What if a gay family comes to the Church?

[Protoevangel]

It is nice to know, I could come to your church and enjoy some friendship.

You don't have to come to any church to enjoy my/our friendship. Welcome to TAW, friend!

We are all free to visit any church we choose.

I wish I could, I would love to.

I wish that were true.

Would you be willing to share why it isn't possible?

 

[stone]

So let's fast forward a decade or two. There's a legally "married" homosexual couple, Etc.

God forbid.

 

[GenetoJean]

You don't have to come to any church to enjoy my/our friendship. Welcome to TAW, friend!


Would you be willing to share why it isn't possible?

Thank you for the kind welcome.

I have been to churches that would ostracize you if you didn't show up in a suit or dress. My wife left one church in tears because the pastor went on and on about women wearing dresses or skirts. She was the only lady there in pants. Can you imagine if I showed up in a dress?

 

[ArmyMatt]

If this is a thread derailment, ignore it, but do you guys believe that Homosexuality can be changed? If so can heterosexuality be changed? I am completely in agreement with the Church loving the gay and expecting them to control their desires and not act on them. I have a real hard time believing that I can be internally changed from hetero to gay, and for that reason, vice versa.

God's grace and a willing heart can over come any sin

 

[Ignatius21]

My priest said it would be handled in much the same way as a couple coming to church who is in an adulterous relationship, or who are living together with children but are not married.

In other words, explain to them why their relationship cannot be accepted as valid.

How that trickles down to children is tricky and case-by-case. I would think that perhaps you let them come to weekday services, but if they attend Liturgy, they certainly do not receive communion. Their presence could certainly scandalize other attenders...it would be up to the priest and his bishop, how attendance would be handled.

A hospital cannot turn away sick patients. Nor can it admit those who come in sick, tell everyone else in the ward that they're actually OK and should be received and celebrated as such, and then watch as they are consumed by their disease within the walls of the hospital. At some point, you're either admitted for treatment or you decide you wish to keep your disease, and leave.

And this goes for ANY serious, habitual sin.

 

[miraclemandi]

I have been delivered from a lesbian lifestyle and speaking from experience it is against Gods laws to be homosexual. Unfortunately I was deceived believing that I was born gay. This is a demon spirit that attaches itself to people as children, it may even be a generational curse. I wish I knew than what I know now. God does know and although He doesn't hate the sinner He absolutely hates this sin. I pray for their deliverance and salvation!

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Thanks be to God and Glory to Him!

I have been delivered from a lesbian lifestyle and speaking from experience it is against Gods laws to be homosexual. Unfortunately I was deceived believing that I was born gay. This is a demon spirit that attaches itself to people as children, it may even be a generational curse. I wish I knew than what I know now. God does know and although He doesn't hate the sinner He absolutely hates this sin. I pray for their deliverance and salvation!

 

[Dorothea]

God's grace and a willing heart can over come any sin

So true!

 

[Protoevangel]

Thank you for the kind welcome.

I have been to churches that would ostracize you if you didn't show up in a suit or dress. My wife left one church in tears because the pastor went on and on about women wearing dresses or skirts. She was the only lady there in pants. Can you imagine if I showed up in a dress?

I wish I could say you had nothing to worry about. The rule in Orthodoxy is to mind one's own business. The Priest will work things out with the enquirer. Unfortunately, I can't promise any such thing. individuals can be judgmental, even in the Church. Perhaps you can at least get in touch with a priest, by phone or email?

I only get internet for an hour or so a day right now, so please forgive any delayed replies.

 

[rusmeister]

Yes, I know your argument - I do not think all changes in language are negative, I think many are neutral.

In this case, I think that for some - primarily IME people within Christianity - an acceptance of the idea of being gay (or substitute any other word that has a similar idea) is important to their spiritual health, in much the same way for others saying I am an addict is an important factor in their spiritual health. I have known several people who did not do this, choosing instead to stick with the language of same sex attraction, with very negative results.

Most of the other widely used terms for homosexuals, aside from homosexual and gay, are rather inappropriate or hurtful, so there are not a lot of other contenders.

Well, I certainly do NOT maintain that all changes in language are negative, and so am not sure to what extent you know the framework in which I speak about language.

I cannot speak to your personal experience, but suspect that the correct language had nothing to do with the negative results. They would result from other wrong understandings and attitudes.

SOME changes are definitely negative, especially those imposed through public education and the mass media. They break with the tradition of the language of our forefathers, whose language was formed much more organically. The specific changes I speak about were artificially engineered by a tiny minority and imposed on all. They took off in a way they never could have in the absence of the institutions I refer to.

So my argument stands. Language is vital. It does matter which words we use. They were formed within particular world views, and express truth or falsehood. It is incumbent on us, as soon as we are capable of it, to think about the choice of words, their etymology/history and the philosophy behind them.

