The Case for the Gentile Christian Monastery (a/ k/a Christian Union).
Appendix to Gentile Christian by Philip McPherson Rudisill (Edited 12/19/2010)
The primary basis for the thinking here is Matthew 18:19-20, concerning the agreement of two followers of Jesus being recognized by God in heaven.
The monastery (today called a "civil union" in the secular world) is a commitment which is so akin to the marriage that the marriage can be considered as merely a special case of that. In the monastery the same commitment takes place as in a marriage. The only difference is that since a monastery includes two (or, conceivably, three) of the same sex and since the marriage encompasses two of both sexes, the marriage is preferred for the raising of children.* Monasteries can be utilized to raise children if there are not enough marriages for all children at any given time.
[* This is due entirely to the right of children to be raised by both sexes in order to become familiar with both sorts of adults. However this right must be subjugated to the welfare of a child and so, for example, where it is better for the child to be raised by a single parent in order to avoid trauma. And so this right is more symbolic than actual, and serves to stress the interest of children in exposure to both sexes. It might be expressed so: all else being equal the marriage would be ahead of the monastery in the line for the adoption of children.]
As a practical matter (at least until humans develop greater self discipline) the unions should be only two people, either the same or opposite sex. And in any case a monastery of three would always be of the same sex, i.e., three men or three women.
Conceptually then a marriage and a monastery are identical, except the marriage is a special case of one man and one woman, while a monastery would be two (or three) of the same sex.
Return to essay on the Liberty of the Gentile Christian.
To contact the author, please e-mail: pmr**kantwesley.com (note: the ** must be replaced by @)
Return To Appendices of Gentile Christians