Posted by Joanna on April 24, 2001 at 00:35:17:
In Reply to: Re: greek orthodox wedding posted by Me on April 22, 2001 at 23:59:46:
: Joanna, the Churches are allowing it because everytime they perform a ceremony, they pocket cash. With respect to ORTHODOX Christianity, "Orthodox" means keeping with the old ie unchanging. Things aren't all of a sudden "allowed" if they religion is not supposed to change. A person needs to be Orthdox to partake in the Mystery. In fact, both spouces should be Orthodox as well, but the Church, or maybe i should say, priests, unfortunately, haven't kept true to the religion they've "devoted" themselves to.
Me,
That's pretty cynical about 'the churches wanting to pocket the cash' but I've heard it all before. I don't mind them pocketing the cash as long as it's put to good use. And I believe that if a couple went up to a priest and said "we want to get married but can't afford to pay for the service" then the priest cannot and will not turn them away. If he does, he has put them under temptation -a very grave sin on his part.
I do agree that it's best that an Orthodox person
marries an Orthodox person because there would be less if not any pressure or argument regarding religion, denomination or church practices and services. HOWEVER, is it not better that a couple be they Orthodox+Orthodox or Orthodox+Catholic (for example) to marry in the Orthodox Church and be united in the eyes of God rather than just in a civil service which does not unite them sacramentally and spiritually? Which is the greater wrong?
As long as the non-orthodox person has been christened in the name of the Holy Trinity then they can participate in the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. However they must become Orthodox if they wish to participate in any of the other Sacraments such as Confession and Holy Communion.
Regarding the bestman/bestwoman, inorder to highlight what they do during the service I will quote in another message after this one a chapter from the book "The Seven Sacraments of the Greek Orthodox Church" by Rev. Philip G. Gialopsos. The Chapter is: "The Administration of the Sacrament of Marriage".
Also, "Orthodox" means that the Orthodox church has adhered to the doctrines, worship and government handed down by the Apostles and more firmly established at the Ecumenical Councils -where heresies were exposed and dealt with.
[Webster's dictionary:
ORTHODOX: (Gr. "orthodoxos", from "orthos", correct, and "doxa", opinion, from "dokein", to think.)
1. conforming to the usual beliefs or established doctrines, especially in religion; proper, correct, or conventional;
2. conforming to the Christian faith as formulated in the early ecunenical creeds and confessions.]
Priests have kept true to the religion and services otherwise they would be defrocked. These services have hardly if not at all changed since they were first instituted. A priest/priests cannot on his/their own accord make changes to anything without the serious consideration and agreement of an Ecumenical council or Synod. The Doctrines have never changed since the beginning. As I said before heresies (meaning going against doctrines and beliefs) were dealt with. The Nicene creed established at the Ecumenical Councils of 325AD and 381AD proclaims the basis of the Orthodox belief.
If we did not continue to follow the same beliefs and doctrines we would no longer be the "Orthodox Church".
Joanna.