ROSHANNA - I have been told that Bishops must be married. I was told this was so they could counsiI women without the fear of there being some kind of "involvment". That doesn't seem right to me as married men stray too. It depends on the man. I realize that the norm for people in the church is to be married But surely there are righteous single men. I don't see why being married would make one more righteous. So is the Bishop "having" to be married in the church handbook or just the norm?

JOEL - I believe this is mentioned in a handbook somewhere, but that's not the only reason. Bishops are married because that is how it was set forth in the scriptures from the very begining. In the New Testament we read:

"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;" (1 Tim. 3: 2)

Church leaders have interpreted this scripture to mean a Bishop must be a married man. The reason you mention is somewhere further down the list of reasons of why he should be married. Being married does not make one more righteous but it does make him more experienced at knowing what marriage is about so he can intelligently counsel other members who may be struggling in their marriages. A Bishop will have been endowed in the temple and sealed to an eternal companion and will therefore understand the sacred covenants that are involved in a marriage. A Bishop also needs the love and support of an eternal companion to help him fulfill his calling. Being married is not a guarantee that nothing inappropriate would ever happen but it certainly helps if the Bishop is truely devoted to a spouse that he would never want to be unfaithful to. Only men with stable loving marriages are chosen to be Bishops. Occaisionally a widower will be chosen as a Bishop, but it will be a man who was sealed to his wife in a Temple.