273
edits
Changes
Sex
,→Some illicit sex acts
Many sex acts are proscribed ''de facto'' because their participants are not allowed to marry (or more precisely, because any marriages which they might attempt would not be recognized by the Church). For example, since the Church does not accept "gay marriage," all homosexual acts are therefore forbidden, sex being limited to marriage. The same could be said of sex between close relatives (including certain fictive kinships such as in-law, adoptive, or godparent relationships), or sex between humans and nonhumans. On the other hand, sex between Orthodox believers and non-Orthodox is not similarly proscribed, since mixed marriages are recognized (though not celebrated) by the Church. If an Orthodox believer happens to be married to a non-Orthodox, they are of course permitted to have sex. If that believer happens to be "married" to a same-sex partner, however, then the Church would tend not to accept that, even if their "marriage" were legally recognized. The status of a "Herodian" marriage is theologically murky.
Other sex acts are mentioned in various places as inherently illicit, even when performed by married couples. "Sodomy" is usually taken to refer to anal sex (including heterosexual), though depending on the context it might have other meanings.
== Virginity as the Par Excellence of Marriage ==
