Survey--please help.

[I.D.10-t]

It seems intuitive initially that 'bachelor' means 'unmarried man,'
but there do seem to be difficulties.

I don't think that people considered me a bachelor when I was engaged. Same with widow. Perhaps bachelor implies ability and intent towards marriage. The ability (reached the age of majority) and intent (would rather continue dating than get married). Hermit seems like an additional type of unmarried man but also has a very different meaning than bachelor.

So No.

Edit out overly redundant part.

[Innocent Bystander]

"A bachelor gay am I
Though I suffer from Cupid's dart
Never I vow will I say die
In spite of an aching heart..."

Maid of the Mountains

Ah, those were the days when a bachelor could be gay and still suffer from Cupid's dart...

Gays don't suffer from Cupid's dart?
Cupid's darts are exclusively heterosexual?
What evidence do you have for this?
I can't remember anything in particular, but I seem to remember stories about Cupid's quiver containing different arrows for different purposes.

[Joseph E. Smith]

Bachelor, in the strictest sense, yes. Jaded, in the general sense, a resounding yes.

If the Pope is "married" to God, then I suppose he isn't a bachelor. But I can't help thinking, that if the Pope is married to God, then there's a lot in the bible that is incongruous and needs reviewing and perhaps updating.

[Innocent Bystander]

Is he not married to God?

When discussing same-sex marriage, many people insist that marriage is between a man and a woman. As God is neither a man not a woman, the Pope can't be married to him.

This sounds like my Semantics class.

"Ultra-vires" contracts are null and void.

[Wombat]

Putting aside the philosophical issue for a while, I think the answer is obviously yes. The Pope is available too. Ex-priests can marry and I would assume that people who remain in the priesthood can marry in a civil ceremony. (Is that so?) The smart money is on the Pope remaining single of course.

There are one or two difficult cases for 'bachelor,' but most of the ones Jim listed could easily be handled by making a distinction between what we wouldn't say because it fails to be strictly and literally true and what we wouldn't say for other reasons—no conversational point, too obvious etc. The distinction isn't a purely philosophical one; you can coach anyone intelligent to draw it competently in a few minutes.

[jim stone]

Is he not married to God?

When discussing same-sex marriage, many people insist that marriage is between a man and a woman. As God is neither a man not a woman, the Pope can't be married to him.

This sounds like my Semantics class.

One of the persons that comprise God is Jesus, a man, no question.
As Jesus = God, according to the Doctrine of the Trinity, God
is gendered. To marry Jesus is to marry God, and vice versa.
Nuns wear a wedding ring and are brides of Christ.
If the Pope also marries God, he will be the husband of Christ.


I don't think the Pope is married to anybody or anything.
There is a metaphorical sense in which I'm, say, 'married'
to my work, but real marriage means being married to
SOMEONE. The Church isn't someone.
God is someone, but, as mentioned, when it comes
to priests marrying God, there are impediments.

[djm]

You're forgetting that popes in the past have also had children, both before and while serving in office. Past popes have had their male offspring inherit the papal office, as well. Perhaps using the pope as a basis for playing wordgames is a poor choice, as popeship is ill-defined, as well as marriage (e.g. your 40 year couple would still be considered married under common law).

The only thing your investigation can hope to prove is that there are many different impressions and interpretations of nebulous terms like "bachelor", "pope", "marriage", etc.

djm

[johnkerr]

Is the Pope a bachelor?

Actually, I'm pretty sure he has a higher degree. Doctorate, I believe...

[Joseph E. Smith]

Popes (and priests) weren't always required to be celebate. Frankly, I think it is time that this revision was binned.

[SteveShaw]

"A bachelor gay am I
Though I suffer from Cupid's dart
Never I vow will I say die
In spite of an aching heart..."

Maid of the Mountains

Ah, those were the days when a bachelor could be gay and still suffer from Cupid's dart...

Gays don't suffer from Cupid's dart?
Cupid's darts are exclusively heterosexual?
What evidence do you have for this?
I can't remember anything in particular, but I seem to remember stories about Cupid's quiver containing different arrows for different purposes.

Awkward sod! The chorus goes:

At seventeen, he falls in love quite madly with eyes of tender blue
At twenty-four, he gets it rather badly with eyes of a different hue
At thirty-five, you'll find him flirting madly with two or three or more;
When he fancies he is past love
It is then he meets his last love
And he loves her as he never loved before

Ah, they don't write 'em like that any more.

Go on - have a listen!

[djm]

Go on - have a listen!

The real reason for WWI was the bad music.

djm

[SteveShaw]

Go on - have a listen!

The real reason for WWI was the bad music.

djm

Bad music me fat arse! That was the legendary Peter Dawson singing that, the greatest Aussie to stride the face of this puny planet save Shane Warne. Listen again to his lovely diction and timing. He suffered from poor recorded sound of course (he died in 1961) but he was one of the most successful recording artists of all time and he wowed a damn sight more people than the Arctic Monkeys ever will (though possibly not quite as many as Shane McGowan). He spanned the whole of the era from cylinders via 78s to LPs. Music of its time and all that, sounding dated to our modern ears but no less good for that. Part of the soundtrack of me youth, he was (mainly because me mum and dad had about three records in total).

[Jack]

Is he not married to God?

When discussing same-sex marriage, many people insist that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Many people are ignorant of history.

[OnlyAnEgg]

Is he not married to God?

When discussing same-sex marriage, many people insist that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Many people are ignorant of history.

I'm sorry. Did I appear ignorant of same-sex marriages (historically) by that question? I must apologize, then.

[gonzo914]

Is he not married to God?

He's married to the Church.

Where is this "married to god" and "married to the church" coming from. I waded through the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Celebacy in the Clergy, and I didn't find any reference to that as a reason for maintaining clerical celebacy.