Nowadays deformation occurred in moral values. The actions or behaviors that are considered as immoral, according to the traditional Christian notions, in many countries are viewed as a normal phenomenon and even are fixed by the laws. We are talking about homosexuality in particular. What are the views and position of the Armenian Apostolic Church on homosexuality?
Today, unfortunately, a deviation from Christian values is observed. Even the religion is considered as a need like the necessity of satisfying physical needs and those who, from a Christian perspective, live in immorality adapt Christian perceptions to their unacceptable behavior. With the erroneous biblical interpretations, Christian values and ideas are distorted.
Today the churches, that advocate homosexuality, bless gay marriages, and the service of homosexuals, gays or lesbians even as a clergyman or as a head of a church, membership or leadership roles of such persons in ecumenical structures or of those who sympathize them, are a normal phenomenon in Western countries.
Until the 70s of the 20th century in Western countries homosexuality was considered as a disease.
But in 1973 the American Psychiatric Association, then the World Health Organization in 1992 removed homosexuality from the list of diseases. Obviously, this was done especially by the efforts and influence of the people of this orientation entered into these organizations and occupying seats there.
In recent years, persons having a homosexual orientation raise their voices more loudly, demanding that people or society accept them and respect their rights; they complain about the unfriendly attitude towards them.
It’s bizarre to raise one’s own point of view and the fact relating to one’s personal, intimate and corporeal life before the public and compel it to the society. The homosexuals consider disagreements to their opinion as discrimination; blame the broad public sector for discrimination, as well as for the manifestation of homophobia, saying that the cause of this is the people’s lack of legal conscience.
Of course, by the Christian understanding, acts of violence, insults are unacceptable as the Christian, the Church fight against the sin and not against the man. But Western countries, structures existing in the west, in administration and responsible positions of which homosexuals are included, try to encourage the homosexuality in different countries’ inner life and even officially support and sponsor it.
The offices of the United Nations Organization regularly publish their call in defense of homosexuality, as well as officially exhorting the authorities to investigate the acts of harassment and mistreatment towards LGBT community representatives and prosecute the perpetrators.
And the German Embassy in 2015 on June 9, according to published reports, provided the considerable financial support for the protection of homosexuals in Armenia, the country where this orientation is not so spread.
Considering the emergence of this issue and its being as a deep concern for faithful, Christian Churches, which are founded by the apostles of Christ, have formulated their opinion on homosexuality, that can be generally expressed as follows:
“The Church cannot have a different position than divine revelation. Accordingly, sexual relations between the same-sex persons, Scripture declares as a course against God’s will. “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (Lev. 18:22).
In the pastoral mission, however, the Church exercise educational, preaching and explanatory work to make available God’s will and religious true point of view for homosexuals and thus to help them to organize their life with loyalty to the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Christian moral principles.
A person, who declares himself a homosexual (gay), cannot be a Christian, but among Christians can appear homosexual men. The Bible encourages them to be cleansed from sin, to come to the Lord with repentance and penitence: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The Church, faithful to the Bible’s message, calls homosexuals to repent for membership in the Church and manifest persistence to get rid of such tendencies and live according to God’s will”.
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