The Difference between Tolerance and Endorsement in Politics

I often wonder why so many people advocate for the very behaviors they claim to oppose. This has become quite prevalent with the recent SCOTUS decision on marriage. For the hours that followed the ruling, all I could see were rainbows throughout the Internet. Most disappeared after a couple days, but I continue to be intrigued by the rainbow profile pictures that remain. And then it occurred to me.

In our contemporary society, we have lost not only the ability, but I believe the desire, to disagree with others publicly for fear that we may be “called out” on our own sins. So long as we share the common moral of a group, we don’t mind expressing our beliefs. But once our beliefs are in conflict, for fear of not being liked, we hide our beliefs under the cloak of fairness and tolerance. We “get on board” with political movements with phrases such as, “I don’t personally believe in gay marriage, but who am I to say it’s wrong for others?” There ceases to be a willingness to say, “I think it is wrong. PERIOD!” Unfortunately I believe, once we join the effort to support those with whom we disagree, we cross the line into endorsement, if even outwardly.

And that is where I am intrigued. How can you advocate for a behavior or belief which you do not accept? In case you were wondering......changing your Facebook profile to a rainbow IS a statement that you agree with same-sex marriage. If you don’t, then why publicly advocate? You may very well, as do I, believe that every human being has been granted free will by God to believe and act in any way, but there IS a difference between accepting free will and advocating for certain behaviors.

The issue of tolerance vs. endorsement isn’t limited to sexuality. It still is possible to say, “Same-sex marriage is wrong. You don’t have to agree with me, and you are free to do what you wish, but it is wrong.” It is just as easy to say, “Greed is wrong. You can chase the almighty dollar all you want, but it’s wrong.” Or you can say, “Lashing out against others in anger, and forcing them to do as you desire is wrong. You can be lash out all you want, but its wrong.” You can EVEN say, “I believe in One God, Father Almighty....etc. You may not, but I do.” See? It works with any belief or behavior.

If we are going to honor our faith in Jesus Christ, the time is past that we should stop advocating for sinful behaviors, and we should begin advocating for a life dedicated to living according to God’s desire for us.  In Orthodoxy, that means being dedicated to defeating our passions, not soothing them. It DOESN’T mean one sin is worse than another. It doesn’t mean we are without sin. It simply means that as Orthodox Christians, we tolerate other’s choices to sin, but we cannot endorse them. 

Why Bother?

If you have been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you know that my goal is for us to LIVE the Orthodox Christian life rather than just use the label on hospital records. With last week’s SCOTUS decision to extend legal status of same-sex marriage, it occurred to me ask a simple question of my readers....

Why bother being Orthodox?

I mean, really, if the moral teachings of the Church are not considered formative for our life in Christ, then why bother calling ourselves Orthodox Christian? I’m not talking about rights here, but conscience. Why do you (if you do) insist on considering yourself Orthodox Christian if you casually refuse to accept her moral teachings? Granted, the Divine Liturgy is AMAZING, if it is well performed, but from most of the Churches I’ve witnessed over the years, it CAN’T be the awesome performances. I’ve found much better choirs in the Baptist and AME Churches. It can’t be the kneeling for an hour on Pentecost. There IS the food....the food is delicious, no matter what ethnic Church you enter, but you can always visit the local Church festival to take some home for later. So why bother?

If there is no commitment to following the Orthodox Way of Life, which is an admitted struggle against the passions...ALL THE PASSIONS... then why not just become a member of one of other 42,999 Christian denominations? 21^st Christianity has become a “have it your way” religion, and many in the Orthodox Church have embraced this mentality under the guise of freedom. But freedom comes with consequences.

The truth of the matter is this; Orthodox Christianity is the Way of Life established by Christ and His Disciples IN ORDER to assist us in defeating the passions which separate us from God. As Saint Paul said,

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7.15-25)

If we are not committed to defeating the passions, and therefore defeating sin, then why subject ourselves to all the rigor of the Orthodox Christian Way of Life? It becomes a meaningless exercise. If, on the other hand, we desire to grow ever closer to God, then we will embrace the moral teachings and way of life of the Church, as weapons of war.

Ultimately it boils down to the ever-present ego, a battle that humanity has been fighting since the first day in the Garden. We tend to want things OUR way, rather than God’s, and anything (including the Church) that stands in our way of self-indulgence, we will readily reject. Here is a reminder...

Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3.4-6)

Sounds like a good reason to bother....if you ask me.

It’s Not about Love....It’s about MONEY

With yesterday’s SCOTUS (that’s the Supreme Court of The United States for those like myself still behind in the acronym game) decision that same-sex marriage will now be completely legal in all 50 states, it occurs to me to share a few words. I offer my words, simple and few, to the many and complex of others in responding to the court decision.

It isn’t about love. When I turned to social media yesterday, it seemed my screen had been taken over by rainbows – rainbow flags, rainbow corporate logos, rainbow pictures of The White House; there’s even a Facebook app to shade your profile picture rainbow. Just short of the rainbows was the slogan “Love Wins” running a close second. I’ve got news for you.....it isn’t about love. The LGBT community has been allowed to love anyone they wish since the beginning of time. No law legalizing marriage changes that fact. The LGBT community had been celebrating “non-legal” marriage for quite some time in several mainline Christian Churches. No law legalizing marriage changes that fact. The ONLY thing that really changed yesterday was the money.

