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Orthodox Chastity Programs
Hi Everyone,
Do you think it would be possible to get our priests to introduce an Orthodox Chastity Program? I know in the states, they've done this silver ring thing, but I get the impression that our youth seem to think that Chastity is only for nuns or monks.
What is the best way we can communicate and express to our own youths the importance of sexual purity before marriage - and even after marriage?
I think the explanation is quite clear, but what is missing is the incentive, or unified effort amongst the youth to actually live in holiness.
Christ said to us that "we are the salt of the earth", and He goes on to say "... if the salt loses its flavour, then how will it be seasoned?"
We bring people to Christ by being the salt. The flavour we offer comes from our ability to witness to Christ in our own daily lives and this done by keeping His Commandments, of which fornication, adultary, and lust of the heart are included.
The Apostles, when they decided to baptise the gentiles, they were deeply concerned about them not being circumcised. However, after some thought, they came to the conclusion that they would only need to be baptised. They felt it would not be wise to burden these people with so much laws and traditions of the jews, but they gave them the ESSENTIALS on what to do. The main part of that was to AVOID SEXUAL IMMORALITY.
So, if we engage such behaviour as if it is nothing, then surely the salt has lost its flavour. If we change between wrong and right - surely the salt has lost its flavour.
I'm in no way interested in enforcing some kind of religious chastity police.. I'm far from perfect myself, but I am deeply concerned that what amounts to sexual immorality is not being seen as sexual immorality by our youth.
We can fall 100 times in this struggle, yet we must rise. However, if we say we are Christian, and do not recognise this as a sin, then it is at that point we become worthless. We have no flavour.
I think the reason of this apathy or disregard for God's commandments concerning chastity is as follows : or partly as follows for why our youth engage in such immoral behaviour:
* They think/assume that they will never marry a virgin, so why bother waiting for?
Our purity of heart, minds and bodies is what we have to offer to God. It is righteous to keep these pure, whether we marry a virgin, or not.
* They may feel that their parents are from Egypt, and these values are applicable to Egyptians - now they are in the "west", they have to integrate, and part of that is to do as the others do.
I accept that we are bombarded in the west by sexual material more than the west, and I am aware also that keeping sexually pure is not the easiest thing to do whilst living in western socieites. You're basically alienating yourself from everyone.
But this is a Christian Value and Characteristic. Its not Egyptian.
Finally, this brings me to the solution:
I think that is why we need a Chastity Program in our Church: The youth need to feel that they are NOT alone in this, and that what unites them together IS Christ's commandments , not Egypt, not Egyptian culture, and definately not Egyptian values.
I saw a video of a new government program/initiative aimed at addressing the problems of female circumcision. Part of that was that initiative was to get the women to sign Promises that they will NOT let their kids (female girls) get circumcised.
I think we need something similar. We need to make our youth united in this. This is also evangelising our faith at the same time.
I am a strong believer that rather than going out and telling others to repent, I am adament that it is best to focus on ourselves. Each and everyone's repentance and struggle from temptation and sin is IN ITSELF an evangelisation of their faith.
Is this idea possible??? Fr Peter???
Do you think it would be possible to get our priests to introduce an Orthodox Chastity Program? I know in the states, they've done this silver ring thing, but I get the impression that our youth seem to think that Chastity is only for nuns or monks.
What is the best way we can communicate and express to our own youths the importance of sexual purity before marriage - and even after marriage?
I think the explanation is quite clear, but what is missing is the incentive, or unified effort amongst the youth to actually live in holiness.
Christ said to us that "we are the salt of the earth", and He goes on to say "... if the salt loses its flavour, then how will it be seasoned?"
We bring people to Christ by being the salt. The flavour we offer comes from our ability to witness to Christ in our own daily lives and this done by keeping His Commandments, of which fornication, adultary, and lust of the heart are included.
The Apostles, when they decided to baptise the gentiles, they were deeply concerned about them not being circumcised. However, after some thought, they came to the conclusion that they would only need to be baptised. They felt it would not be wise to burden these people with so much laws and traditions of the jews, but they gave them the ESSENTIALS on what to do. The main part of that was to AVOID SEXUAL IMMORALITY.
