Body of persons, such as priests, who are trained and ordained for religious service.
Used in a Sentence
clergy
Definition, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for clergy.
Editorial note
Similarly, no member of the clergy is forced to marry gay couples.
Examples19
Definitions1
Parts of speech1
Quick take
Body of persons, such as priests, who are trained and ordained for religious service.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of clergy gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for clergy.
noun
Body of persons, such as priests, who are trained and ordained for religious service.
Example sentences
Similarly, no member of the clergy is forced to marry gay couples.
The clergy aren't representatives of those states and so they can refuse, without legal consequence, to perform services they object to.
ETA: clergy have [citation needed] been prosecuted for refusing to perform weddings based on race.
And yet, many pioneers of science were religious, some even members of the clergy.
The government lets clergy also officiate civil marriage but it doesn't have to.
In many ways it's like saying the clergy are atheists sure some of them are, but there is strong!atheist selection pressure going on.
Even today, Catholic clergy won't perform many opposite-sex marriages unless certain conditions are met, like having it in a Catholic church and requiring pre-marriage counseling.
Hell, Catholic clergy won't marry non-Catholics, Catholics who've divorced, etc.
Note here that MLK actually took the time to reply to his fellow clergy, people also devoted, at least in theory, to making the world better.
And, by same reasoning, the consequences to clergy are...?
What makes this funnier / ironic is that this shop is located near Notre-Dame, in a neighborhood that used to be reserved to members of the clergy.
It seems to me they act much like the clergy in days gone by; privileged, empowered, completely based on faith, and questioning them is heresy!
Quote examples
So what happens to clergy who refuse to perform such "weddings" on religious grounds?
> So what happens to clergy who refuse to perform such "weddings" on religious grounds?
- "But the censor comes from the people." - "Yeah, but it's different." 2 - Kings and members of the Clergy in Europe back in the day.
Consider the words of (19th century general) Santa Anna: "[The Mexican people] do not know what [liberty] is, unenlightened as they are, and under the influence of a Catholic clergy, a despotism is the proper government for them, but there is no reason why it should not be a wise and virtuous one." But at some point along the way, it became clear that to have any legitimacy, you have to have some kind of election.
Proper noun examples
Clergy in the US can still refuse to officiate interracial marriage for instance.
Clergy are not public accommodations and are not subject to non-discrimination law.
Clergy have a lot of leeway in who they can refuse.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use clergy in a sentence?
Similarly, no member of the clergy is forced to marry gay couples.
What does clergy mean?
Body of persons, such as priests, who are trained and ordained for religious service.
What part of speech is clergy?
clergy is commonly used as noun.