I visited a Catholic website yesterday--I do not remember its name--and the author of a piece there declared that we know that "marriage is morally inferior to celibacy."

This statement shocked me!

I am guessing that the author took this conjecture from a (rather questionable) reading of I Corinthians 7:8f.

Of course, priests have remained unmarried for about a millennium now.

But if the statement referenced were correct, it would mean that most Christians marry only--or, at least, principally--to enjoy sanctioned sex.

It would also mean that most pastors--after all, most are married men--are "morally inferior" to Catholic priests.

Is this really a message that we wish to set forth, in a time of ecumenism?

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"In his second inaugural address, [Franklin D.] Roosevelt sought 'unimagined power' to enforce the 'proper subordination' of private power to public power. He got it…"—George Will, July 8, 2007

I would need see some details...

One hypothesis (for me, at least) is that, TODAY, "marriage" may be inferior because it has become so secular..."'Til death do us part" has become "Until you don't feel like it anymore" (with "no fault divorce") and the "perfect marriage" has more to do with culture and status than an agreement with God...The religious aspect of marriage is almost an afterthought...

...IMO...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

I would say that the two above have their separate morals, and cannot be pitched against each other. My opinion.

Since marriage is one of the 7 sacraments, the author is completely wrong
The Roman Catholic Church has seven holy sacraments that are seen as mystical channels of divine grace, instituted by Christ. Each is celebrated with a visible rite, which reflects the invisible, spiritual essence of the sacrament.

Seven sacraments(in no particular order or importance):
Baptism.
Eucharist.
Confirmation.
Reconciliation.
Anointing of the sick.
Marriage.
Holy orders.

Marriage is a sacrament that a baptized man and a baptized woman administer to each other through their marriage vows and lifelong partnership. Given that to a Catholic sacramental marriage reflects the union of Christ with the church as his mystical body, marriage is understood to be an indissoluble union. The rite commonly takes place during a mass, with a priest serving as the minister of the mass and as a witness to the mutual consent of the couple. The marriage union is used to sanctify both the husband and wife by drawing them into a deeper understanding of God’s love and is intended to be fruitful, with any children to be raised within the teachings of the church.

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“Hate is like an acid. It damages the vessel in which it’s stored and destroys the vessels on which it’s poured.”

This is certainly true.

I have heard it said (and I cannot verify this) that the upper class and the lower class frequently skip marriage altogether, and just live together; whereas the middle class is much more likely to get married.

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"In his second inaugural address, [Franklin D.] Roosevelt sought 'unimagined power' to enforce the 'proper subordination' of private power to public power. He got it…"—George Will, July 8, 2007

Interesting....

The vast majority have general rules but the fringe on either end plays their own game....


I can see the truth in that...

The Catholic church today has bigger fish to fry internally in my opinion....

The older conservative fire and brimstone guilt complex is melting away....