in 1st Corinthians, Paul is all across the board on whether it’s okay for a Christian to eat food offered to Pagan god

[AgnosticBoy]

Thecla, I think

Cephas is Peter. And why then do Catholics make a big deal about a priest not getting married?

And I think the answer is tradition, no more, no less. I wish abstinence was viewed as one valid choice, but not the only valid choice.

I believe Paul made it about devotion to God.

1 Corinthians 7:32-35
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

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You also hit the nail on the head about how the Catholic Church has made tradition into a moral standard. Clearly, this is not something that Paul intended it to be. Even more interestingly, Paul was making this point about "time being short" and "the word is passing away" (in vss 29-30 of the same chapter). I question if he would've offered that same advice if he knew the world would not yet end during his lifetime.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

1 Corinthians 7:32-35
32 . . . An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs . . . . . 34 . . . An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs . . .

In this passage at least, Paul pretty clearly thinks marriage is 2nd best.

PS I’m not sure why the woman is expected to be a virgin when the man is not!

I question if he would've offered that same advice if he knew the world would not yet end during his lifetime.

I think he’d probably change his views.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Google AI, which letters are we highly confident the Apostle Paul wrote and what are their estimated dates?

“Academic consensus holds that the Apostle Paul is the authentic author of seven letters in the New Testament, often called the "undisputed" or "genuine" Pauline epistles. The other six letters traditionally attributed to him are considered by most scholars to be pseudepigraphic, written by later followers.“

“Here are the undisputed letters with their estimated dates:

• Galatians: c. 48 AD
• 1 Thessalonians: c. 49–51 AD
• 1 Corinthians: c. 53–54 AD
• 2 Corinthians: c. 55–56 AD
• Romans: c. 55–57 AD
• Philippians: c. 57–59 AD (or potentially later, c. 62 AD)
• Philemon: c. 57–59 AD (or potentially later, c. 62 AD)”

Please note, I switched the order of Galatians and 1st Thessalonians, putting Galatians first as it has the earliest date. I have no idea why Google AI put Galatians second.

——————

And these dates are earlier than the dates estimated for the four gospels.

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Now, someone could certainly argue that “academic consensus” is timid, “safe,” and conformist. Sure, some of the time. Other times, I think scholars get things approximately right.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

I think religion is fine as metaphor, and as familiar words for marriage and birth [not necessarily in that order!], and for funerals which are also part of the natural flow of life.

The problem is that teenagers take all this seriously. And this was certainly the case with me.

 

[Scooter]

The problem is that teenagers take all this seriously. And this was certainly the case with me.

That’s not the problem. That is the solution.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Let me tell you, this whole business about the “promptings” of the Holy Spirit rocked my world and not in a good way. And add to this … worrying about “disobedience” to the Holy Spirit, and it made for a pretty bad situation.

What would NOT have helped would have been an adult preaching moderation even while saying it was true.

What would HAVE helped would be an adult letting me know that a lot of religions have hit upon the Golden Rule. This seems to be something human beings are capable of rediscovering. AND adding that none of the religions get it completely right, maybe not even mostly right. Meaning that none of the religions are really true.

But we can STILL live thoroughly worthwhile lives. Certainly, freer lives. And more real lives. And there is ample reason for cooperative behavior with others in a back-and-forth “ping-ponging” way.

Meaning, we can do ethics without some “Sky Daddy” type of character.

 

[Scooter]

Let me tell you, this whole business about the “promptings” of the Holy Spirit rocked my world and not in a good way. And add to this … worrying about “disobedience” to the Holy Spirit, and it made for a pretty bad situation.

Just because you were incorrectly taught doesn’t mean there is a flaw in the faith. The flaw apparently was in the instructions. If I was taught 2 + 2 = 5 the problem is not in mathematics, but in the teaching.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

I question if he would've offered that same advice if he knew the world would not yet end during his lifetime.

I think he’d probably change his views.

I would hope so. But then what's the excuse of the Catholic Church? The end of the world wasn't expected when they were the ones left ruling after taking over the Roman Empire. I agree with you that they use tradition to justify priests staying single, but it's a shame that they don't revisit that issue.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

The problem is that teenagers take all this seriously. And this was certainly the case with me.

That’s not the problem. That is the solution.

As a teenager, I wish I was taught more about why I should be a Christian and how it would benefit my life, as opposed to just being given some routine and instructions to follow (go to Church on Sundays, say the Lord's prayer, etc).

ANd now look, as a non-believer I understand how certain (not all) biblical principles can impact my life, and now I follow those more now than I did as a believer. It's all because of my understanding of it now.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Just because you were incorrectly taught doesn’t mean there is a flaw in the faith.

The minister sometimes used the phrase, “obedience to the known will of God.”