Monasticism – Monks, Nuns  – ( Holy Orders )

Hermits & Monastics

ACT  2: 44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 
ACT  2: 45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 

Monasticism is Christian, not Catholic. Hermits, then monastics, were in existence long before the Orthodox/Catholic Church began to take shape.  Most prophets lived reclusively in the desert; and all the greats of the early books were called to seclusion by God, so that he may speak to them.   Try to stay in a room for 30 days just praying, reading the Bible, eating and drinking with measure and fasting, and find out what a great experience this is.
 

CHRIST ANSWERED

Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 
Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 
Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 
Luk 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
 

DENY THYSELF AND FOLLOW ME

Do this to the very meaning of the quote, on your own, and you’ve got a Hermit.  Do this to the very meaning of the quote, with a number of others, and you got what we know as a ‘Monastery’ a ‘Convent’. 

Monasteries are not necessarily composed of monks or nuns but, before the Catholic church started to exploit monasticism there were many Christians living such a life, just as God-obeying Christians.

The Early Christian’s (not church)  adapted the ‘Monk/Nun’.   They take vows of Celibacy, Poverty, and Obedience. 
The latter should be ‘Obedience to the law of God’ not the perversions of men as is so often the case in monasteries.  But ‘The Monk / Nun’ in principle does not contradict Christ, as their way of live does not contradict the doctrine of Christ. 

So, man or woman living in these places we know as monasteries, need not be Monks and Nuns, but they can be Christians living a life of obedience to God and, if not married or engaged, they commit no adultery or fornication (sexual intercourse with engaged or married persons) of course.  During the early years of Christianity,  this was prevalent, before the Commercial Church with all their money started to build monastic orders and overwhelmed the originals: for many are called but few are chosen!

Protestants erroneously discarded monasticism; mainly through their adherence to Martin Luther who ditched this practice,

motivated by his unpleasant experiences with monasticism. Those days corruption and murder were very common in the Roman Catholic Church.  So it is not monasticism but the people/churches running the orders that are the offenders. Because the Catholic church allowed them to develop into virtual brothels does not declare them unsound in sound hands. 

Search monastic history and read about the perversions that ruled the houses: priest (so-called) demanding sex in return for forgiveness of sin!  And yes, people were as stupid as to grant them it!  Until near the end of the first millennium,  people had enough and destroyed many of the so-called holy orders. Though the orders returned after the 11th century, they were no lesser corrupt than their predecessors, and soon the people and governors turned upon them again, plundered them, taking their lands, belongings and properties. 

It must be understood that, unlike Benedict’s statement that the most valiant of monks are those who live in monastic orders, the most valiant of monks, in fact, are those who follow the law of God and walk in the commandments, no matter what kind of monk they are.
 

THE ABBOT

A Catholic contortion of a Christian invention. 
This is the overseer of the governing rule of the monastery. He is elected by the group, and is the dominant figure whom will sit at a separate table, receive an apartment, or live in a house away from the monastery; at all times subduing the monks to the rule, as thus they have chosen to serve God. In the old days this was often in humiliation, suffering abuses designed by men ( a clear misinterpretation of peters: “to subject your self to every evil of men” ) this quote, no doubt, refers to evil that by chance may come upon you, not you voluntarily walking into evils concocted by men. And then Peter also thought them what Jesus taught him: “that all must be equal”. 

Subduction and Sado-masochism were really brought to live in monasteries: monks were punished, whipped, ordered to chastise themselves etc., for the perverse joys of others…and themselves, if they were, or became masochists. 

Many people joined these orders to indulge in their fetish and perversions as the base of the entry rules was and still is: “if one calls 3 times at the door, let him in”.  Many of these persons would happily call six times to get in.    

Benedict of Nursia, by no means held an apartment in the monastery he was invited to run, but lived on equal foot with the monks, (though he had a separate room and sat at a separate table); neither did he had any other privilege than administrator of his rule (which in fact is not a privilege).   So, though Benedictines go by the name, their ancient brothers, having failed to kill Benedict with poison,  today they have little more than nothing in common with this man.

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BUT ONE WAY TO OBTAIN HOLINESS

One thing should be clear to all people: no man obtains holiness by separating himself from women, for it is not that women defile man, but men defile themselves.  Man and woman he made them, to live in love together.  

Christ:  “it’s not what goes into a man that defiles a man, but it’s that which comes out of a man that defiles a man.”  Meaning: the actions which originate from within ourselves defile us. These are the corrupted, wicked, deceitful, lascivious, decisions we take by choice.

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So, though we are not told to become Monks and neither are we told to join Holy Orders, we are told to deny our selves for Christ. 

So, wherever in Christianity we are going to make our home  – as Minister, Disciple, Monastic etc. we must obey this order to deny our self to an acceptable extent to God.  To deny ourselves luxuries and some things of the earth while we fornicate even with our eyes, is not acceptable to God.  But first and foremost we must understand that to deny ourselves to an acceptable extent is to follow the 12 commandments of God, (in which 90% of the repentance process is contained) and repent and baptise in the name of Jesus Christ: for upon this stands the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ who said: “Transgression against one of the commandments is transgression against all of the commandments.