THE COPTIC
ORTHODOX CHURCH'S VIEW ON HOMOSEXUALITY
BY
FR. M. MIKHAIL, D. MIN
ST. MARK COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
2100 E. Pleasant Valley road
Seven Hills, Ohio 44131
DEFINITION
----------
"Homosexuality is a predominant, persistent and exclusive
psychosexual
attraction toward members of the same sex. A homosexual person is one
who
feels a sexual desire for and a sexual responsiveness to persons of the
same
sex and who seeks or would like to seek actual sexual fulfillment of
this
desire by sexual acts with a person of the same sex."
--Encyclopedia of Bioethics, Vol. 2, p. 671
INTRODUCTION
------------
Homosexuality is almost as old as man. The first mention in recorded
history
concerns Lot and the well known history of Sodom and Gomorra, which
took
place over 4000 years ago. Throughout all those years, homosexuality
has
never been accepted as a normal behavior and people have never been
open
about it comfortably.
The Causes of Homosexuality:
Are homosexuals born that way? Do genes have anything to do with it? And
many
questions. No one is born homosexual, nor is it something over which one
has
no control, unless one thinks one has no control over one's
sexual
direction (a child's identification is established by the time he or she
is
five years old).
No one can deny that our biological makeup has a profound influence on
our
lives. Hormones have a great impact on our sexual drive. When it
was
discovered that both male and female hormones circulate the bloodstream
of
both sexes, was speculated that an effeminate man just had too many
female
hormones. However, such a theory would not explain the muscle-bound
weight
lifter who sexually prefers men to women. Obviously, his problem is not
a
lack of male hormones.
Scientists who have run extensive tests on male and female homosexuals
have
found their hormonal level to be the same as heterosexuals. There is
no
scientific evidence to support the notion that homosexuality is inherited.
It
is safe to say that one's genetic and biological makeup does indeed
determine
his or her sex, but not his or her sexual preference. We know of two
basic
causes of homosexuality:
1. A homosexual psychological outlook (predisposition toward
homosexuality)
which usually occurs so early in life that the person thinks he was born
with
it, yet no one is born homosexual. It is formed in him or her.
There are many factors which develop homosexual behavior such as a
hostile
father or mother. The majority of men and women with a predisposition
toward
homosexuality did not turn out to be homosexuals, but married and learned
to
be completely heterosexuals.
2. Homosexuality is a learned behavior. Homosexuals are made and
not
born. They develop homosexuality by thinking positively of
homosexual
practices. Participating in such practices provides pleasure and
consequently
leads to more positive thoughts toward homosexuals.
As his or her thoughts and activities become more same sex oriented, he
or
she tend to think negatively about the opposite sex, so, a
predisposition
toward homosexuality itself does not implement it. Homosexuality requires
an
initial experience followed by same sex thought patterns and more
experience.
The Coptic Orthodox Church and Homosexuality
The Coptic Orthodox Church considers homosexuality a sin condemned by
God
in the Old and New Testaments. The Church teaches that the only proper
place
for the exercise of the sexual function is in marriage between a man and
a
woman. Nowadays the Gay Right Movement, the UFMCI (The Universal
Fellowship
of Metropolitan Community Churches) and many psychiatrists try to change
the
definition of the word "homosexuality" so as to have homosexuals
accepted as
full members of the society and the church. The Coptic Church takes a
very
firm stand against homosexuality. Homosexuality is a sin according to
the
Holy Bible, tradition, and our Church creed. A. Homosexuality is against
God
and Christianity B. Homosexuality is against the Church C. Homosexuality
is
against humanity and society.
Homosexuality is against God's will; when God created the human being,
He
created a male and a female so that a man and a woman would live their
lives
together in marriage as one flesh. The union of man and woman in
the
community of marriage is used in the Bible as the image of God's
faithful
love for Israel, and Christ's sacrificial love for the Church [Isaiah
54,
Jeremiah 3 and Ezekiel 16]. "For the husband is the head of the wife,
even
as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of
the
body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be
to
their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify
and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." [Ephesians
5:23-26]
B. The Holy Bible:
The Bible is the written word of God in human form. "All scripture is
given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may
be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." [Timothy
3:16-17]
Homosexuality is a sin condemned by God in the Old and New Testaments. In
the
Old Testament, homosexuality was not only considered a sin, but it was
also
found to be a capital offense, that is, punishable by death. "If a man
be
with mankind as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed
an
abomination, they shall surely be put to death, their blood shall be
upon
them." [Leviticus 20:13] Also in Leviticus 18:22 "You shall not
be with a
male as with a woman, it is an abomination."