So, if we engage such behaviour as if it is nothing, then surely the salt has lost its flavour. If we change between wrong and right - surely the salt has lost its flavour.
I'm in no way interested in enforcing some kind of religious chastity police.. I'm far from perfect myself, but I am deeply concerned that what amounts to sexual immorality is not being seen as sexual immorality by our youth.
We can fall 100 times in this struggle, yet we must rise. However, if we say we are Christian, and do not recognise this as a sin, then it is at that point we become worthless. We have no flavour.
I think the reason of this apathy or disregard for God's commandments concerning chastity is as follows : or partly as follows for why our youth engage in such immoral behaviour:
* They think/assume that they will never marry a virgin, so why bother waiting for?
Our purity of heart, minds and bodies is what we have to offer to God. It is righteous to keep these pure, whether we marry a virgin, or not.
* They may feel that their parents are from Egypt, and these values are applicable to Egyptians - now they are in the "west", they have to integrate, and part of that is to do as the others do.
I accept that we are bombarded in the west by sexual material more than the west, and I am aware also that keeping sexually pure is not the easiest thing to do whilst living in western socieites. You're basically alienating yourself from everyone.
But this is a Christian Value and Characteristic. Its not Egyptian.
Finally, this brings me to the solution:
I think that is why we need a Chastity Program in our Church: The youth need to feel that they are NOT alone in this, and that what unites them together IS Christ's commandments , not Egypt, not Egyptian culture, and definately not Egyptian values.
I saw a video of a new government program/initiative aimed at addressing the problems of female circumcision. Part of that was that initiative was to get the women to sign Promises that they will NOT let their kids (female girls) get circumcised.
I think we need something similar. We need to make our youth united in this. This is also evangelising our faith at the same time.
I am a strong believer that rather than going out and telling others to repent, I am adament that it is best to focus on ourselves. Each and everyone's repentance and struggle from temptation and sin is IN ITSELF an evangelisation of their faith.
Is this idea possible??? Fr Peter???
Comments
I'm sorry to put it in those terms.
If you recall the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, our father Abraham, as he spoke to the Rich Man, and in reply to his request for someone to counsel his brothers, Abraham replied: that they had the Law and Prophets, if they did not listen then, then they will not listen now [paraphrase].
Our youth have the Sacraments, the Bible, the clergy, a heritage, and a loving God, and they would rather have pact with the Humanistic Society. Explain that to me. I do not think a ring or a paper will allow any temperance towards any indulgence into any non-chaste act.
The only pact that has any validity is the one that is made at Holy Baptism.
lol..your post was quite funny.
I was trying to be creative and thinking of ways to tackle this problem. It came to my attention that many of our youth in the US have developed an unchristian, immoral attitude towards sex.
They are apparently engaged in the sacraments and Church life, but when it comes to fornication, they do not see things the way the Church teaches.
So, what else can we do??
I have often joked that we have different G(g)ods:
The God of Sunday
The God of the Weekdays
The God of the Wedding
The God of the Funerals
The God of the Kumbaya
Yet, whether we believe Him or not, there is Only One God. He is the God that gave us the Sacraments, health, creation, our bodies, and all that we have. He deserves respect in all manner including the physical appearance on Sunday as is on Wednesday...during Vespers and in the Liturgy. The attire is the same.
The bottom line is there is no discipline. There is no discipline among the people...no discipline among the youth...no discipline among the deacons.
Are my comments judgmental--ABSOLUTELY. I do not shy from stating the obvious. The obvious has to be stated... only then can one look for solutions. One of the steps for Alcoholics Anonymous is to come to a realization of the problem.
Maybe you should have the youth become Alcoholics, first, then attend Alcoholics Anonymous to appreciate the steps towards sobriety, and then they will appreciate a road towards chastity.
Even Chastity is not what she used to be. Chastity Bono, daughter of Sonny and Cher, became Chaz (a sex change to a guy).