Too Much Focus on Gay Marriage

Gay marriage is the “civil rights movement” of our day it seems. Everywhere you turn around, the question of same-sex marriage is being battled in the media, courts, and legislative chambers of our Nation. If you ask me, which of course you didn’t, it’s all a bit too much.

There are plenty of examples of marriage in which the Orthodox Church doesn’t participate:

1. 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, etc Marriage are forbidden by the Church
2. Marriage between first, second and in many cases third cousins is forbidden by the Church
3. Marriage between “God-siblings” is forbidden by the Church
4. Marriage between an Orthodox Christian and a non-Christian is forbidden by the Church
5. Marriage between two Orthodox Christians OUTSIDE the Church is forbidden by the Church
6. Oh yeah….and same-sex marriage is forbidden by the Church

There are also examples of marriage in which the Orthodox Church doesn’t even bother to acknowledge because it takes place outside the spiritual boundaries of the Orthodox Church.

1. Any marriage in a courtroom performed by a “Justice of the Peace”
2. Marriage between two non Orthodox Christians
3. Marriage between a Christian and a non Christian
4. Marriage between two non Christians
5. Oh yeah…..and same-sex marriage performed in a non Orthodox Church

While I do believe the question of marriage to be a major spiritual struggle within our society, I don’t believe it is prudent for the Church to become vigilant on the question of same-sex marriage, as it will just be another marriage the Church either forbids or refuses to recognize. When the time of national recognition arrives, which it will, the Church will simply “get out of the legal marriage license” business. We’ve done that before and we can do that again.

Orthodox Christian spirituality has always been deeper focused than on any one particular sin, excluding blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of course, so we would do well to remember our Sacred Tradition. The Orthodox Christian way of life is beyond the realm of societal approval or trends, because it is a way of life based upon the Heavenly Kingdom. We would do well to keep our attention on those members inside the Church who, unfortunately are being taken captive by secularists and humanists, and remind them of our need to overcome our passions, and to live in communion with our Lord.

We need to stand up for the Church, within the Church, as a growing number of “members” have sided with the society on many moral questions. I’m not sure it is because they have actually chosen to reject the Church, so much as they have fallen trap to a constant and very well strategized effort from outside the Church to convince them the Church is out of touch. The Church has allowed the society to shape the argument and form the premise without engaging our own members in an authentic spiritual struggle. It’s time to speak the broader truth of our spiritual struggle, and to stop allowing the society to drag us into the pit.

It isn’t about same-sex marriage being more fair; it’s about life NOT being about sex.