This is an account of what happened Sunday (Oct. 20) when my husband accompanied our son to the 12th grade catechism class; the conversation was not recorded, but the quotes represent the dialogue as closely as possible. Our son requested a trusted adult to audit the class because of the difficult situations that his instructors kept placing the students in; especially after reviewing an article which placed all who call homosexuality sin as racist bigots, "homophobes" in danger of pushing the person to "suicide," and referring to the pedophile Mohammed's book as "holy," and a pacifist Muslim girl as "Orthodox." "Ms. K" began the class by passing out the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishop's encyclical, "2013 Assembly Statement on Marriage and Sexuality." She then assigned specific Bible verses in order to "show" that the Old Testament stoned homosexuals, while the New Testament changed that as seen in the woman caught in adultery; that the Pauline Epistles are biased accounts of a man's personal opinion since Jesus didn't specifically come against homosexuality in the Gospels; and we don't really know how He feels about it.(*1) She then gave links to two "Gay 'Homosexual'" groups who are petitioning the Bishops to change the Church's stance in light of the popular opinion (which "Ms. K" was happy to affirm was her own) "that homosexuality is a disease one is born with, like bareness; therefore they should be accepted at the Eucharist." (Just as a pedophile is born with pedophilia disease and should be accepted at the Eucharist, too???! Next they'll espouse the "murderer" and "adulterer" genes.) She insisted to the class that it was NOT a choice; that she disagreed with the Assembly of Bishops' statement that it was a sin; that the Bishops have been wrong in the past and had to change the Church's views. After the girls of the class, including the teacher's daughter, barraged everyone with their emotional appeals for equality for homosexuals in the Church at the Eucharist AND Marriage, of their disapproval of St. Paul's Epistles, of how calling homosexuality sin was "casting stones," AND with the Planned Parenthood Advocating Youth Director ("Ms. E"), as well as the 2nd catechism teacher ("Ms. M"), BOTH bobbing their heads up and down with the girls and "Ms. K" in agreement; Our son finally interjected: 1. Is homosexuality sin? "Ms. K": They (pointing to the encyclical) say it is, BUT they've been wrong in the past and there's people working with them to change that; AXIOS & Gay 'Orthodox'. 2. Does the Church really consider ALL sins equal? (rhetorically referring to Corinthians that the sexual sins do even MORE harm than other sins) "Ms. K": Yes, they are all equal. 3. Did God create homosexuality? (rhetorically referring to the Church's stance that we are born pure, but with an inherited propensity to sin which is developed by our interaction with the world (learned patterns of sin; therefore NOT genetic). "Ms. K": No, but homosexuals are born with it. 4. Can you sin by your thoughts? What about the demons who suggest sinful thoughts to us? "Ms. K": (no discernable answer given) "Ms. K" continued saying "they should not be excluded by the Church. The Canons don't say anything about it." Our son responded, "YES! The Canons say you can not be a homosexual AND be an Orthodox Christian." (because in being Baptized and Chrismated one renounces HERESY, SIN, and SATAN. And commits himself to following and OBEYING Christ and His Church; in body, soul and MIND.) "Ms. K" gave for example her friend who is a "homosexual 'Orthodox,'" who is fine so long as he goes to Confession. Nothing was mentioned about despising the sinful thoughts and rejecting them BOTH body and soul. However, true rejection of sin leads one to confess themself a Christian, NOT a 'homosexual' because they DISTANCE themself from that sin in REPENTANCE and OBEDIENCE. They would fast earnestly and abnegate themself for years until the thought was eradicated completely and they saw again the Image of God in their soul, as did St. Makarius who sinned in his thoughts by lusting for another 'woman' (who ended up being a demon). Our son's desire is to have and maintain as close a relationship to Christ and His Church as possible, by God's grace. He no longer wishes to attend the 12th grade catechism class without a trusted adult present with him to help him neutralize the multitudinous heresies the students are captive to. He doesn't want to abandon the students either to face these un-Orthodox teachers alone without any opposing voice of Truth. He knows that to attack Truth, is to attack Christ and that to "cause one of these little one's to stumble would be better for that {perpetrator} to have a millstone tied around the neck and cast into the sea." Knowing that the Truth of Christ and Orthodoxy rests upon the clergy and laity, he feels responsible to combat the lies. However, no 12th grader, or any catechist, should have to do this much contesting against their catechism teachers who are supposed to be examples of the Truth and Orthodoxy. These teachers are teaching lies that will send these students straight to Hell. We petition the ...to: 1. safeguard our youth & dismiss these three Catechism teachers from their duties. 2. read publicly after the Divine Liturgy & make available to take home, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops' "2013 Assemblies' Statement on Marriage and Sexuality. 3. not allow Planned Parenthood advocate & monetary supporter to lead our youth; one cannot destroy babies and at the same time support our youth. (*1). What my husband saw was "Ms. K" passing out the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops' encyclical without its title (...Same-sex "marriage"...) which was read silently, and students were asked to highlight what stood out to them. She then passed out Bible verses (2 NT & 2OT);Genesis 1- stoning, Romans 1, Corinthians-fornicators & homos. "Ms. K' began by stating, "I first want to premise that my personal opinion is homosexuality is not a choice." Then her daughter stated that she had a problem with 1 Cor. "because it's just Paul's personal opinion," to which "Ms. K" replied, "don't get ahead of me. you see where I'm going." Then she asked our son to read the Gospel verse about the hypocritical Pharisees. "Ms. K" said, "notice that in the gospel Jesus never specifically addressed homosexuality... homosexuality is being debated among the church..."

Links