To: B.R. Burton
Celibacy is different from chastityIncorrect. The words are synonyms. All single Christians are called to live lives of celibacy/chastity outside of marriage. Sex outside of marriage, known throughout Scripture as fornication, is a sin. One could rightly define it as a doctrine of the devil. Although, from reading your convoluted logic, you probably don't.
celibacy (sèl´e-be-sê) noun
1. Abstinence from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows.
2. The condition of being unmarried.
chastity (chàs´tî-tê) noun
1. The condition or quality of being pure or chaste.
2. a. Virginity. b. Virtuous character. c. Celibacy.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.
To: SMEDLEYBUTLER
"Sex outside of marriage, known throughout Scripture as fornication, is a sin. One could rightly define it as a doctrine of the devil. Although, from reading your convoluted logic, you probably don't."
Apparently name-calling isn't a problem, but fornication is most certainly a sin.
"from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language"
Of course you know in the English language that the same word can mean different things in different contexts, and that synonyms do not always imply an exactitude of meaning - chaste and celibate can be synonyms, but my point is that celibacy - in terms of lifelong abstaining from marriage, is different from the daily Christian abstaining from intercourse. If you want to get technical in etymology, that's one thing, but we are talking of theological concepts, and I used two different words to explain two different concepts, which is perfectly acceptble in the English language.
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