It’s all about the MONEY. I have several friends who have been fighting for LGBT rights since I knew them in college, and I can remember quite vividly being told, “We don’t want to be allowed to marry, we just want to visit our friends in the hospital.” This mantra ended shortly as the demand for inheritance rights and other “end of life” issues seemed (to my perception) to consume the LGBT community which at the time understandably was falling victim to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But then things changed...

Our society began to respond to the call of LGBT community activists by changing various laws which previously had limited financial equality among the LGBT community. A term had been coined, “Civil Unions” which allowed for insurance companies and the like to extend health care and survivor rights etc to LGBT partners. But it still didn’t end with civil unions. Very quickly it became about the legal status surrounding the term marriage and it’s privilege in the tax code. Those who were married, and therefore only heterosexual couples, could take advantage of various deductions and other tax benefits. Something had to change! And change it did yesterday.

But the money doesn’t stop with the LGBT victory at the Supreme Court. The pendulum is always moving. Already yesterday various high profile columnists within the LGBT community had already pushed ahead with posts warning others that the fight was not over. There have been, and I expect will continue to be, calls for Churches which refuse to support the new law to be stripped of their tax exempt status. See.....? It’s all about the money.

Because I don’t recall reading ANYWHERE that those who support traditional marriage offering to give up their various tax benefits. I don’t recall hearing of a single Church offering to pay property taxes in order to be allowed to not support same-sex marriage. It’s ALWAYS about the money. Well, maybe not always, but I haven’t witnessed many times when it has not been about the money. Let’s face it. How many Christians in 2015 love God enough to continue financially supporting their Church if their donation wasn’t tax deductible? How many Christians who, WITHOUT COMPLAINT, would forgo their vacations, beach houses, flat screen TVs, and other luxuries, in order to logarithmically increase their donations to the Church in order for the Church to pay property taxes? If the lack of financial support for Orthodox Churches today, and that is WITH all our tax benefits, is any indication, I believe we have our answer.

I wonder.......if there was no money on the table, if we would even be having this debate... 

The Woman is the Neck

In the now famous scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Mrs Portocalos proudly announces, “The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants.” We may laugh at this “truth” of marriage, but the important role of women in the life of the Church should not be underestimated. It was the women who remained faithful until the end at the Tomb of Christ. It was the women who carried the Good News of the Resurrection to the Apostles. And it is the women of the Church that have continued throughout the centuries to “turn our heads” so we could hear the Word of God, and help to keep our hearts pure.

If you doubt the importance of the role of women in the Church in spreading the Gospel of the Resurrection, you only need to return to midnight on Pascha. The Church hears the Good News that Christ is Risen from the Myrrhbearing Women. “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.” (Mark 16.7) Many of us also can remember our mothers and grandmothers bringing us to Church as children. They were “turning our heads” toward a life in Christ. Were we listening?

On the Thirds Sunday of Pascha, the Church reminds us of the important role pious women played in the initial Good News of the Resurrection. They were the first evangelists in the truest sense. It was only because the women “turned the heads” of the Apostles that they gained enough courage to go to Galilee and see the Lord for themselves. They were listening.....are we?

America NEEDS More Martyrs

All but one of the Holy Apostles was martyred for standing up and living the Gospel of Christ. In the earliest centuries of the Church, thousands of dedicated men and women were killed in a thousand different ways, by those who refused to embrace the message of hope that is preached by the Church. In many cases, these holy men and women, refused even to pretend to deny Christ, in order to show the world that the Kingdom of God is greater than any kingdom on Earth. The result of these martyrs was the conversion of the world into Christ’s Holy Church. Their willingness to die for the Gospel was an inspiration to thousands.

In our current political environment, it is becoming clear that sooner rather than later, the Church will again be in the position of standing up for the Gospel of Christ. In doing so, we must understand that the society at large will work against the Church. We may not be persecuted with death as in early centuries, but nonetheless we will be challenged to choose between living the Gospel and pleasing society. Although we cannot ignore that many are in fact being killed for their Christian Faith in other parts of the world, already these new martyrs have inspired new converts in the Middle East.

In America, our martyrdom will be different. We will be called to give up comforts, tax exempt status, wealth and other privileges that Churches have enjoyed since the founding of our nation. In America, our martyrdom will be green rather than blood red. In America, our martyrdom will include jumping through hoops to get buildings built and marriages sanctioned. Like the martyrs of old, our willingness to lose wealth and status and comfort will be an inspiration for others to embrace the Gospel of Christ. America NEEDS more martyrs. America needs YOU!

