's statements though, his direct confirmation of the everlasting principle of eternal marriage: "Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord," (1 Corinthians 11:11) tells us that marriage is a God-given privilege to all. It was considered that those who were married became more subjected to the assaults of evil spirits than those who lived in celibacy. Those who were appointed to teach and govern others were supposed to be better qualified for their work if they had no relations with the opposite sex. It's interesting to note that during the first century, this was not a commandment by any formal regulation of the church. History tells us that in the eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII enacted the law upon the clergy. Having stated all of these points, please keep in mind that there is no condemnation intended with anything or anyone on how they profess to practice their religion. I affirm that, "We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." (Eleventh Article of Faith) The Pope is a wonderful man and has done so much good in the world as have many members of the Catholic clergy. I admire anyone who has such a strong conviction to serve God in the ways that they deem to be correct. My only difficulty with this practice is that if I believe that my Heavenly Father wants me to be eternally happy, I can't think of a happier condition than to have my wife and our children united together in love and joy for not only this life, but for eternity. I can't even imagine living the rest of eternity without their companionship. These are the kinds of gifts we believe our Father in Heaven intended us to have. Those who are worthy to enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage in the temple for time and all eternity will be laying the first cornerstone for an eternal family home in the celestial kingdom that will last forever. Their reward is to have: "glory added upon their heads forever and forever." (Abraham 3:26) A civil marriage, on the other hand, is an earthly contract that is completed, as it states, "Till death do you part." A celestial marriage, consecrated in the holy temple by servants of God who hold authoritative keys, bridges death; it includes both time and eternity. Those who have been married in the temples for eternity know that the ceremony itself expressly conditions them for all promised blessings conditional upon their faithfulness. Sincerely, Donny Osmond See related multimedia presentations

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