God gave great punishment to the city of Sodom for this sin.
[Genesis
19:1-29] As a result, sodomy is another name for homosexuality.
The New Testament, speaking of this sinful act, uses it to illustrate
the
"depraved passions" of fallen humanity: " . . . their women
exchanged the
natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way the
men
abandoned the natural function of women and burned in their desire
towards
one another, men with men, committing indecent acts. " [Romans 1
:24-28]
Homosexuality is an evil where punishment is promised. "Do you know that
the
unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived,
neither
the immoral nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor arsenokoitai, nor thieves,
nor
the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit
the
kingdom of God. [I Corinthians 6:9-10]
St. Paul in his letter to Timothy said " . . . understanding this, that
the
law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient,
for
the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of
fathers
and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, immoral persons,
sodomites,
kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to
sound
doctrine. [1 Timothy 1:9-10].
The sin in Sodom was homosexuality. Jude in his letter said that
its
punishment is eternal fire. "Just as Sodom and Gomorra and the
surrounding
cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust
serve
as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire." [Jude
7].
C. The Kingdom of God
God's gift of eternal life in Christ and the Holy Spirit is the Kingdom
of
God. Jesus brought the Kingdom of God to the world through the Spirit
in
the Church. To live in the Kingdom of God is to live in freedom from
any
sin. We said before that homosexuality is a sin according to the
scripture,
so a homosexual person would be deceiving himself if he thinks that he
can
practice that wrong life style and still go to heaven.
St. Paul said ". . . the Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace
and
joy in the Holy Spirit, he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God
and
approved by men." [Romans 14:17-18]
D. The Incarnation of Christ
The incarnation of the word provided quite a different context for
the
discussion of homosexuality. In the book "The Incarnation of the
Word",
St. Athanasius sought to explicate the purpose of the incarnation of
Christ
"the Lord came among us" because of the fallen state of mankind.
God had
created man incorruptible and "willed that he should remain
in
incorruptibility". He continued to say " .. for God did not only
create us
from nothing, but He also granted us by the grace of the Word to live
a
divine life." However, mankind, "by the counsel of the devil
corrupted the
pristine purity". People turned against nature and indulged in sin,
becoming
"insatiable in sinning". Homosexuality is listed as a sin by which
men and
women turned against nature and against the divine plan for their lives.
For
St. Athanasius, to be involved in homosexual behavior was to abrogate
the
purpose both of the creation and of Christ's advent into the world.
E. Repentance
Repentance is the act of changing the attitude and practice of a
Christian.
Repentance is a feeling of sorrow which involves the mercy of God as
stated
in the New Testament "I have not come to call the righteous, but the
sinners
to repentance." [Luke 5:32]
Repentance is meaningful and significant when it includes a sincere change
of
mind, heart, and attitude toward the fulfillment of the Gospel's instructions
and commandments.
Homosexual people do not feel that their acts are sinful, they will
not
repent and will continue in their sin, so they are against repentance.
F. Holiness
Jesus Christ invites all of us to live in holiness like Him. "Without
holiness, no one can see God." Whoever lives in holiness, lives with God
and
whoever lives in sin is far from God. Those who live in homosexuality live
in
sin and uncleanness. They live far from holiness and even against it.
G. Salvation
In orthodox theology, salvation is not static but dynamic, it is not
a
completed state, but a constant moving toward theosis, toward becoming
like
Christ, toward receiving the fullness of God's life. The meaning of
salvation
is that God, through his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, saves
us
from our sin. As we mentioned before, homosexuality is sinful,
therefore
those who practice it are not saved and are against salvation. They not
only
commit this sin, but also enjoy it. "They not only do them but approve
those
who practice them." [Romans 1:32]
H. Resurrection
Paul, the apostle, said that the resurrection is the basis of the
whole
ministry, and without it the ministry becomes vain. "If Christ be not
risen,
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain .... and if Christ
be
not raised, your faith is vain, you are in your sins [ 1 Cor. 15: 14-17]
The
proper sexual relation between a man and a woman is part of the
marriage
sacrament and extends to the resurrection. The world of the resurrection
is
victorious over death, all aspects of weakness, isolation, evil
and
corruption.
