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.
Though the term celibacy can sometimes be used to refer simply to being unmarried, this usage is not common today.
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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]
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]
The rule of celibacy in the Buddhist religion, whether Mahayana or Theravada, has a long history. Celibacy was advocated as an ideal rule of life for all monks and nuns by Gautama Buddha, except for Japan where it is not strictly followed due to historical political developments following the Meiji Restoration.
In Japan, celibacy was an ideal among Buddhist clerics for thousands of years. But violations of clerical celibacy were so common and so common for so long that, finally, in 1872, state laws made marriage legal for Buddhist clerics. Subsequently, ninety percent of Buddhist monks/ clerics married[11]
Gautama, later known as the Buddha, is very well known for his renunciation of his wife, Princess Yasodharā, and son, Rahula. In order to pursue an ascetic life, he needed to renounce aspects of the impermanent world, including his wife and son. Later on both his wife and son joined the ascetic community and are mentioned in the Buddhist texts to have become enlightened.
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:
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:
"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:
One should not:
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:
"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):
"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:
"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:
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 cosider illogical that so called beauty of a woman's body as an argument to stay celibate:
Having seen the supposed beauty of a woman's heavy breasts and her thin waist, do not become agitated and illusioned, for these attractive features are simply transformations of fat, flesh and various other disgusting ingredients. One should consider this in your mind again and again.
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, 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]
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. 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 oftentimes 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.
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.
Islam does not promote celibacy; rather it condemns premarital sex. In fact, according to Islam, marriage enables one to attain the highest form of righteousness within this sacred spiritual bond. It disagrees with the concept that marriage acts as a form of distraction in attaining nearness to God. The Qur'an (57:27) states, "But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them but only to please Allah therewith, but that they did not observe it with the right observance."
The following sayings about the Prophet also address celibacy:
"There have been people who have come to the prophet and explained how they love to be engaged in prayer and fasting for the sake of God. The Prophet Mohammed told them that, despite this being good, it is also a blessing to raise a family, to remain moderate and not to concentrate too much on one aspect as not only can this be unhealthy for an individual as well as upon society, it may also take one away from God."
"The Prophet Muhammad said that he who does not do nikah (marry) is not from me (does not follow my example)."
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]
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]
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