In Church of England is a prison chaplain allowed to have sexual relationship without being married?
I mean, sexual relationship at all - even lesbian or homosexual.
Answers:
The issue of extra-marital sex, and homosexual sex is being hotly debated within the Church of England. Attitudes of many within the Church have become more liberal in recent years, although the rules of Church itself still upholds the sanctity of sexual congress within married relationships alone, and marriages are to be between men and women. Some members of the Church have proposed bills which would alter the tone and substance of official Church doctrine to included homosexual unions between committed, monogamous partners. However, to date, there has been no official change on this matter and these proposals have been widely opposed by conservative elements in the Church, with particularly strong opposition coming from the increasingly numerous and influential Anglican churches of Africa. Below are extracts of Church of England policy statements:
In 11 November 1987, the General Synod of the Church of England passed by 403 votes to 8 the following motion:
'This Synod affirms that ... sexual intercourse is an act of total commitment which belongs properly within a permanent married relationship;
that fornication and adultery are sins against this ideal, and are to be met by a call to repentance and the exercise of compassion;
that homosexual genital acts also fall short of this ideal, and are likewise to be met by a call to repentance and the exercise of compassion;
that all Christians are called to be exemplary in all spheres of morality, including sexual morality; and that holiness of life is particularly required of Christian leaders.'
As a member of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England also respects the teaching of Resolution 1.10 on Human Sexuality of the 1998 Lambeth Conference (the ten-yearly meeting of all bishops of the Communion) which expresses the declared mind of the Anglican Communion as a whole. It stated that the Conference:
a. commends to the Church the subsection report on human sexuality;
b. in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage;
c. recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God's transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ;
while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex;
d. cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions;
requests the Primates and the ACC to establish a means of monitoring the work done on the subject of human sexuality in the Communion and to share statements and resources among us;
notes the significance of the Kuala Lumpur Statement on Human Sexuality and the concerns expressed in resolutions IV.26, V.1, V.10, V.23 and V.35 on the authority of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality and asks the Primates and the ACC to include them in their monitoring process.
Must be allowed to shake hands with his favourite friend.
Without marriage how the church will allow anybody to have sex let alone a chaplain? They are puritanical and will never allow it.
There is now vow of chastity in the C of E, although sex outside of wedlock is still frowned upon.
A priest in the C of E who is found in continuing sin (including sexual sin) can be unfrocked - i.e. deprived of priesthood.
This is not to say that sex is not "allowed"; the law of the land does not punish any sex between consenting adults. Neither the church nor anyone else can legally prevent it, and to this extent it is "allowed". A priest would be as "allowed" as anyone else to indulge, except that his employer would take a dim view of any unmarried or extra-marital liaisons.
As far as homosexual love is concerned, the traditional rule is that the practice of it is always sinful, while the feelings (which no one can help) are not. There is of course nowadays growing pressure within the church to recognise and accept homosexual partnerships; as always, the church slowly alters its beliefs to fit in with the current secular fashion.
Prison chaplains are in exactly the same position as any other priest.
Strange question, I find it difficult to believe that you don't know the answer to this?
Christian religion forbids sex before marriage, simple as that really, never mind what folk are saying about meetings here there and everywhere about 'maybe' allowing it!
Some groups of Christians still say that even after marriage sex is for procreation, it's not there to be enjoyed!
End of story , but of course all these rules can be changed to suit public opinion , strange old world isnt it??
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