In our final resurrection in the Kingdom of God, the natural sexual
relations
between man and woman will end as the limitations of sex will disappear
due
to the end of sexual desires. In that aspect, Jesus Christ said "The
children
of this world marry, and are given in marriage." [Luke 20:34]
The sexual desire is related to the biological structure which is going
to
disappear. The desire is there only until death. The sexual desire is a
means
to maintain the human race, therefore, as death disappears from the
world
of the resurrection, the sexual desire also disappears. This is what
Jesus
said "The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but
they
which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the
resurrection
from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they
die
any more: for they are equal unto the angels: and are the children of
God,
being the children of the resurrection." [Luke 20:34-36]
Some people want to live in the world of the resurrection while they
are
still on earth, as if they have reached the end of time, therefore
they
abstain from the natural sexual relationship and live in purity. They
do
that, not because they despise sex, but to dedicate all their energy to
God
alone, to live from now as if they are in the world of the
resurrection,
defeating death.
The Coptic Orthodox Church was the first to start monkhood. St. Antonius
the
Egyptian started monkhood, which thereafter spread from Egypt to the
whole
world. For ages and up until now, many lived the life of monkhood in
complete
purity, fulfilling Jesus' saying: "For there are some eunuchs, which were
so
born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were
made
eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs
for
the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive
it. [Matt. 19:12]
If the proper sexual relationship between a man and a woman through
the
sacrament of marriage will end at the world of the resurrection, and if
there
are those who preceded the time and lived in the world of God while they
are
still on earth, abstaining from the natural sexual relationship,
practicing
the life of absolute purity to be totally united with God, in the
same
picture that will be the kingdom of God, then what is the status of those
who
practice abnormal sexual relations "homosexuality"? Indeed it is an
abnormal
and wrong relationship that contradicts the objectives of
Christ's
resurrection and the life of His kingdom on earth.
I. Christianity in general
The Gay church group and their belonging to Christianity is strange
and
shameful to Christianity among the other religions. Judaism
fought
homosexuality. It resisted and refused it as mentioned in the Old
Testament,
so did almost all social groups and schools of behavior. They
refuse
homosexuality with all its aspects. The Gay church group is a shame
to
Christianity, not only because it carries the name "church" but also
because
of their presumption that they are Christians while Christianity has
nothing
to do with them.
J. Truth
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and
unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness."
[Romans
1:18]. History and society defined homosexuality as untruthful.
K. Righteousness
Jesus Christ in the 'Sermon on the Mount' said, "Blessed are those who
hunger
and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." [Matt.
5:6]
St. Augustine explained that saying: "He calls them lovers of the true
and
unchangeable goodness. Therefore, they shall be satisfied with that food
of
which the Lord Himself says: 'My food is to do the will of my Father'
and
this is the righteousness. And they shall be satisfied with that water,
of
which the Lord says: 'Whosoever shall drink, it shall become in him
a
fountain of water springing up into life everlasting'. "
L. Fruits of the Spirit
In Romans 1:29-31 and Galatians 5:22, the sins of homosexual acts are
against
the fruits of the Holy Spirit which should be present in
every
Christian. Those sins are: "They were filled with all manner of
wickedness,
evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
malignity,
they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful,
inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless
and
ruthless." The fruits of the Holy Spirit are " . . . But the
fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control." Therefore, homosexuals will never obtain
the
fruits of the Holy Spirit.
HOMOSEXUALITY AGAINST THE CHURCH
---------------------------------
A. The Church
In our Coptic Orthodox Church, we call the church the Kingdom of God
on
earth. The church is the "new creation" as St. Paul said," . . .
therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." [2 Cor. 5: 17] The Church is
the
body and bride of Christ Himself, "God has put all things under the feet
of
Christ and has made Him the head over all things for the Church, which is
His
body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." [Eph. 1:22-23]
The relationship between Christ and the Church is the same
relationship
between a husband and his wife, " . . . for the husband is the head of
the
wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church, and He is the Savior of
the
body." [Eph. 5:23] Therefore, homosexual acts are against the meaning
of
the Church.
