Are gays allowed in the Orthodox churches?

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Some people go to Orthodox Churches for healing, some to get closer to God by participating in the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) and some go to praise and worship God. Some go to pray for themselves or for others. Some go because they like the community fellowship.

This applies to gay and non-gay Orthodox.

Any Orthodox person may participate in the Mystery of the Eucharist (Communion) if they first make a sincere and good confession. Orthodox confession does not require sins to be verbally stated to the Priest - but only to God. This applies to both gay and non-gay Orthodox. This is because the Orthodox Priest is not Christ - he petitions God for the forgiveness required, and grants absolution contingent upon God deciding to forgive.

Only God can truly know who has made a sincere and good confession.

This element differs from the Catholic Church for both gay and non-gay Orthodox.

A good confession constitutes the following for gay and non-gay Orthodox:
  1. personal acknowledgement of the sin and accepting responsibility for it;
  2. genuine regret and repentance for the sin and for offending God;
  3. personal commitment to make amends or do penance;
  4. sincere desire to resist further sin.
There is no systematic pre-judgement in the Orthodox Church of anyone’s confession - gay or not gay. That is between them and God.

There is no discrimination against gay people in the Orthodox Church because they are Gay. There is discrimination against non-repentant sinners (denial of Eucharist) whether they are gay or not.
 
Well stated, KyivanPatriarch. Everyone is welcome to the same struggle against the passions that is at the heart of the Orthodox life, whether they are gay or not gay. Only perhaps their particular sins or temptations will vary, but that’s not for anyone to judge. It’s just like how during the fast we’re not supposed to look at our neighbor’s plate. The whole year around, we’re not supposed to condemn him for his sin, either. There is the story from the Desert Fathers (I believe it happened to Abba Isaac of the Cells, but I don’t have the book of the sayings in front of me right now) wherein Abba participated in the judging of a brother together with his fellow monks and on returning back to his cell he found its door blocked by an angel of the Lord, so that he could not enter. The angel asked him, “What do you want me to do with the brother you have condemned?” (i.e., should I cast him into hell or not.) Abba did not understand the question, so the angel repeated it: “What do you want me to do with the brother you have condemned?” Abba replied that he did not want see anyone cast into hell, so the angel replied, “Good. So see to it that you do not judge someone before God has a chance to.”

The implication of this story to our treatment of Orthodox Christians who are gay (which is not unknown, even if it’s not a popular topic in the Church) should be clear. They are also in need of God’s mercy, guidance, and forgiveness, no different than anyone else. As is repeated in the Coptic hymn in my signature, blessed are those who have mercy.
 
dzheremi said:
Well stated, KyivanPatriarch. Everyone is welcome to the same struggle against the passions that is at the heart of the Orthodox life, whether they are gay or not gay. Only perhaps their particular sins or temptations will vary, but that’s not for anyone to judge. It’s just like how during the fast we’re not supposed to look at our neighbor’s plate. The whole year around, we’re not supposed to condemn him for his sin, either. There is the story from the Desert Fathers (I believe it happened to Abba Isaac of the Cells, but I don’t have the book of the sayings in front of me right now) wherein Abba participated in the judging of a brother together with his fellow monks and on returning back to his cell he found its door blocked by an angel of the Lord, so that he could not enter. The angel asked him, “What do you want me to do with the brother you have condemned?” (i.e., should I cast him into hell or not.) Abba did not understand the question, so the angel repeated it: “What do you want me to do with the brother you have condemned?” Abba replied that he did not want see anyone cast into hell, so the angel replied, “Good. So see to it that you do not judge someone before God has a chance to.”

The implication of this story to our treatment of Orthodox Christians who are gay (which is not unknown, even if it’s not a popular topic in the Church) should be clear. They are also in need of God’s mercy, guidance, and forgiveness, no different than anyone else. As is repeated in the Coptic hymn in my signature, blessed are those who have mercy.
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Amen to that dear brother!!! :clapping::byzsoc:
 
Homosexuality is considered a sin in both Orthodox and Catholic theology, but Confession and Eucharist are differently dealt with. There are definitive theological reasons behind this. Orthodox gays have a less problemmatic relationship with the Church than Catholic gays.

The Catholic African countries are even more brutal towards homosexuals than Russia - nd ban condoms aswell. Deaths are routine there. Very sad.

Some discrimination is religious. Some is cultural. Its all uncceptable.
 
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