Homosexuality and transgenderism have become prevalent issues in our society today, especially with the Roman Catholic Pope’s recent declarations regarding the blessing of same-sex couples. In searching for a religion, many who identify as LBGTQ+ gravitate away from Christianity. Why? Because they mistakenly accuse Christians of homophobia, believing they hate LGBTQ+ people. This belief stems from traditional Christian teachings regarding sexuality: that any sexual acts that go against God’s design for humankind are sinful in His sight.
Acknowledging and working to eradicate sin does not equal hatred toward the person committing that sin. We can accept someone and welcome them into our midst without simultaneously condoning their sinful actions, or in the Pope’s case, “blessing” them. In that sense, the Eastern Orthodox Church does accept people who identify as LGBTQ+. She accepts them as fellow sinners in need of healing, human beings struggling to fight against the passions and deny themselves.
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What does it mean to “accept” someone who is LGBTQ+?
Naturally, there are several definitions of the word accept. The LGBTQ+ movement tends to view acceptance as approval. In other words, in order to accept someone who is LGBTQ+, we must regard his/her actions as proper and/or normal. In fact, if we do not consider changing the Church’s dogma to accommodate his/her lifestyle, this makes us homophobic.
The rest of society – and the Orthodox Church in particular – use an entirely different definition. Outside the LGBTQ+ movement, accept means to receive willingly. The Orthodox Church will accept you in that sense, welcoming you home into the Body of Christ. However, this kind of acceptance does not (and should never) mean approval of the person’s actions.
The Orthodox Church’s position on LGBTQ+
According to Orthodox teachings, God created mankind with two modes of being: male and female (Genesis 1:27). Moreover, He created male and female as perfect companions for one another in marriage (Genesis 2:24). As God’s creation, we must exercise our love and sexuality within these parameters. Anything outside those parameters (homosexuality, rape, fornication, transgenderism, pornography, etc.) are sinful.
However, acknowledging the sinful nature of homosexual acts does not make the Church hateful or homophobic. Sin is the natural result of our fallen human nature, not a crime in need of punishment. Therefore, the Church approaches all sins with compassion and empathy, not hatred.
St. Symeon the New Theologian summarizes our duty as Christians beautifully:
We need to regard all the faithful as one and think that each one of them is Christ. We need to have such love for each individual that we are ready to sacrifice our very life for him. Because we ought never to say or think that any person is evil, but rather to regard all as good. And if you see a brother troubled by passions, do not hate him. Hate rather the passions that are assailing him. And if you see that he is being tormented by desires and habits from former sins, have even greater compassion on him, lest you also fall into temptation […] Love for your brother prepares you to love God more. Accordingly, the secret of love for God is love for your brother. Because if you don’t love your brother whom you see, how can you possibly love God whom you don’t see?
(emphasis added)
Can someone who is LGBTQ+ be an Orthodox Christian?
There are millions of Orthodox Christians who have struggled with same sex attraction, gender dysphoria, etc. Through the healing presence of Christ in His Church, many of them have married (someone of the opposite gender, in accordance with God’s design) or entered monasteries and remained celibate.
If an LGBTQ+ individual intends to follow Christ in the Orthodox Church, he/she will need to face the issue of his/her sexuality. While Christ welcomes us as we are, He does not want us to stay in that same condition. Instead, He wants us to become Him. In the process of becoming like Christ, we must confront our sins and repent and turn away from them, turning instead toward a chaste lifestyle that honors God. Our priest and community of faithful in our local parish are there to help us do this, through prayer, counseling, and emotional support.
Anyone who comes to the Orthodox Church with a repentant heart that acknowledges the sin of homosexual behavior will be lovingly accepted. LGBTQ+ individuals who instead insist on their right to such behavior and choose to live an actively sinful lifestyle without repentance, voluntarily remove themselves from communion with the rest of the Body of Christ.
Deny yourself, take up your cross…
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, the Orthodox Church accepts (read: welcomes) all LGBTQ+ individuals with open arms, because we are all made in the image of God. Orthodox Christianity challenges us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ (Matthew 16:24). In denying ourselves and confronting the passions, Christ’s love and mercy utterly transform us.
Christ calls us to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22). It is a difficult thing to take up our cross and follow Him, but once we do, we often find that Christ’s words are true: “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
Seek spiritual counsel
If you are struggling against LGBTQ+ temptations and want to accept the Orthodox Church and her Faith, we highly recommend reading Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works. We also recommend attending the nearest Orthodox parish. Speak with the priest; he can offer you spiritual guidance and help you on your path to repentance.
Keep Reading: The Truth About Heaven And Hell
6 Responses
Just to be clear, you’re not implying that people with same sex attraction must somehow be ‘cured’ of such attraction to be either Orthodox or holy, are you? The scientific literature on such attempts is negative, to say the least.
Dale,
Christ is risen! No, we are not implying that they must be “cured” in the sense that most people think of the word. Will the person with same sex attraction fall into the sin of committing homosexual acts as he/she struggles toward holiness? Of course. We all struggle to overcome our sins. It is in continuing to fight against them, with the help of Christ and the healing of the Church, that we attain our holiness. Only when we give in to our temptations and become slaves to them, actively living that sinful lifestyle, would we be unable to attain that holiness or justify calling ourselves Orthodox Christians. We hope this was helpful – God bless!
I am an orthodox christian have been for 58 years now. I attend church weekly, I am a gay male legally married to my partner for the last 8 years. Are you saying that I can no longer be a member of the church I grew up in because I am a homosexual.
I do not partake any longer in the Sacraments of the church..
Mihaael,
Christ is in our midst. It saddens us to hear that you are an Orthodox Christian who is no longer partaking in the Sacraments. Because, in effect, that means you are only Orthodox in name. Being an authentic Orthodox Christian is not about simply attending church every Sunday (the so-called “cafeteria Orthodox”). It is a way of life, a daily dying to oneself, a lifetime of repentance, and a rejection of sin in all its forms. If you are actively living in sin, no matter what that sin is, without seeking to overcome that sin or repenting of it, then you are not behaving as a Christian should.
We speak this truth to you in love. You must turn away from this sin, brother, if you wish to be united to Christ in His Church, for it is through the Sacraments that we become one with Christ. Without the Sacraments, the chasm between us and God is vast. It is through the Eucharist, through Confession, through participating in the Sacramental life of the Church, that we grow closer to Christ and to communion with Him (which is our salvation…communion with God). Our prayer and church attendance can only get us so far. God bless you, and may He bring you back into the fullness of the Faith in His time.
I love so much about the Orthodox position, but your position is so hypocritical. Can a person who is divorced be in full communion or do they have to “repent” even if they are abused by a spouse? Does a 14-year-old girl raped and impregnated by her father, who has an early term abortion (morning after pill) have to “repent” and be cured of her evil act, before receiving the sacraments? I think you guys (yes, you are a male-led organization) need to look into your dark hearts and open the doors of love to the world. You are afraid of women and gay men, likely due to outdated ideas of all gay men being pedophiles, and not based on any consideration that people rejected by religion more than likely commit suicide and may become less likely ever to encounter Christ again.
Love your rituals, but hate the sin of hatred and fear of gay people and women
Anonymous,
Christ is in our midst! Our position is anything but hypocritical. Unlike Roman Catholicism and most of Protestant Christianity, we do not view sin as a crime that requires punishment. Sin (hamartia) literally means “missing the mark”. Anytime we fall short of the glory of God, we are sinning. Every single person is a sinner and requires repentance.
Could you please explain why you believe Orthodox Christians “hate women and gay men”? What in this post, or elsewhere on our blog, led you to this conclusion? God bless.