Saturday, June 11, 2005
ARCHIMANDRITE LUKE, HOLY TRINITY SEMINARY, JORDANVILLE DISCUSSES SACRED SEX
His teaching begins this way:
The carnal mind is enmity against God. (Rom. 8:7)
In the past few years the number of articles and books published by Orthodox writers on the subject of marriage and specifically marital relations has increased. The ideas expressed in some of these works are not always consistent with Orthodox Tradition. The essence of these ideas is the deification of carnal relations, or, as some express it, the sanctification of erotic desires. Authors claim that these desires can lead one to God—to the realization of God within us—that such union is a reflection of the Godhead.
These ideas are not original. They are found in pagan writings and the works of Gnostics. They are very popular in the philosophy of the New Age Movement. New Age philosophy believes that the world is about to enter into a new period of existence, a New Order in all areas of life. Our concern here is the religion that will be the spiritual force in this New Age.
The teaching goes on to address the very issues that have been raised by the discussion in Dom's blog and the things I have posted here in mine. Archimandrite Luke includes quotes from the Church Fathers.
John R. Willis, S.J. also discusses marriage briefly in his book THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH FATHERS:
St. John Chrysostom:(p. 447)
'Marriage is right,' you say; I also assent to this. For 'marriage,' we read, 'is honorable and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge' (Heb. 13:4), but it is no longer possible for you to observe the right conditions of marriage. For if he who has been attached to a heavenly bridegroom deserts him, and joins himself to a wife the act is adultery, even if you call it marriage ten thousand times over; or rather it is worse than adultery in proportion as God is greater than man. (Letter fo the Fallen Theodore, Bk. 2, Chap. 3)