If you want to talk about the dialogue with the larger culture though, remember that there is a large group out there that really thinks that it is possible to cure the problem, or that it is something entered into out of perversity, and that most of that group is Christians. These people really do think such things can be cured and have programs to do so, and unfortunately many people think this is the general view among Christians.

I think that is what RKO was thinking was being said.

I understand, and this is why we need more diplomatic - that is, charitable - language, as well as a little more agnosticism about the extent to which passions can be cured. I've only had victory over any of my passions (and I've had a couple of notable victories) in trying to live the life prescribed by the Church - and I DO mean "trying", as opposed to "succeeding".

 

[MariaRegina]

I have been delivered from a lesbian lifestyle and speaking from experience it is against Gods laws to be homosexual. Unfortunately I was deceived believing that I was born gay. This is a demon spirit that attaches itself to people as children, it may even be a generational curse. I wish I knew than what I know now. God does know and although He doesn't hate the sinner He absolutely hates this sin. I pray for their deliverance and salvation!

Praise the Lord.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I have been delivered from a lesbian lifestyle and speaking from experience it is against Gods laws to be homosexual. Unfortunately I was deceived believing that I was born gay. This is a demon spirit that attaches itself to people as children, it may even be a generational curse. I wish I knew than what I know now. God does know and although He doesn't hate the sinner He absolutely hates this sin. I pray for their deliverance and salvation!

glory to God!

 

[astein]

What if a gay family comes to the Church?

So we are to treat the one with gay clothing different?

Does not the one with gay clothing deserve the poor seat as much as the poor?

Do not the rich deserve the poor seating as well?

Poor seating for all!

 

[Cappadocious]

I have been delivered from a lesbian lifestyle and speaking from experience it is against Gods laws to be homosexual. Unfortunately I was deceived believing that I was born gay. This is a demon spirit that attaches itself to people as children, it may even be a generational curse. I wish I knew than what I know now. God does know and although He doesn't hate the sinner He absolutely hates this sin. I pray for their deliverance and salvation!

So you were bisexual.

 

[Protoevangel]

So you were bisexual.

That's not at all what she said.

 

[rusmeister]

Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior toward males and females. The term is mainly used in the context of human attraction to denote romantic or sexual feelings toward men and women. Pansexuality may or may not be subsumed under bisexuality, as the terms are often treated as synonyms and people may consider bisexuality, like pansexuality, to encompass romantic or sexual attraction to all gender identities or romantic or sexual attraction to a person irrespective of that person's biological sex or gender.

Bisexuality is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the heterosexual–homosexual continuum. People who have a distinct but not exclusive sexual preference for one sex over the other may identify themselves as bisexual.

Bisexuality has been observed in various human societies and elsewhere in the animal kingdom throughout recorded history. The term bisexuality, however, like the terms hetero- and homosexuality, was coined in the 19th century.

This definition, like all modern one's of human sexuality, is false. They are all terms that did not exist fifty - seventy-five years ago, created to treat the abnormal as normal, the wrong as right, and sinful as unsinful. To remove the oh-so essential stigma that we still apply (for now) to pedophilia and inappropriate behavior with animals, though that, too, will not be for long.

Starting from the word "romantic" it is untrue. The very first thing about the attraction is that it is a lust. An erotic desire turned from its proper object (Latin "perverted") that has as much to do with chivalry and flowers as superhero fantasies have to do with real human capabilities. Thus, any number of terms can now be created (note "pansexuality", so that we may imagine that there are any number of sexes, rather than two).

"Bisexuality has been observed...". You mean men copulating with other men and male dogs copulating with other male dogs. Of course. They are animals, and are not noted for thinking about what they do, and men have ALWAYS known it to be shameful even when they did it and wrote about it.

Thanks for the note about the 19th century. Yes, that one thing is true (1892, making it practically the twentieth century), but the vagueness - when the OED has a definite date - makes that misleading, too, giving an impression of two hundred years, when it has only been one.

 

[CindyLee]

That one is quite tricky to answer but i think the church should let them through. As they didn't do it on purpose and god must have chosen something for them. Let them speak to the god.

 

[rusmeister]

Don't posters here realize that this is TAW, the Eastern Orthodox sub-forum, and not General Theology?
Inquirers are free to inquire here, but not to teach or debate. For debate, please start a thread in St Justin's sub-forum.

 

[GenetoJean]

Don't posters here realize that this is TAW, the Eastern Orthodox sub-forum, and not General Theology?
Inquirers are free to inquire here, but not to teach or debate. For debate, please start a thread in St Justin's sub-forum.

I want to apologize again for my doing that earlier. I have tried to keep that in mind since. I am still following the thread though. I find it very informative.

 

[Dorothea]

I want to apologize again for my doing that earlier. I have tried to keep that in mind since. I am still following the thread though. I find it very informative.

I think Rus was talking about CindyLee. She probably didn't realize she was in our forum.