B. Tradition
The word "tradition" in Greek, as it is mentioned in the New
Testament is
"paradosis" which does not mean " imitation", its cognate
verb is paradidomi
which means "handing over or delivering a thing by hand". The
verb is
"paralambano" meaning "receiving a thing".
The church's tradition over the centuries has affirmed the
heterosexual,
monogamous, faithful marital union as normative for the divinely
given
meaning of the intimate sexual relationship. But for the homosexuality,
the
traditional position was that such acts are always objectively grave evil
and
intrinsically disordered. This position, based on an understanding of
the
human person and of sexuality which they had already rejected and arrived
at
by an ethical methodology already declared inadequate, they
found
unconvincing . Also the Christian tradition repudiated homosexuality in
any
form as in direct opposition to the natural and social order.
Homosexuality
was regarded as a sin against nature and as such abhorrent.
C. The Didache of the twelve apostles
The teaching of the twelve apostles' is a manual for the instruction
of
Christians seeking to live in a Christian way. It says that life presents
two
alternatives, namely the way of life and the way of death. The way of
life
has both positive and negative aspects. The positive is formulated in
terms
of love for God and neighbor. It was to be a second mile Christianity.
The
negative is a list of practices to be avoided "You shall not commit
murder,
you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit homosexual acts,
you
shall not steal."
D. The Church Fathers
Clement of Alexandria stated in the second century that the Church
Fathers
are "those who have instructed us the faith". They were
ordinary and
extraordinary people who experienced an awakening of faith and sought by
the
power of the Spirit of God working through them to mediate that faith
by
making the message of Christian hope and love real to their world.
The
following is a review of what some of the Church fathers' opinions were
in
the first five centuries about homosexuality:
(1) Theophilus of Antioch Sixth bishop of that city. In his "Ad
Autolycum",
his only extant writing, is a threevolume defense of Christianity in light
of the objections of his pagan friend Autolycus. As was common among
the
early defenders of Christianity, he concerned himself with the nature of
God,
man's relationship to divinity, and morality.
God is visible only to those who have opened the "eyes of the soul"
and who
maintain this condition of purity: "Just as a man must keep a
mirror
polished, so must he keep his soul pure". Those who would see God must,
in
the words of 2 Corinthians 7:1, cleanse themselves "from everything that
contaminates".
The list presented by Theophilus includes both active and passive
homosexual
behavior. The Pauline sin list is cited again by Theophilus in the context
of
asserting that it is essential that Christian faith, guided by the
prophetic writings, is manifest in obedience to God. Certain
sexual
activities will lead to present condemnation as well as to future
anguish:
But to the unfaithful who disregard and disobey the truth but
obey
unrighteousness, when they are full of adultery, and fornication
and
homosexual acts and greed and lawless idolatry, there will be
wrath,
tribulation and anguish and finally eternal fire will overtake such men.
(2) Clement of Alexandria [150-215] was born in Alexandria, Egypt. In
his
book "The Instructor", he discusses the proper behavior for male.
Clement
laments homosexual acts. He gives three reasons:
(a) He feels sympathy for those who are seduced, abused, and misused.
He
especially objects to the apparently common practice of holding youth
in
slavery to satisfy the perverted pleasure of the rich.
(b) The behavior pattern of homosexuality is considered contrary to
nature.
(c) It is a symptom and logical, if undesirable, outgrowth of
excessive
desire for the luxurious and the sensuous, a result of social disorder
and
contributory factor to further degeneration. Christian love is to
avoid
licentiousness and exploitation.
(3) Origen [185-254] Director of the School of Alexandria. Origen alluded
to
homosexuality in the context of a discussion of temptation in his book
"On
Prayer".
He proposed that God does not give us over to temptation with the intent
that
we should succumb. God does not direct anyone to evil. "Good orders
every
rational soul with a view to eternal life . . . it always maintains its
free
will and of its own direction either mounts ever higher and higher until
it
reaches a pinnacle of virtue, or on the contrary descends
through
carelessness to this or that excess of wickedness. If persons persist
in
sinful activities, they become ensnared by their sin, exchanging the glory
of
the immortal God for image made to look like mortal man." [Romans 1 :23]
And
thus being of a "depraved mind" they turn to sexual and
other social
exploitation.
(4) Athanasius [296-373] Spokesman for this bishop Alexander of Alexandria
in
the great Council of Nicaea [325]. He became the 20th Bishop of
Alexandria
after Alexander.
