Orthodox, celibate, gay and that's OK | David Benkof | The Blogs

Contents:

• THE GAY ORTHODOX UNRGROUND
• GAY MARRIAGE AND EASTERN ORTHODOXY
• ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS WHO STRONGLY FAVOR OR FAVOR GAY MARRIAGE
• EASTERN ORTHODOX STUDI UN, GAY MEN AND RELIGN UN, AND QUEER STUDI RELIGN UN
• ORTHODOX, CELIBATE, GAY AND THAT’S OK
• CIVIL UNNS BY ANOTHER NAME: AN EASTERN ORTHODOX DEFENSE OF GAY MARRIAGE

THE GAY ORTHODOX UNRGROUND

For example, the Greek Orthodox Archdce lists homosexualy bi fornitn, adultery, abortn and abive sexual behavr as “immoral and appropriate forms of behavr and of themselv, and also bee they attack the stutn of marriage and the fay. There, Orthodox Christians are more acceptg of the practice; more than half (54% as of 2014) favor allowg gay and lbian upl to marry legally, almost mirrorg the share of Amerin adults overall who took this posn 2014 (53%). As is te for homosexualy and same-sex marriage, Orthodox Christians former Soviet republics are somewhat more nservative on the legaly of abortn than are other Orthodox Christians Eastern Europe.

While more recent surveys did not ask Orthodox Ethpians about homosexualy, same-sex marriage or abortn, a 2008 Pew Rearch Center survey did ask this group about the moraly of “homosexual behavr, ” of “havg an abortn, ” and other behavrs. Orthodox Christians Ethpia are more likely than those most Eastern European untri to raise moral objectns to several of the behavrs, although Orthodox Christians Eastern Europe – both former Soviet republics and elsewhere – also wily see homosexual behavr and prostutn as morally wrong. A repentant, stgglg homosexual who reas om homosexual acts n be received to the church after the ual urse of stctn, but he or she would do bt to keep this matter the nfsnal, jt as is mon wh every other s.

GAY MARRIAGE AND EASTERN ORTHODOXY

It’s not jt homosexualy; the Orthodox Church oppos today’s cultural permissivens the area of sexualy generally, pecially wh regard to habatn, promiscuy, and var forms of eroticism. One of the most emotnal, moral, and polilly charged issu the Uned Stat (and the world at large) has alt wh over the last 35 years or so has been that of homosexualy and the rights of those cizens who have openly intified themselv as homosexual or gay.

The basic premise for dog so is that although the Church's posn on homosexualy has not changed and may be rtated, the Church's ultimate ncern has always been for the people who are engaged this activy or have intified themselv as homosexuals. Startg wh Genis 19 where there is reference to homosexual activy among the men Sodom (hence the term sodomy), as well as Levic (18:22, 20:13) which mak reference to the adopted "Hols Co" and the penalty for such an actn—"If there is a man who li wh a male as those be wh a woman, both of them have mted a ttable act"—was ath. Do not be ceived; neher the immoral nor the idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals (arsenokoai), nor thiev, nor the greedy, nor dnkards, nor revilers, nor robbers shall her the kgdom of God.

A homosexual person is one who feels sexual sire for and a sexual rponsivens to persons of the same sex and who seeks or would like to seek actual sexual fulfillment of this sire by sexual acts wh a person of the same sex. This is a signifint pot that the wrgs that have been ced th far nmn the actns of people and this way there is a "clear distctn between homosexual acts and a ndn a person attractg them to the acts.

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS WHO STRONGLY FAVOR OR FAVOR GAY MARRIAGE

A nice summary statement that n be offered: "The Orthodox Church do not nmn the person who keeps this propensy [homosexualy] check, and misters to homosexuals who wish to fd release om this clatn.

In sence, bee homosexualy is "psychosexual" therefore, is a batn of a mdset (which is ntrary to Church teachg) that manifts self sful sexual activy, jt as the other sexual ss mentned beforehand.

Gee Morelli, speakg at an Orthodox Christian Associatn of Medice, Psychology, and Relign (OCAMPR) nference at Holy Cross School of Theology November 2006 stat, "In our day, effort is beg ma to create a moral pary between heterosexualy and homosexualy.

EASTERN ORTHODOX STUDI UN, GAY MEN AND RELIGN UN, AND QUEER STUDI RELIGN UN

What is to be unrstood is that the Church is not nmng or discrimatg agast homosexuals but rather their activy which is nsired to be agast her teachg the same way other passns are. "5 Although this scientific rearch pots to a geic orig or blogil disposn to homosexualy the same argument n be ma for heterosexual passns as well—adultery, for example—where studi show that mal are more pre-disposed to havg multiple partners vers women. To e Jane Jabs' termology6, the "guardians" of our society are charged wh enforcg the laws of our untry, thereby protectg all of s cizens cludg homosexuals that have been discrimated agast.

"The spirual weapons clu prayer, worship, readg of Scripture and patristic wrgs, fastg, Holy Confsn, Christian fellowship, as well as pastoral and psychiatric unselg which should be ed by all cludg those who suffer om homosexual tennci.... In a shockg sermon (ironilly livered on the Sunday of Fivens Vpers markg the start of Orthodox Great Lent), Kirill ced the prevalence of gay pri paras outsi Rsia as the fg symbol of the Wt’s sli to unrepentant s.

ORTHODOX, CELIBATE, GAY AND THAT’S OK

Papanikol elaborat an ascetic, homoerotic sexual ethics that creatively circumvents many of the standard ecclial arguments agast LGBT cln—as well as some of the most mon arguments for . What good do the voic of a small group of amics and prits agreeg that “y, thgs should be better for LGBT people the Church somehow, someday, ” do the face of one of the most powerful Orthodox lears openly jtifyg an illegal war wh homophobia?

The persons say that the Bible and Church Tradn do not nmn homosexual behavur, but have been misterpreted and mised, sometim unknowgly and other tim que willfully, by prejudiced and hostile people who hate homosexuals. Other homosexual Christians hold that their sexual orientatn is not om God – except provintially, sce the Lord’s plan evably volv human eedom and s but riv om human flt.

The people hold that they are lled by God to stggle agast their homosexual tennci as all people are lled to stggle agast the sful passns which they fd wh themselv, while they work to heal the of their disorientatn and disease.

CIVIL UNNS BY ANOTHER NAME: AN EASTERN ORTHODOX DEFENSE OF GAY MARRIAGE

Given the tradnal Orthodox unrstandg of the Old and New Ttament scriptur as exprsed the Church’s lurgil worship, sacramental r, nonil regulatns and liv and teachgs of the sats, is clear that the Orthodox Church intifi solidly wh those Christians, homosexual and heterosexual, who nsir homosexual orientatn as a disorr and disease, and who therefore nsir homosexual actns as sful and stctive. Do not be ceived; neher the sexually immoral (or fornitors), nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals (or sodom; lerally those who have , or who sleep, wh men), nor thiev, nor the greedy, nor dnkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will her the kgdom of God.

It is not ma any easier by the mdls, tly monic hatred of those who spise and ridicule those who rry this paful and burnsome cross; nor by the mdls, equally monic affirmatn of homosexual activy by s misguid advot and enablers. Like all temptatns, passns and ss, cludg those eply, and oftentim seemgly libly embedd our nature by our sorrowful herance, homosexual orientatn n be cured and homosexual actns n cease.