Orthodox Bishops of Germany Write Letter Concerning Love, Sexuality, Marriage

[Antonis]

On the day that God made Adam, He made him in the likeness of God.
Male and female He made them,
He blessed them and He named them ‘Man’. (Gen 5:1-2)

Dear young Orthodox Christians in Germany,

As bishops of your Church in Germany we wish to speak about some topical issues in this letter which is written specifically for you. The world is moving ever closer together. And the burning issues of our time come increasingly to the fore. They are of profound concern to human existence – your existence: God places the present and the future in your hands.

Available in a PDF of it's own here:
http://www.obkd.de/Texte/Brief%20OBKD%20an%20die%20Jugend-en.pdf

 

[Čtec]

"In modern times many young men and women have sexual relations before marriage.  
Against this background, many people ask how the Orthodox Church judges the situation.   This is not a charter for sexual permissiveness.  We emphasise:  
It is very important to behave with responsibility; responsibility concerning one’s own
sexuality, the sexuality of one’s partner, and also the consequences of sexual life;
responsibility towards oneself, to society and before God

 Thus
we wish that your love will be crowned by a church wedding, that in consequence a
Christian family will come into being, and that you will learn to honour, protect and
support life, including newly developing life. "

In other words, bishops are saying, you can have sex with just one girlfriend that you "love", and then they will come with their little crowns to crown your love.

Very vague statement. Why did they not condemn adultery openly? Are they afraid of the world?

 

[Asteriktos]

Isn't that similar to what happened in the first centuries of the Church, before there was a wedding ceremony with all the bells and whistles? People would get together and then be married officially (secularly) and then that relationship would be recognized as an existing thing (sacramentally) in the Church?

 

[Asteriktos]

I'd edit the above if I could, because I didn't put it very well. [/foot in mouth]

 

[Volnutt]

I'd edit the above if I could, because I didn't put it very well. [/foot in mouth]

How would you say it if you were going to put it in better words, then?

 

[LivenotoneviL]

Well, it's unfortunate to see that the problem of Liberal German bishops is not only a problem in the RCC.

 

[Sharbel]

Isn't that similar to what happened in the first centuries of the Church, before there was a wedding ceremony with all the bells and whistles? People would get together and then be married officially (secularly) and then that relationship would be recognized as an existing thing (sacramentally) in the Church?

No, the state injected itself in marriage, at least in the West, during the French Revolution. 

 

[Alpo]

You're reading too much into this. Just because the bishop doesn't speak like OC.net doesn't mean he's morally lenient.

 

[Čtec]

Isn't that similar to what happened in the first centuries of the Church, before there was a wedding ceremony with all the bells and whistles? People would get together and then be married officially (secularly) and then that relationship would be recognized as an existing thing (sacramentally) in the Church?

Sacramental blessing of the marriage, as we know it today, came in early 10th century, when the Christian Empire declared that all it's citizens must be married in the Church, which meant to be married in the state too. This is when Church "composed" it's ritual of crowning the couple. Before 10th century, couple would be married by receiving together the presanctified gifts. Church clearly condemns sex outside the marriage as adultery, it is in it's canons and works of the Fathers of the Church. The German Bishops talk vague, to avoid accusations from any side, and yet sin continues as normal.

 

[Luke]

Nice letter.

 

[FinnJames]

Nice letter.

+1.

The letter sets out Church teachings clearly without going into a rant against young people who may be having a hard time following them--or may not even know what they are.