Poll of a Billion Monkeys

Monday, October 16, 2006

Peharim - How I would Reform the Priesthood

Pesharim - How I would Reform the Priesthood


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1. Celibacy would be optional. It would be neither encouraged nor discouraged, but would be considered a high personal honor, yet freely chosen or not chosen. Married priests would be able to become Bishops as well but only celibate priests could become Archbishops.

2. Priests would be able to engage in enterprises and co-ops and investments in order to generate funds and to raise Capital and to build businesses. Such businesses and enterprises and investments would have to be of a high moral nature of course and be dedicated to God but priests would be encouraged to become more actively involved in the world economically and financially.

3. Each married priest would be encouraged to undergo a 30 day period of personal celibacy each year working out the details with his wife of course.

4. I would greatly encourage the development of Lay Priests to assist the priest and to serve in functions in which a priest could not.

5. I would place far greater importance on Confession and in confession I would do away with penance in favor of Repentance, Reform and Restitution.

6. Once every three to five years I would require every priest to go on Sabbatical to a monastery and Order of his choice for a sabbatical period of between one month and one year.

7. I would encourage Parish and local Priests to be the representatives of the church to local governmental and political representatives and agencies. Bishoprics and Archbishoprics would be forbidden to become directly involved in governmental affairs at their level. Rather Bishops and Archbishops would be involved with and be liaisons to businesses, corporations, educational and charitable institutions.

8. I would encourage priests, bishops and archbishops to spend part of their time in service to parishes and churches outside their own nation.

9. I would encourage priests, bishops and archbishops to put aside their offices, collars and robes at some point in their career to spend a period of time in service to the poor and the sick. I would also require that they spend part of their career as missionaries, dressed in normal street clothes.

10. I would allow and encourage the development of Priestesses as long as such a Priestess met all of the same requirements as a male Priest, accounting for gender differences of course.

11. I would encourage Ecumenical activities on the parts of local and parish Priests.

12. I would reform the Parish and Service/Station system.

13. I would reform the funding/donation/charity system to make it as transparent as possible.

14. I would reform the pay system so that priests who are considered exceptionally good (or Bishops or Archbishops for that matter) could receive higher salaries and could earn pay directly from local sources.

15. I would encourage each priest to contribute 15% of all incomes received from investments or enterprises and all salaries received from work to church and charity. Each Bishop would be encouraged to give 20% of all monies received and each Archbishop 25% of all monies earned or received to church and charity.

16. At death I would encourage all priests, bishops and archbishops to give away any monies not inherited by wife or children to church and charities.

17. I would require that at some point during his priestly career each and every priest live for a short period of time on charity and alms.

18. I would encourage far greater involvement in scientific activities, research and experimentation among priests. I would return Science to the church from which it originated, maybe even creating an Order of Scientific Priests.

19. I would encourage the development and study of Art in the Priesthood. Perhaps even creating an Order of Priests dedicated to the study, development and production of Sacred Art, Film, Letters, and Culture.I may think of others later.

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