Thanks for the correction and clarification.

The book is not “written by an Anglican.” It was edited by an Anglican, but includes accounts by Orthodox Christians. If it was edited by an Orthodox he would probably have been excommunicated.

CreateSpace (owned by Amazon — hence the Kindle version) provides a free ISBN. He does have to pay for copies of his own book, even for the proof copy, I believe.

Happy? Stunned? No need to be either. The book was written by an Anglican, not Orthodox author. He cites Orthodoxy only to lend a patina of moral gravitas to the topic. The only real notice the Orthodox have taken is that the book was published under the pretense of speaking for Orthodoxy. It doesn’t.

Hannah,

Homosexuality is a form of idolatry. Whether it is consensual or not makes little difference. Allowing the consenual aspect into the discussion as a significant parameter merely places man’s will over God’s once again. Human beings mired in sin are perfectly capable of consenting to anything. Is seduction into sin any worse than having it forced upon you?

It is impossible to disregard the immorality and idolatry that is inherent in homosexual activity. To attempt to do so is, IMO, an attempt to place homosexual and hetrosexual activity on the same moral plane.

One does not have to be young to be vulnerable to the ideological propaganda of the moral and political egalitarians. We are all vulnerable. In fact, in some instances it is the young who see through the propaganda more readily.

The “rape thesis” does not suppose homosexuality is morally normative. Disregarding the morality of homosexuality, there is nevertheless a radical difference between consensual and non-consensual sex. Rape and homosexuality can exist as two distinct categories, and they certainly do in Sodom. My point is that stating that Sodom was destroyed simply because of homosexuality and homosexuality alone is inherently false. Sodom is mentioned constantly as representing the pinacle of idolatry as well.

Yes, being gay is not an ontological category in the Orthodox Church — I’m well aware of that. Nevertheless, perceiving homosexuality as not an ontological category does not mean one can suddenly “become” a heterosexual. The Orthodox Church advocates an ascetic struggle in those cases; it does not send people to conversion therapy and makes them marry women. There is a tremendous difference.

Yes, I’m aware of NARTH’s existence. And, to Eliot Ryan, “vulnerable young?” Yes, nothing we say should be taken seriously as we are “young and vulnerable.” As a young Orthodox Christian, I find this a bit troubling in terms of ministry…

Rob: What is meant by passion is is of course sinful passions.
We are commanded to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Fr. Calciu spent a total of twenty-one brutal years in prison and after he beng released maintained a strict ascetic life of fasting and prayer. This kind of life does not make one “react to the world like an automaton or being unable to embrace the natural goods”.
Fr. Calciu, “He had a beaming smile. He was often amused by life, and ready to laugh. . . . Fr. George was joyful. . . . He was naturally affectionate, and would hold my hand or anyone’s . . . just beaming with a radiant smile.”
https://www.aoiusa.org/2011/04/fr-george-calciu-first-century-christian-in-the-twentieth-century/

I don’t think reacting to the world like an automaton or being unable to embrace the natural goods of this life necessarily makes us any more “human”.

I may never understand in my heart why homosexuality is so wrong.

The purpose of life is to healed (all) the passions – both of the body and of the soul.

Hell is the absolute and infinite eruption of our passions, which can no longer be satisfied. This is the description of hell made by Saint Gregory the Great in his Dialogueues about death. Passions, although of spiritual origin, can be satisfied only by means of the body. After death, when body changes its properties, its spiritual side will keep the properties and habits of its lifetime. When entering eternity, passions will progress infinitely, so that even the slightest irritation will become rage and a guilty look will become an ocean of lust. But the body will not be capable to fulfill its desires. Suffering will arise from the turmoil of all the passions rushed upon the helplessness of the body. The existence of the body is necessary, both the sinners and the righteous will recover their bodies. The saints (as Saint Gregory says) to enjoy the perfect harmony which they were created for; the sinners – to die permanently and forever in body and soul. http://www.sfaturiortodoxe.ro/orthodox/orthodox_advices_hieromonk_savatie_the_english_patient.htm

Satan’s warfare against us begins in the mind and, in order to resist, we are to bring into captivity every thought to obey God. Our Church teaches us to pray unceasingly.

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Healing all passions (a gradual process which enables us to escape eternal torment) and dedicating ourselves to prayers is what bring us close to living heavenly-like, with no sin in between to hinder the closeness. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30)
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“Do not deceive yourselves: no fornicators, idolaters, or adulterers, no homosexual perverts, sodomites, thieves, ..or drunkards, no slanderers or robbers will inherit God’s kingdom.
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Saint Ignatie Brancianinov said that those who do not turn monks willingly, in the end would do it unwillingly forced by illness and death.
We have to live moderate lives and to avoid every excess. We “eat to live, don’t live to eat”, and overeating (a failure of self-control), leads to obesity.
However, this does not mean that we should all be monks and nuns.
Marriage (between one man and one woman) is honorable and is the place where life is begotten and nurtured. Those who are married should “not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; Then come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

I think I haven’t given enough attention to fasting. Thank you for your advice.

