So, St. Basil says that if you join the Army, you shouldn't commune for 5 years? I never knew that! I'm going to ask the priest about it on Sunday...as for killing someone, I think that the going rate these days is a year (if you kill someone in self-defense or combat). Still, how do you explain St. George, then? He was a trophy-bearer in the Roman Legions, and a high-ranking one at that, which means that he made a career out of war. How does one make a career out of war and then become a Great Martyr. I know that you can become a martyr after sinning, but St. George was raised as an Orthodox Christian, but still joined the Legions and made a living at it. Any takers on this one?
Fornication
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romiosini
Justin wrote:So, St. Basil says that if you join the Army, you shouldn't commune for 5 years? I never knew that! I'm going to ask the priest about it on Sunday...as for killing someone, I think that the going rate these days is a year (if you kill someone in self-defense or combat). Still, how do you explain St. George, then? He was a trophy-bearer in the Roman Legions, and a high-ranking one at that, which means that he made a career out of war. How does one make a career out of war and then become a Great Martyr. I know that you can become a martyr after sinning, but St. George was raised as an Orthodox Christian, but still joined the Legions and made a living at it. Any takers on this one?
Misunderstood my friend. When you are in an engaged war, and kill, it is 10 years Saint Basil was ruling. But when it is a defencive war, it takes 5 years if killed someone. Greatmartyr George had the sin of killing forgiven by martyrdom. Don't forget, Martyrdom is like a baptism. We have saints who weren't baptized in water, but in their blood instead.
I understand about St. George's martyrdom, but what I was trying to point out was the fact that he was raised a Christian, but still joined the Roman Army. As far as I can tell, he joined under Diocletian's reign, which was avidly anti-Christian. According to the story of his life, however, he did join as a youth, and it wasn't until he was twenty that Diocletian became emperor, but even if he had joined under the previous ruler, they were both pagans.
Is there some kind of moral "dharma" going on here or something? Forgive me for the far eastern terminology, but it's the only thing I could think of. It's almost this sort of "this is where God has put me, and that's that" sort of idea, in terms of St. George becoming a tribune in the Roman Army (by twenty!). He would have been a fierce warrior to rise that quickly. Anyway, I hope I'm not shooting off in too many directions. Thanks for your input.
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romiosini
Nektarios wrote:No. Idoubt it look at St. Augustine. Had a kid out of wedlock.
I was told that even if I killed some one a war that I could still be a priest so I dont think fornication would be a disqualifier.In Christ
Nektarios
What are you talking about!? Killing? The canons speak clearly of killing. Hey, they even say that you have to be a virgin to become a priest, and you think that if you had killed you could become a priest? What do the Fathers say? Try reading what they wrote, they aren't that crazy. Saint Basil didn't pop that from anywhere saying that if you killed there is 10 years without communing...
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Justin Kissel
This thread totally vindicates the idea that laymen (and especially neophyte laymen) are not supposed to read the canons. What a mess. God forgive me (I believe I was the original source--at OC.net--for the whole 40 days thing; it was speaking of masturbation and not fornication, and was the view of but one Father--it's your spiritual father or confessor who has the authoritative answer to such questions, and it's your bishop who decides how to apply the canons when considering who can become a priest). I imagine that if the confessors of any of us knew that we were on here arguing about canons, they would tell you to stop immediately before he did some major harm. I've probably done quite a bit already, for which I ask your forgiveness.