The "first openly gay baptism in the Greek Orthodox Church," by Archbishop Elpidophoros

Discussion in 'Anglican and Christian News' started by anglican74, Jul 11, 2022.

  1. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

    Posts:
    1,833
    Likes Received:
    1,340
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglican (ACNA)
    Lord have mercy....


    Screen Shot 2022-07-11 at 10.14.48 AM.png


    I'll never see Orthodox icons the same way again

    292096826_566406735102681_3088380881351550631_n.jpg
     
  2. bwallac2335

    bwallac2335 Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,718
    Likes Received:
    1,008
    Religion:
    ACNA
    Maybe the church will take action over there.
     
  3. Rexlion

    Rexlion Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    4,188
    Likes Received:
    2,122
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Christian attending ACNA
    Happy that the kids got christened. As for the couple.... well.... :loopy:

    Of course, nowadays one need not even say you're in a gay relationship. One of the non-uterus-bearing people could simply "identify" as a woman! :laugh: That would sort of make it a hetero relationship, wouldn't it? :rolleyes:

    The world is so mixed up right now, it's a wonder the earth doesn't fall off its axis and wobble out of the solar system.
     
  4. Invictus

    Invictus Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    1,484
    Country:
    United States
    Religion:
    Episcopalian
    With respect, what action could they possibly take?
    • Unbaptize the children? - No such thing.
    • 'Discipline' the Archbishop? - Can't happen: he's not subject to the Church of Greece, but to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Good luck.
    More interesting still is (I'm guessing) the godparent isn't Orthodox. The Greek Orthodox have always played fast and loose with the canons. This was all planned and approved by the higher-ups well in advance. There won't be any action taken. That's how the Orthodox world is, for the most part. It's only different in Russia because church policies there are State-directed. Everywhere else, anyone that wants to make an issue of it is in the minority, except maybe some part of the Middle East, and it's pretty much always been that way.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2022
  5. bwallac2335

    bwallac2335 Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,718
    Likes Received:
    1,008
    Religion:
    ACNA
    I have no clue how things work in Orthodoxy but maybe the Ecumenical Patriarch could take action. Probably so far away he is not really up on what is going on.
     
  6. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

    Posts:
    1,833
    Likes Received:
    1,340
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglican (ACNA)
    The Ecumenical Patriarch preaches on climate change as a gospel issue; he's probably not far off from these views himself
     
  7. bwallac2335

    bwallac2335 Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,718
    Likes Received:
    1,008
    Religion:
    ACNA
    Yeah I also frequent and read an Orthodox Forum. He is not well like there
     
  8. Invictus

    Invictus Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    1,484
    Country:
    United States
    Religion:
    Episcopalian
    I can assure he knew exactly what was going on, well in advance. That's what I'm trying to tell you. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America is a major source of revenue for the EP, and the Archbishop is representative of the mainstream of the American Greek Orthodox. Disciplining a bishop is next to impossible in Orthodoxy, and there's no motivation to do so in this case. There won't be any action.

    Also, don't trust what you read on Orthodox forums. I thought a lot of those people were off their rocker when I was Orthodox. Orthodoxy in general is reliably left-of-center when it comes to social issues.
     
    bwallac2335 likes this.
  9. Tiffy

    Tiffy Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    3,323
    Likes Received:
    1,626
    Country:
    UK
    Religion:
    CofE
    It will take something of much greater cosmic significance to alter the earth's axis and orbit. We are still quite safe I think, for the time being.

    Happy for the kids! I agree. It would open a very big can of worms if the church seriously questioned the faith of every godparent and parent before agreeing to baptise their infants, but in fact we should. Until we actually seriously question the validity of every parent's faith before agreeing to baptise their infants, it isn't right to just question Gays. The church is legally REQUIRED to fulfil their request. The Church of England is in no position to refuse any parisioner who brings their infant for baptism. Since it is the child that is being baptised though and not the parent, I can see no reason for refusing the child.

    Why ,what have THEY done to disqualify themselves from baptism into God's family?
    .
     
    Invictus likes this.
  10. Invictus

    Invictus Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    1,484
    Country:
    United States
    Religion:
    Episcopalian
    Exactly. For anyone to call it a "gay baptism" is very wide of the mark. The Church now has 2 new young members, and that's something to celebrate.
     
    Tiffy and Botolph like this.
  11. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

    Posts:
    1,833
    Likes Received:
    1,340
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglican (ACNA)
  12. Invictus

    Invictus Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    1,484
    Country:
    United States
    Religion:
    Episcopalian
  13. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

    Posts:
    1,833
    Likes Received:
    1,340
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Anglican (ACNA)
    The hierarchy in greece has been promoting women deacons, right?... They seem highly liberalized, so I don't see them being a bulwark against this ... For example are they 'vocally opposed' to gay men adopting sons? The OP should have sent shockwaves, and yet they permitted it; I can't imagine the ACNA prelates doing anything like that, so if they allowed this, what else are they willing to turn a blind eye to
     
  14. Rexlion

    Rexlion Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    4,188
    Likes Received:
    2,122
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Christian attending ACNA
    This might help you... ;)
    hyperbole
    hī-pûr′bə-lē
    noun
    1. A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.
    2. In rhetoric, an obvious exaggeration; an extravagant statement or assertion not intended to be understood literally.
     
  15. Invictus

    Invictus Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    1,484
    Country:
    United States
    Religion:
    Episcopalian
    Deaconesses aren't considered Holy Orders in Orthodoxy. It's a long-defunct role that the canon law allows, which the hierarchy in Greece has brought back within the last several decades. It has nothing to do with gay marriage.

    The Church would not have had grounds to deny the baptism, regardless of the hierarchy's position on gay marriage or gay adoption. This is ultimately a tempest in a teapot. I don't understand the fixation on it.
     
  16. Tiffy

    Tiffy Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    3,323
    Likes Received:
    1,626
    Country:
    UK
    Religion:
    CofE
    I'm shocked and amazed. I so really thought you meant every word of it. (I think that's called sarcasm, for anyone who didn't know). :laugh:
    .
     
    Rexlion likes this.
  17. Rexlion

    Rexlion Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    4,188
    Likes Received:
    2,122
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Christian attending ACNA
    I think your sar fell into a chasm. ;) (That's called humor.) :D

    We'd better be careful or they will want us to take our slapstick act on the road... :cheers:
     
    Tiffy likes this.
  18. ZachT

    ZachT Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    498
    Likes Received:
    476
    Country:
    Australia
    Religion:
    Anglican
    Lord have mercy that what? Two infants were baptised?

    If the spiritual standing of ones parents determines your validity for baptism I guess I, and everyone else that has converted without Christian parents, better go find some other faith...
     
    Tiffy likes this.
  19. bwallac2335

    bwallac2335 Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,718
    Likes Received:
    1,008
    Religion:
    ACNA
    I guess, under from what I gather are Orthodox teachings, that you should not baptize someone if you are not sure they will be brought up in the faith. In that case it is better to baptize them as adults. That is what I gathered from Orthodox twitter.
     
    Rexlion likes this.
  20. Rexlion

    Rexlion Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    4,188
    Likes Received:
    2,122
    Country:
    USA
    Religion:
    Christian attending ACNA
    "God condones homosexual activity" certainly is not a valid part of orthodox faith. Is it now Orthodox faith?