Emily: Whatever the meaning behind it all, I am no longer willing to let my sexuality get in the way of a relationship with God. Yes, this is what Living is all about: struggle against sin.

We live in a society where sensuality is greatly encouraged and the body is in control. The bottom line philosophy is “whatever you feel you do it; you’re just an animal at the end of the evolutionary chain; this is the only life you’ve got, so you got to live it BIG Time”. Don’t use your mind, do whatever your body tells you. This is a sure way for a person to become a pitiable slave to his passions and to blind his mind to truth.

For the Orthodox, body and soul both comprise the complete human being, and in the end, body and soul will be reunited. Fasting and prayer is the way to “restrain one’s physical desires and to allow the soul’s noble aspirations to bloom and strengthen.”

The necessity of abstinence of food arises from the human constitution itself, possessing not only a body but an immortal soul. Because of the sinfulness of our nature, the harmony between our body and soul has been disturbed. As a result, the desires of the flesh often predominate and sometimes completely stifle all the soul’s endeavors for righteousness. A person becomes a pitiable slave to his passions and at times worse than an animal. It is possible to restrain one’s physical desires and to allow the soul’s noble aspirations to bloom and strengthen with the help of prayer and fasting.

Fasting, according to the teaching of Basil the Great, brings forth prophets, strengthens the warriors of Christ, and makes the law-givers wiser. Fasting is the good guardian of the soul, the weapon of the valiant. It repels temptations, is the cohabitant of sobriety and the foundation of chastity. Fasting carries prayer to heaven, becoming its wings. On the necessity of abstinence

Isn’t that quote by St. Symeon lovely? I’d like to share a personal story that I hope will shed some light on what it’s like to bear this cross. That said, I do not mean to speak for all bisexuals or homosexuals.

I am new to Orthodoxy and looking forward to being baptized soon. I am in a faithful, monogamous marriage with a man. And I also consider myself to have a bisexual orientation. While the orientation itself doesn’t feel like something that can be changed, I am open to the possibility, because I know with God all things are possible. I admit that I have found comfort in the label “bisexual” as a way to understand myself, but I am also open to one day no longer needing to define myself in that way.

When I was younger, in fact after I had the first inclination I might also have attractions to girls, I had a vision in which I met Jesus. Many things I experienced were similar to what people report after near death experiences. It was the most real and wonderful thing I’ve ever experienced, and it became a kind of litmus test for me when sifting through various world religions in an attempt to find there the Jesus I had met personally. After being led astray on more than one occasion, I began to lose faith in ever finding Him again. I never doubted that He was real, but honestly nothing felt more anti-Christ than trying to believe in a theology that was in conflict with what I knew of Him.

Meanwhile, I was distracted by two attitudes toward homosexuality. Either it was something good that should be accepted with open arms and celebrated with bright rainbow flags and parties or it was not only detestable but pure evil, and homosexuals were just lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike the next innocent victim with their vile homosexual agenda. At the time, I could not see that there were any other options. If God is love, how could the second attitude toward homosexuals be called a Christian one? How could paralyzing fear and guilt and self-hatred be what God wanted? And so, unable to break free from that false dichotomy, it made sense that by deduction, the first attitude must be of God.

So I began to follow The New Age “religion,” with all of its tolerance for everything that feels good. It felt safe and welcoming, far from the fearful, angry judgments of so-called Christians. Then I took a class on International Human Rights, and it turned this notion of relativism on it’s head. If it’s all relative and it’s someone else’s “culture” to beat women, for example, who am I to judge? But wait, that can’t be right. Surely God wouldn’t approve of men beating women, no matter which culture endorses it. Could it be that there is such thing as an ultimate, universal Truth? And it was there, in a very, very liberal university, that a little class called International Human Rights gave me permission to have an opinion- and perhaps, even, to offend someone who might disagree.

It still took several years after this for me to consider Christianity again. But when I did, I decided to start back at the very beginning. And that’s how I found Orthodoxy. How come I’d never even heard of it before? Why couldn’t Jesus have just said, “By the way, the Orthodox church is where you’ll find me”? I may never understand why we suffer the way we do, but I’d go through it all over again if that’s the only way I could know what it means to be Christian.

Through this journey to Orthodoxy, I’ve noticed that certain things which used to be a huge problem just aren’t so troublesome anymore. The concept of Hell used to be something I just absolutely could not accept. And yet, now I believe. I used to be adamantly pro-choice. And yet, now I cannot fathom how I allowed the fear of not being able to control my body outweigh any compassion for an innocent life. I may never understand in my heart why homosexuality is so wrong. But when I’m filled with doubt and have trouble believing, I make the choice to trust. Maybe, just maybe, bisexuality happens to be my particular cross to bear.

Whatever the meaning behind it all, I am no longer willing to let my sexuality get in the way of a relationship with God. So I don’t ask for my sexuality to be accepted or understood, and I don’t ask for my past behaviors to be condoned. I would simply ask that my Orthodox brothers and sisters try to see the Christ in me that I see in them.