We Hold Ourselves to a Higher Standard

We live in a world, much like the Christians of the first century, in which morality is based not on the teachings of Christ, but the teachings of darkness. Daily, it seems, our world is stepping further away from the way of life of Christ and His Church, as is evidenced in the daily news reports. In a world in which the terminally ill are invited to take their own lives with “dignity,” or in which there is no longer a distinction between males and females, we must strive to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We are encouraged by Saint Paul to coexist peacefully in this world, all the while never faltering in our commitment to live a life worthy of Christ. Holding ourselves to a higher standard doesn’t mean abandoning nonbelievers to hell; rather it means being in a constant state of prayer that their hearts may be softened. Of course, we understand the Gospel message will fall sometimes on deaf ears, but that does not give us license to live according to the same fallen standards of the world. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Responding to Contentions about the Law

With the recent decision of the US Supreme Court regarding pending court cases, same-sex marriage licenses were being issued in Charleston, SC amid celebrations and cheers. What is the Orthodox Christian response? We state our opposition to such laws, but we understand that the gift of free will given by God allows for each human being to either accept His will or reject it.

As we celebrate the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 7^th Ecumenical Council, at which the Holy Fathers defended the truth of Orthodoxy in Holy Icons, we might learn a lesson from the willingness of ALL the Church Fathers

to stand up for the truth within the Church, while acknowledging those outside the Church are not bound by the same standards. Preaching about Titus 3.9, St John Chrysostom said this:

“For when a man is perverted and predetermined not to change his mind, whatever may happen, why should you labor in vain, sowing upon a rock, when you should spend your honorable toil upon your own people, in discoursing with them upon almsgiving and very other virtue.” (from Homily 6 on Titus)

Our Orthodox Christian response must be to protect and nurture the faith in our children. We must strengthen the faith within the Church in order to defend against the attacks of the Evil One who will never cease trying to destroy Christ’s Church. If such laws in South Carolina continue, it will become increasingly difficult for our children to remain faithful to Christ and His Church unless we “spend our honorable toil” to not only teach them the faith, but teach them to LIVE the faith. “These things are good and profitable to men.” (Titus 3.8)

Politics and Morals Don’t Mix

In a recent conference in Washington, D.C. a group gathered to discuss the plight of Christians in the Middle East. It was held in Washington, I suppose, with the dream that close proximity to our Nation’s politicians would garner a certain amount of attention to the moral cause of protecting an oppressed people. According to statements made by the organizing committee, the discussion was productive. However, a US Senator, believing (again I suppose) that American Foreign policy interests would be morally sufficient for anyone to support the Nation of Israel, was booed off the stage by a primarily Arab Christian group of people. Why?????because politics and morals don’t mix.

In America it has become trendy to use expression such as, “Keep your religion to yourselves,” or “Don’t force your religion on others.” In many of these cases that I have experienced these expression are used in response to a predominantly Christian moral being used as a basis for law. Of course the most common moral issue debated nowadays is same-sex marriage. The Christian Church (in general terms) has been characterized a gay-hating, middle-ages loving, white men, which may actually be true in a few cases. But any objective evaluation would reveal this is just not the case. In fact, if something is to be voted upon, which is the American political way of assessing common moral behaviors, how ANYONE chooses to come to their particular vote is a matter of choice. This unfortunately is rarely the case. Why??????because politics and morals don’t mix.

And yet, another popular trend today is for America to “force” her morals upon other countries when it comes to issues of gender, sexuality, citizenship qualifications, and even international borders. How is it, that a population which demands to be left to their own moral choices chooses NOT to allow other nations the same benefit? Why????because politics and morals don’t mix.

Even within America, those who cry freedom of moral oppression from one party, acknowledge that OTHER behaviors are CLEARLY not acceptable. Polygamy, Incest, Child-Adult relationships, bestiality...ALL these are just as taboo as homosexuality used to be, and YET, the LGBT community continues to demand their independent right while denying anyone else to ability to vote on the matter. Why???????you got it....politics and morals don’t mix.

So what is the solution? God gives each human being the free will to choose Him or to deny Him. We live in a society which allows for the public debate and participation in the setting of common morals. It seems pretty clear to me that LGBT issues are quickly becoming the “norm” while bestiality etc are not. I accept that I live in a land that allows for such freedoms to be manifest in the very laws of our nation. In fact, I am thankful for the freedom this country does allow for. However, I think it is high-time for both sides to concede they will not convince the other. In the meantime, can we at least acknowledge that both sides benefit when we allow freedom to prevail?

That means.....if Christians want the freedom to not support, participate in, or in any other way endorse same-sex marriage, we must not forget it is that SAME freedom that allows others the choice TO marry. Alternatively, if the LGBT community wants others to keep their religion to themselves, they must not forget it is the SAME freedom they are attempting to deny others in their choice. Freedom works both ways, and while politics and morals don’t mix.......politics and freedom are a match made in heaven.

Questions and Answers: Wedding Rings and the Meaning of Marriage

Did you know there was a reason why the Priest placed your wedding ring on your right hand? Are you one of the many who have changed your ring to your left hand to “fit in” to our American society? In this week’s episode of Be Transfigured! we will answer the question, “Why do Orthodox Christians wear their weddings on their right hand?” You may be inspired to change it back...if you have the courage.