In his book "Against the Heathen", he developed the thesis that
Christianity
is much more reasonable than paganism. He discussed at length
the
historical development of pagan theologies and analyzed the behavior
which
became controlled by unreasonable passions and pleasures, people were
unable
to perceive the possibility of any other life style. Therefore,
they
fashioned the divine in the image of their own wickedness and used this
false
image of God as a rationale for devoting themselves to their
own
desires. Those not satisfied with their physical and social roles used
this
theology as permission for their licentiousness, including
homosexuality,
which Athanasius described by quoting Romans 1:26-27.
(5) St. Augustine [354-430] Bishop of Hippo in North Africa. In one of
his
sermons (no. 162) he said "As persons become involved in the
great
abomination of fornication or homosexuality, they cannot think or attend
to
anything else. That individual eventually becomes a captive of
violence,
lust and carnality. He or she becomes a slave to the body. This
preoccupation
drives out the proper reason for being that is, to function as the
temple
of the Spirit of God. When this temple is defiled by sin, it is abandoned
by
God, and mankind is left to his unworthy preoccupation. "
(6) St. Basil the Great: Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. In his book
"God
is not the author of evil" he said that homosexuality is an
"ignominious life
style which changes the natural processes into those which
are
unnatural". This in turn reduced the glory of God in man to the level of
the
animals. It is not to this end that man was created in the image of God.
The
acts of God and of those devoted to Him are to be in harmony with nature
and
with the concerns of the gospel.
E. The Ecumenical Council
The first canonical epistle. They who have committed sodomy with men
or
brutes, murders, wizards, adulterers and idolaters have been thought
worthy
of the same punishment. Therefore, observe the same method with those
which
you do with others. We ought not to make any doubt of receiving those
who
have repented thirty years for the uncleanness which they committed
through
ignorance for their willingness in confessing it; therefore, command them
to
be forthwith received, especially if they have tears to prevail on
your
tenderness, and have (since their lapse) led such a life as to deserve
your
compassion."
HOMOSEXUALITY AGAINST HUMANITY AND SOCIETY
------------------------------------------
A. Man and Himself
In the book of Genesis, it was met, that the twain should be one (the
twain
meaning the man and the woman). For the twain it says "shall be one
flesh."
[Genesis 1:24] This desire, of intercourse affected and united the sexes
to
each other. The devil, having taken away this desire, and having turned
the
course thereof into another fashion, he thus sundered the sexes from
one
another, and made the one to become two parts in opposition to the law
of
God. For it says "the two shall be of one flesh" but he divided the
one flesh
into two. Therefore, homosexuality is against man and himself.
B. Woman and Herself
We have just described how homosexuality is against man and himself, and
in
the same way it is against woman and herself. Instead of the woman
becoming
one flesh with the man in marriage, she has divided that one flesh into
two
by having sex with another woman. "Their women exchanged natural
relations
for unnatural." [Romans 1:26]
C. Man and the Female Sex
The sex relationship between a man and a woman is given by God for
spiritual
reasons to be used for His glory. In homosexuality, man is against
the
female sex "Leaving the natural use of the woman" [Romans 1:26], man
misused
the right sex, instead of having sex with a woman, he is having it
with
another man, thus becoming an instrument of sin and death. "Therefore,
God
gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring
of
their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God
for
a lie and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed
forever, Amen." [Romans 1 :24-25] .
D. Woman and the Male Sex
Homosexuality is against the woman and male sex in the same way as it
is
against the man and female sex. "For even their women did change the
natural
use into that which is against nature. [Romans 1:26] The women misused
the
right sex, instead of having sex with a man, she is having it with
other
women, thus becoming an instrument of sin and death. "For this reason
God
gave them up to dishonorable passions, their women exchanged
natural
relations for unnatural". [Romans 1:26]
E. Marriage
Marriage is a part of human life on earth as created by God . . .
"Therefore
a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and
they
become one flesh." [Genesis 2:24/Matthew 19:5-6] God created a male
and a
female so that a man and a woman would live their lives together
in
marriage as one flesh. The union of a man and a woman in the community
of
marriage is used in the Bible as the image of God's faithful love for
Israel
and Christ's sacrificial love for His church. [Isaiah 54/Ephesus 5:22-23]
.
This is the meaning of marriage as it was created by God,
therefore
homosexuality or sexual acts with a person of the same sex is against
the
meaning of marriage and what it stands for.
