Hello everyone.
I was wondering if someone would kindly give me the key points as to why the Church is against the ordination of women priests.
Many thanks.
ps. I realized my topic on sex had 1071 hits. That's brilliant. I'm absolutely chuffed at that. Let's see if it can hit the 2000 mark. If it does, i'll donate 50 dollars to charity.
Comments
I was wondering if someone would kindly give me the key points as to why the Church is against the ordination of women priests.
The reasons against women priests are many, but the most basic reason is that there has never been any women priests.
In the Old Testament, only men were admitted to the Levitical priesthood. In the New Testament, only men were chosen to become Apostles. The Holy Apostle were the first Bishops of the Church. They in turn appointed other Bishops and priests. There is no record of there having been appointed a woman to the priesthood at any time in Church history.
If the priesthood was open to women, there would have been some indication of this either in Scripture or in the practice of the Church.
Here's a link on H.H. Pope Shenouda III's book called Homosexuality, Ordination of Women:
http://tasbeha.org/content/hh_books/ordofwom/index.html
Yes, but why??
One argument centres around the idea of the priest being an 'icon' of Christ, Who, when He took flesh, became a man, not a woman.
Of course, the argument goes deeper than this, but I don't consider myself qualified enough to elaborate on it.
It says "Aaron and his sons" not sons and daughters. It has nothing to do with clean/unclean/period/not period (this is a different issue). The commandment was clear that it was Aaron and his sons.
I asked my FoC and he told me that women were not present when the Holy Spirit landed on the apostles; nor were they there when God told them to preach to the world. But ok... so? Let's say they were not there... was it God's will, or was it their bad luck that they werent at the right place at the right time?
I believe the most Holy Theotokos was there on the day of Pentecost, so its not right to say women were absent. Just as the Holy Apostles recevied the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, so all of us receive Him through the Mystery of chrismation, which is performed on both men and women alike, and so I do not believe this is an issue relevant to the ordination of women. It certainly shows the importance given to women, that they were entrusted to tell the Holy Apostles of the resurrection. However, telling someone of an event is not the same, as you pointed out, as presiding over the holy Mysteries of the Church, imparting the grace of God to His people.
As I already pointed out, the priest is an icon of God so to speak - one always uses male language to describe God (Father, Son - not mother, daughter). Also, Christ became a man and not a woman at His Incarnation, since He was to recapitulate in Himself the first human, who was a man. I think this is significant as to why it is men and not women who are ordained to the holy priesthood.
Men were chosen to be the heads of the Church, women to be the hearts.
Remember, when God chose to symbolize his relationship to the Church, which is amazing, he chose man and woman.
18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
God created the man Adam first. God then made Adam dominant over all other living creatures He created. Then He created the woman from one of Adam's ribs (the heart is inside the rib cage) to be his helper, while comparable to him. God blessed both, but from the start each had a different task. In a living creature, the head and the heart cannot be separated and continue to survive, one organ cannot do what the other organ does but they do complement each other. It is frustrating to find that this topic got ONLY 1071 (I would expect not double but tripled hits). Donate 25 dollars to charity and hits will multiply.
Why were men chosen to be the heads? Even though that Priests resemble Christ who was a man, isnt it just symbolism? I mean, priests are men because Christ was a man??
Why do we use bread and wine in the Eucharist? Wine is not blood, nor is bread flesh, and - except for the fact that wine is a red liquid - they bear no resemblance to what they become in the Holy Mystery.
So why do we use them rather than pancakes and Fanta fruit twist? Because those were the symbols chosen by Christ when He instituted the Mystery in the upper room.
I don't see why you reject symbolism as an insufficient explanation.
and by the way,priesthood is not just a job.i don`t know how to explain it but saying it is a job is lowering it very much.we can`t say that standing in front of god and serving his holy body and blood is just a job.
forgive me if my english is not that good but i hope i have made my opinion clear.
2 answer this type ov Y Qs, special care 2 be given
rule:" there r no secrets, only hidden answers"
remember that God gave us his spirit which teach us everything & no need for us 2 be taught from any 1 else && reminds us with all what Jesus has told us ...... he opened his mouth & spoke about what was from the begining of the world hidden / not known ...
U also need 2 learn 2 pray 2 God 2 help u get ur answer & open ur mind 2 understand it "U can do nothing without me"
this may be thought of out of subject, yet it is the heart & soul 2 answer da Y Qs
woman that lovely creature, Y not 2 be "2 be or not 2 be, thats da Q"
it will help all ov us 2 answer 1st some Qs
1-->Y god created Man (Male) 1st?
2-->Y he came 2 earth / us as da word ov God, monogenesis (Man)?
3-->Y he punished da woman in such a way man is in an advatage over her?
4-->Y there r in the OLD TESTAMENT many examples which show man over woman attitude?
we also will be facing sth like this :
1->well i'm a person who has both genitalia (SHEMALE) can i go 4 it
2->i'm one who have genetic abnormality u no numerical abnormality that i have (xo, xxy, xxxy)wt about me
read da Bible well understand its meanings with da help ov the explanations approved by church & its council
dont count on ur self or else "if u keep doing wt u been doing, u would keep getting wt u've been getting" but once u got it it's neve lost
after all we r not here 2 lower women down, here is sth 2 cheer u up :" A woman is like a tree, isn't judged by da flowers she showes
but da fruits she makes"
and now i will stop writing that u can start reading
Please understand that Jesus Christ Fulfills the Law:
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Mathew 15
ps. I realized my topic on sex had 1071 hits. That's brilliant. I'm absolutely chuffed at that. Let's see if it can hit the 2000 mark. If it does, i'll donate 50 dollars to charity.
only $50!!! (it better be US$ not Aus$, better still, make it pounds!!)
http://www.suscopts.org/messages/lectures/sacrament4.pdf
The issue of monthly period, child bearing and host of other unique responsibilities of the woman may not be unconnected with this position.