by Fr. Thomas Hopko –
While sexual intercourse between a man and a woman has the possibility of being a pure and proper actualization of divine love when enacted in a godly manner, homosexual intercourse does not.
From Chapter Six: Same-Sex Attraction and Passion in
Christian Faith and Same Sex Attraction: Eastern Orthodox Reflections book by Fr. Thomas Hopko
- Orthodox Christian Scriptures and saints universally testify that when the attraction between persons of the same sex is godly, genital activity is precluded, because divine love cannot be expressed in sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex.
- This is so because same-sex intercourse—however it is enacted, and however committed the persons are to each other, and however “monogamous” their relationship is, and however much they believe that they love each other with godly love—can never be complementary, unifying, life-creating and life-enhancing in the ways that God intended human sexual intercourse to be between a man and a woman.
- Same-sex intercourse is not capable of establishing and edifying the physical, emotional and spiritual lives of the persons involved.
- Christian Scripture claims that those who dishonor their bodies through homosexual intercourse have knowingly or unknowingly “exchanged the truth of God (and about men and women in God’s image) for the lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (Rom.1:24-25).
- In this view, same-sex attractions that lead to genital sexual activity (like sexual acts between men and women outside—and at times even within—the community of marriage) are betrayals of the love that God is.
- All this is not to say that all genital sexual activities between people of the same sex (as well as sexual acts between unmarried men and women, and even many married men and women who have little or no relationship with God) are totally devoid of authentic elements of godly love.
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Available from Amazon: Christian Faith and Same Sex Attraction: Eastern Orthodox Reflections
Thank you for putting this out there.