F. The Family
Children are the fruit of true love between a man and a woman in
marriage,
and are the greatest bond of their union. Within family life, the
father
must be the leader and head. He must also love his wife and children
as
Christ loves His church for which He died. The wife must be totally
devoted
to her husband and must demand, encourage and enable his leadership. This
is
the normal way of family life as prescribed in the scriptures, and any
other
relationship between men such as homosexuality are abnormal and against
the
family way of life. According to the Christian faith, the greatest virtue
is
love [ 1 Corinthians 13: 13] . Love is the fulfilling of the law of
God
[Romans 13:10]. For God Himself is love. Our church fathers have used
the
0T's song of songs as the poetic image of God's love for man and man's
love
for God. St. Paul uses this image of Christ's love for the church. In
the
book of Revelations, the love relationship between God and His people is
in
the form of marriage, such as "for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and
His
bride has made herself ready: it was granted to her to be clothed with
fine
linen, bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of
the
saints." [Rev. 19:78]
Christian joy is not earthly happiness, pleasure or fun. It is the joy
in
believing [Romans 15:13], the joy of knowing the freedom of truth in the
love
of God [John 8:32] and the joy of being made worthy to share in
Christ's
sufferings. [1 Peter 4:13]. The homosexual looks for selfish pleasure
and
earthly happiness, and this is against Christian joy.
I. Peace
Jesus said " . . . peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as
the
world gives do I give to you." [John 14:27] The homosexual people lost
that
peace and turned against it, as St. Paul said about the Roman who
practised
homosexuality: " . . . they were filled with all manner of wickedness,
evil,
covetousness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity,
they
are gossips, slanderers, haters of God ..." [Romans 1:30]
J. Patience and Kindness
To be patient, according to Jesus Christ, is to bring forth fruit from
the
seeds of God's word. "And as for that in the good soil, they are those
who,
hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring
forth
fruit with patience." [Luke 8: 15] If one wishes to be patient, one must
be
united with Christ and live by the power of the Spirit [I Cor. 10:13],
unlike
the homosexuals who were filled with all manner of wickedness,
evil,
covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit and malignity. God
is
kind and Christians are urged to follow God in His kindness and to do
all
things gently and with tenderness. A kind person will correct others, if
need
be, and his very kindness will be shown by his care and concern for
the
well being of his fellow creatures for whom Christ died. Instead of
being
kind, homosexuals are " . . . foolish, faithless, heartless and
ruthless."
K. Self Control
Selfcontrol is one of the main characteristics of God and one of the
main
gift of man when God created him in His image. Man loses his self
control
when he sells himself to sin and becomes a slave to the corruption of
his
fleshly passions. A man without self control is enslaved, a captive
of
sin, the willing instrument of carnal passions, the victim of all
foolishness
and evil.
L. Faithfulness
To be faithful means to be absolutely true to one's word, to be totally
loyal
to one's devotion, to be completely steadfast and unswerving in one's
own
calling and vocation .. The main enemy of faithfulness to God and man
is
pride. Homosexuals are full of pride, they are " . . . slanderers, haters
of
God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to
parents
. . . " [Romans 1:30]
M. Nature
St. Paul said in Romans 1:26 "For even their women did change the natural
use
into that which is against nature." Here, no one can say that it was
because
of lack of legitimate intercourse that they did that, nor was it for lack
of
means to fulfill their desire that they were driven into this
monstrous
insanity. As regards to men, again St. Paul points out " . . . Ieaving
the
natural use of the woman". They not only had means of gratification,
and
leaving that which they had, they went after another, but also
having
dishonored that which was natural, they ran after that which was
contrary
to nature which had in it an irksomeness and displeasure so that they
could
not fairly allege even pleasure, for genuine pleasure is that which
is
according to nature. Here in the place of the world, St. Paul sets
the
pleasure according to nature, which they would have enjoyed with more
sense
of security and greater gladheartedness, and so would have been far
removed
from shameful deeds. Yet they would not, and have done an insult to
nature
itself.
OVERCOMING HOMOSEXUALITY
------------------------
Christianity, the Bible and the Church can provide a lot of help and
support
for those who are willing to change.
