Interracial Marriage

[the_Abbot]

I was on another website and an Orthodox poster there stated "Orthodoxy doesn't advocate or encourage intermarriage and never has".

Is this true?

The website is a racist website so i went to the theology section and typed Orthodox in the search box and there seems to be a lot of racist Orthodox on there. Is this common in the Orthodox Church? I am a single father and my son has a black mother. Will there be problems in the Church because of this if I ever attend one?

 

[Akathist]

I thought the term "intermarriage" referred to marrying someone who is not Orthodox when you are Orthodox yourselves.

We have a lovely couple in our parish who everyone loves. He is very dark and she is very pale white. He has been accepted to Seminary in the fall and we are so happy for them. He has been a "Reader" for a year now.

There is another family who comes a few times a year when they are visiting family in the area where my Church is. They are black and we have been trying to convince them to move and become regulars in our parish because they are such great people. (And we are a small parish so we need new families.)

We have a ton of "black" Saints too! The Eastern Orthodox Faith has a long heritage in northern parts of Africa. (As well of course the Coptic Orthodox.)

We also have arabic Orthodox and "Eskimo" Orthodox, and Asian Orthodox etc etc. As far as I know the amount of melanin in the skin cells has nothing to do with being Orthodox or not.

Could you send me a pm with a link to that site? I am curious as to which one is it. I don't think it is a good idea to post it publically and drive traffic there however.

 

[gzt]

They mean Orthodox marrying non-Orthodox. It's possible, but not ideal. However, it is impossible for an Orthodox to marry a non-Christian. There's nothing at all wrong with different "races" or "ethnicities" marrying.

 

[gzt]

And if they didn't mean what I said, but rather what you thought they said, they are dead wrong. They are lying liars spreading lies. Archbishop Iakovos was one of the few non-African American clergymen willing to march with Martin Luther King, Jr in Selma.

 

[Kolya]

The Orthodox church is not racist! There are several mixed couples in our parish. The "inter-marriage" refers to being married to non-Orthodox or non-Christians. It has nothing to do with race!

 

[ThePosterFormerlyKnownAs]

It is a grave sin to marry outside the human race. Although, I have seen a few elves...

I love that picture of Bishop Iakovos standing next to Dr. King on the cover of Life magazine.

 

[Gianna]

Not sure what website you are referring to, but I have never heard this in Orthodoxy. Many people in my parish are in mixed relationships with interracial children and I have never seen/heard anyone say anything/do anything that is racist. I have never heard a priest promote racist views. If anything, when I was growing up it was the contrary. Additionally, even if what was meant was marriage between Orthodox and non-Orthodox, I have never seen/heard judgment of this either. True, they might not be married in the church, but instead, in a civil way, but when these couples come to Church no one judges them as not being "truly married" or some stupid thing like that.
I want to know who is spreading this garbage also.

 

[Gianna]

Don't forget our Ethiopian brothers and sisters, whom Bob Marley embraced before his death. Ja, mon!
That's it...I'm signing all my posts with this:

One Love-One Hope,
Gianna

 

[Gianna]

It is a grave sin to marry outside the human race. Although, I have seen a few elves...

I love that picture of Bishop Iakovos standing next to Dr. King on the cover of Life magazine.

 

[gzt]

Well, if you, as an Orthodox, marry outside the Church, that is, do not have your wedding in the Orthodox Church, you are excommunicated until you remedy the situation. You can marry non-Orthodox, as long as they are Christians, but the wedding must be Orthodox.

 

[Kolya]

It is a grave sin to marry outside the human race. Although, I have seen a few elves...

That is PRICELESS!

 

[MamaBug]

I am pretty generic-western europeanish and my husband is mixed Filipino/Latino/Ashkenazi in heritage. No one even looks at us funny.

One of the churches in our area (which is pretty small) has about 5 families currently in the process of adopting children from Ethiopia.

IOW - that site was full of it.

 

[Gianna]

I am pretty generic-western europeanish and my husband is mixed Filipino/Latino/Ashkenazi in heritage. No one even looks at us funny.

Yes, but are you or your husband part ELF???? That would be deal-breaker since elves are clearly not Orthodox....

 

[the_Abbot]

The poster was definitely talking about interracial relationships. I went back to the website to search for it, but so many topics come up when searching with the word Orthodox. The website is stormfront.org which is some white pride site

Well since I can not find the topic from last night that I read here is an example of another one

Link removed

 

[the_Abbot]

Don't forget our Ethiopian brothers and sisters, whom Bob Marley embraced before his death. Ja, mon!
That's it...I'm signing all my posts with this:

One Love-One Hope,
Gianna

Here is a post about how they feel about the Ethiopian Orthodox

http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=437102&highlight=orthodox

 

[Anhelyna]

Good Grief - I'm horrified !

 

[the_Abbot]

I just hope the beliefs of the Orthodox on that website is not common, because I really want to attend the Church and maybe one day become a member and I don't know where else to go. I will never again attend a Protestant Church so that is not an option.

 

[Gianna]

I think I am going to be sick. That poster is not "Orthodox". That poster is a Orthodoxy is about a lot more than just getting dunked and greased. (Forgive me for being crude, but I'm a cradle and we don't mince too many words)
He may have been baptized and chrismated but that is not a measure of Orthodoxy. This person is not in communion for the simple reason that he hates other races. That is not an Orthodox teaching and therefore, he has separated himself whether he knows it or not.
Notice in his post that he states no one in his church takes his opinion seriously. Well, Gee...now we know why.

The poster was definitely talking about interracial relationships. I went back to the website to search for it, but so many topics come up when searching with the word Orthodox. The website is stormfront.org which is some white pride site

Well since I can not find the topic from last night that I read here is an example of another one http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=405522&highlight=orthodox+marriage

 

[Gianna]

This site really scares me. The person who posted is clearly not a Christian at all, and I am alarmed that he is presenting his views as "Orthodox". If I knew more about him, I would contact the bishop in that diocese and demand that the bishop lay down the smack on that poster and the parish. since it appears that the poster went to the "church president" and that person seemed to agree with him. Unfortunately, we don't know the real story and I am really hoping that whoever that poster is, he is making the whole thing up.

 

[the_Abbot]

I think I am going to be sick. That poster is not "Orthodox". That poster is a Orthodoxy is about a lot more than just getting dunked and greased. (Forgive me for being crude, but I'm a cradle and we don't mince too many words)
He may have been baptized and chrismated but that is not a measure of Orthodoxy. This person is not in communion for the simple reason that he hates other races. That is not an Orthodox teaching and therefore, he has separated himself whether he knows it or not.
Notice in his post that he states no one in his church takes his opinion seriously. Well, Gee...now we know why.

He is certainly not the only Orthodox poster there though, so there are others with the same belief. I am just glad I am finding out from you guys that this is not a common teaching in the Church.