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Firstly, let’s be clear on what I’m NOT talking about. To begin, the Church has spoken on gay marriage; there’s no need for anyone, on any side of the discussion (for there are more than two sides in this), to bring this up. Indeed, I’d like to see the bishops formally muzzle discussion on gay marriage (as they did in re the tollhouse kerfuffle… they should reiterate their ban on tollhouse discussion, to muzzle the loud righties amongst us)… the Church gains nothing by rightwing asshats fulminating against it. We’ve made our decision, that’s that… there’s no need for further discussion, save to inflate the egos of the terminally ignorant and narcissistic (and those seeking to kiss the ass of their Republican and heterodox pals). Secondly, we should silence all those who attempt to propagate the notions of deluded “Evangelical” sectarians (they’re not Christians, that’s that, their ideas don’t belong in Christian circles).
We face a real moral dilemma that we can’t resolve by issuing cartoonish repetitions of heterodox fancies (both pro and con). We could begin by reflecting on HH’s statement, “The Church respects all human decisions, including those of sexual orientation. However, the Church reserves the right to call sin a ‘sin’”. This does NOT reiterate the juvenile and reductionist “Evangelical” trash mouthed by the Orthodox rightwing (we know who they are… Dreher, Reardon, Whiteford, and Potapov are their main spokesmen). It implies a nuanced and pastoral approach. I know that the Mother Church does NOT “excommunicate” homosexuals per se… yes, there are voices that advocate such, but no canonical or synodical action embodies such a notion. We have to take an attitude similar to HH’s… for instance, there’s a bitter feud between Archimandrite Rafail Karelin and Professor A I Osipov, yet HH respects both, and he’s rejected neither of them. We have to avoid the childish attitudes found in Dreher and Whiteford, where one can deduce from their writings that they believe that all those who disagree with them are in the Outer Darkness and the Church won’t accept all those who disagree with these fine gents back until they kiss these said fine gentlemen’s asses in public for all to see. That’s simply out of line. Of course, those fine gents are in the Church. Being an asshat doesn’t “automatically excommunicate” you. Indeed, do be suspicious of all who advance that concept… they’re saying that if you transgress in ways that particularly displease them, you have no defence. That’s rubbish. The REAL Church believes in pastoral oikonomia, always has, always will. It has room for all sorts… including ignorant semi-Evangelical konvertsy. Don’t fall into the same trap as they did… if you do, you confess that you’re the same as they are, underneath it all.
None of the above is a “defence” of gay marriage. I’ve taken that off the table. A certain percentage of people have always been homosexual… the Church hasn’t simply condemned them and expelled them (such is really the Orthodox rightwing’s submission, after all). Yes… the Church has communed homosexuals in the past… it does so now… it shall continue to do so. It always did such on an individual basis, based on personal pastoral needs. That’s how it’s done now… it’s how we shall continue to do it in the REAL Church. A priest in Russia put it this way to me, “Homosexuality is a sin of the flesh. Greed is a sin of the soul. That’s why the Church considers greed far more grievous than homosexuality is. One is of the flesh, it’ll fall away after our deaths… the other is of the soul and eternal. That’s why greed, not sexual sin, is the root of all evil”. This was a personal opinion of one priest… it isn’t the “Teaching of the Church”. Be wary of all those who dress up their opinions as such.
Before I leave, I’d like to leave you two links. They’re serious “food for thought”. Read this and this. Read them, then, come back to them a week later… THINK on what these people are saying. After all, we’re Christians, NOT Sectarians… NOT “Do Your Own Thing” people. I’ll say this… “Christ never rejected anyone… the only ones who rejected Him were the Pharisees and the Rich Young Man. Those who reject Him today are their spiritual descendants”.
Do think on that… it’s a meaty reflection.
BMD
Voices from Russia 
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