For a homosexual to overcome his or her homosexuality, they must: (a)
Have
a strong desire to come out (b) Seek and accept the healing power of God
(c)
Accept support from the society including family, friends, priests,
pastors,
counselors and psychologists.
Jesus Christ the Savior is waiting to be asked. His tremendous healing
power
can be miraculous. Homosexuality is a sin, confession provides relief and
is
a positive step. It should be followed by repentance. Homosexuality is
not
born with the person, it is a learned behavior which can be changed.
The following measures are helpful:
(a) Study of the Bible, especially the verses against homosexuality
(b) Study the history to learn of the results of the homosexual
acts
throughout history
(c) Learn God's purpose of creating a man and a woman, as a male and a
female,
and thank Him for defining an individual sex
(d) One must learn how to gain self control and self respect
(e) One must know the true meaning of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness,
goodness, faithfulness and gentleness
(f) one must know the true meaning of incarnation, resurrection,
the
Kingdom of God, righteousness and live with these tremendous values
by
the power of the Holy Spirit
(g) one must appreciate the society in which he lives and what it
provides:
church, marriage, family and one must decide to live as a full
and
responsible member of that society
(h) One must stand behind his decision, forget the past, look to the
future
and happiness of life with Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
----------
Homosexuality is a sin condemned by God in the Old and New Testaments.
The
Old Testament not only considered homosexuality a sin, but found it to be
a
capital offense that is punishable by death. "If a man lie with mankind as
he
lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination, they
shall
surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them." [Leviticus 20:13]
In
the New Testament in Corinthians 6:9-10, it says: "No effeminate nor
abusers
of themselves with mankind shall inherit the kingdom of God." A
Christian
person is one who basically seeks to obey the Word of God. A homosexual is
deceiving himself if he thinks he can practice that lifestyle and still go
to
heaven. Homosexuality is a sin, and a homosexual who wants to recover
should
see it as such and repent.
REFERENCES
----------
1. "The Holy Bible", (standard version).
2. "The Bible Dictionary".
3. "Encyclopedia of Bioethics" vol. 2, p 671.
4. "The Orthodox Faith", Vol. IV, "spirituality",
Department of Religious
Education, Orthodox Churches in America ‑ New York 1976.
5. "The Orthodox Faith", Vol. III, "Bible and Church",
Department of
Religious Education, Orthodox Churches in America New York 1976.
6. "Contemporary Moral Issues Facing the Orthodox Church" by Stanley
Harakes,
Lights and Life Publishing Co. M.N.
7. "The Tradition and Orthodoxy" by Fr. Tadrous Malely, St.
George Coptic
Orthodox Alexandria Egypt.
8. "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles", 2, 2.
9. "What You Should Know About Homosexuality" by Clark Keysor,
Publishing
House, 1979.
10. "The Church Fathers and Homosexuality" by D. Bunding.
11. "The Resurrection Letter of St. Athanasius" by Jack N.
Sparks, Ph.D.,
Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville.
12. "The Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers", Vol. III, Eerdman
Publishing Co.,
Michigan.
13. "The Incarnation of the Word" by St. Athanasius.
14. "Sex and its Human Meaning" by Castey Bandaly, Light Publishing,
Lebanon.
15. "Confession, A Merciful Privilege and a Sacrament" by
Rev. George
Mastrantous, Ologos Publishing, St. Louis, Missouri.
16. "Homosexuality and Ethics" by Edward Batchelor, Jr., The
Pilgrim Press,
New York, 2nd printing, 1982.
17. "What Are They Saying About Sexual Morality?" by 1. Hanign,
Paulist Press.
18. "Theophilus of Antioch "Ad Autolycum", Ibid 1 : 14.
19. "The Unhappy Gays" by Tim Lahaye, Library of Congress
Catalog Card
no. 77-93751 SBNO-84237797-2-1978.
20. "A Boy's Sex Life: A Handbook of Basic Information and
Guidance", by
William J. Bausch, Fides, Claretian, Notre Dame Indiana.
21. "Flesh and Spirit: A Examination of Galatians" by William
Barclay.
22. "0ur Church and Our Children" by Sophie Koulomzin, St. Vladimir's
Seminary
Press, New York.
23. "Introducing the Orthodox Church, Its Faith and Life" by Fr.
Anthony
Coniaris, Light and Life Publishing Co., Minneapolis.
24. "The Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers", Vol. XIV, The Seven
Ecumenical