Shepherds' Answers
Women's equality is a fashionable topic that begins to be discussed with particular scope on the eve of the International Day of Solidarity of Working Women - this is actually the name of the “holiday” celebrated on March 8th. “Violation of women’s rights” is also seen in the Orthodox Church. Why, after all, an Orthodox Christian woman cannot be a priest (sorry, a priestess), she is barred from entering the altar, in marriage she is subordinate to her husband... Yes, this is indeed discrimination. Is this so? Is there gender discrimination in the Orthodox Church? What is the role of women in the Church? And what should we say to non-Orthodox and unbelievers about the female priesthood? We asked the pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church to answer these questions.
“Men and women have different purposes in life”
A man and a woman have slightly different purposes in life. So, a man cannot be a mother. Only a woman can be a mother. But a woman cannot be a priest - only a man can be. Does this indicate discrimination? No. This speaks of the different plans of the Creator for men and women. But any person - both man and woman - is called to achieve the highest perfection possible for a person. And in the Kingdom of Heaven, among not only holy people, but also the highest ranks of heaven, dwells the Mother of God - a Woman by birth and by nature - and She is above all.
In monasticism there is no fundamental difference in the feat of a man and a woman. Especially if we remember that most of the male monks in ancient times did not have holy orders, even the abbots of monasteries. And when Abbot Savva was elevated to the priestly rank, it was so unusual that he forever began to be called “Sava the Sanctified,” in contrast to many other abbots who did not receive holy rank.
And baking prosphoras, the ability to skillfully sew vestments and shrouds, sing in the choir and direct the choir, read at services and many other works in arranging church services, including the opportunity in old age, having received the blessing of the bishop, to even enter the altar and hand the censer to the priest!
Therefore, the role of a woman in the Church is diverse and multi-useful, only under the condition of observing contrition of heart, obedience to the priest and a decisive denial of the natural desire to rule and control everyone and in everything.
When they talk about discrimination, the issue comes down to the fact that we do not have a female priesthood. Yes, there is no and will not be a female priesthood, because for Orthodoxy the priesthood is not a type of administrative service and personal calling in life, but the correlation of this service with the high priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the second Person of the Holy Trinity - God the Word - became incarnate, for a reason unknown to us, but known to the council of the Most Holy Trinity, as God the Son. This is a given from which the Orthodox Church has always proceeded, proceeds, and will continue to proceed.
“Both man and woman are God’s creations”
- Myrrh-bearing women, apostles of apostles, in the words of John the Theologian - what is higher?!
The Apostle Paul says: “Let a woman not teach,” but he also said that by the example of her life, by the image of piety, by her noble appearance, she will do what words cannot do.
Who is taller? - The one who achieves the goal. What other discrimination?
“In principle there can be no equality, and this is not discrimination”
Feminists and women's rights activists have put in so much effort to achieve equal rights, but they have not achieved much results. Why? Because in any country, men and women have completely different rights and responsibilities. In our country, for example, they have been trying to fight for equal rights for men and women for more than a hundred years. And what? We can list point by point that we do not have any equality or equal rights. And this is not perceived as discrimination, it is a given, and completely normal.
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N.V. Maslov, Master of Theology, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences. President of the Foundation of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky.
There are still exceptions, but they are few and far between. But the rule remains the same everywhere. It’s sad but true: the overwhelming majority of our women have long stopped wearing clothes that from time immemorial were considered characteristic of their sex.
Women in trousers today are increasingly appearing even in Orthodox churches. Trousers of different cuts and lengths are what the fair sex prefer to wear these days. Even so-called “women’s trousers” appeared.
When I talk about a rule, I, of course, do not mean a moral norm, but an established life practice. Today we live in a society that does not really take into account traditional morality. But it may be permissible to recall that the Lord gave us clear instructions regarding men's and women's clothing. This is the true rule that everyone should follow. Moral standards given by God are eternal and unchangeable.
Let's turn to the Holy Scriptures. In the book of Deuteronomy we read: “A woman should not wear men’s clothing, and a man should not dress in women’s clothing, for anyone who does this is an abomination to the Lord God” (Deut. 22:5). This is what the Lord said to the people of Israel through the prophet Moses. The words are extremely clear, requiring no comment and not allowing for different interpretations. This is the norm commanded by God Himself.
Our tragedy is that the Holy Scriptures have not been studied in secondary schools in Russia for almost a hundred years. Several generations of Russian people have grown up, not knowing that with their appearance and behavior they are violating the Law of God.
The book of Deuteronomy was written during the Old Testament era. Let's see how the New Testament, Christian Church interprets the issue of clothing for men and women: “We determine: no husband should dress in women’s clothing, nor a wife in clothes typical of men.”
This was the decision of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, held in 680-681 from the Nativity of Christ. Rule 62:
We wish to completely eliminate the so-called Kalends, Vota, Vrumalia, and the public gathering on the first day of the month of March from the lives of the faithful.
Likewise, the national dances of women, which can cause great harm and destruction, as well as in honor of the gods, falsely called so by the Greeks, dances and rituals performed by the male or female sex, according to some ancient and alien custom of Christian life, we reject, and define: no husband not to dress in women's clothing, nor for a wife in her husband's clothing; do not wear comic, or satirical, or tragic guises: when pressing grapes in winepresses, do not proclaim the vile name of Dionysus, and when pouring wine into barrels, do not laugh, and out of ignorance, or in the form of vanity, do not do what belongs to demonic delusion . Therefore, those who from now on, knowing this, dare to do any of the above, even if they are clergy, we command to be expelled from the priestly rank, and if they are laymen, to be excommunicated from church communion.
(Trul. 24, 51, 65; Laod. 54; Gangr. 13; Carth. 15, 45, 63).
As we see, Christians took a clearly negative attitude towards mixing clothes, expressed in the Old Testament. It is noteworthy that the Sixth Ecumenical Council not only clearly outlined its position on this issue, but also introduced sanctions against those who dare to violate its instructions. For wearing clothes typical of the other sex, lay people are supposed to be excommunicated from church communion. This rule has not been canceled by anyone.
Some women, when they are criticized for wearing trousers, cry out: “Leave us at least this little sin!” But the trouble is that a small sin leads to a larger one. First women's trousers, then same-sex marriage, and then children rebelling against their parents and killing them.
Sin increases from generation to generation. If children see that their loved ones commit violations, albeit small ones, then they consider it possible to allow themselves even greater deviations. Nowadays it often happens that children beat their mothers, seeing in them the masculine principle and the source of sin. And women still don’t understand what’s happening.
By the way, regarding the so-called “small sins,” the monk of the Glinsk Hermitage Peter (Leshenko) wrote: “It also happens to a good person to fall into some kind of vice. Due to his pride, he either does not notice or thinks: “This is a small sin, others do not know about it.” There will be a prudent person and, regretting to expose the wicked, will point out to him shame and disgrace before people and sin before God; that by committing sin, he tempts many and brings them to the same sin of condemnation, and therefore is guilty not only for his own sins, but also for the sins of his neighbors.”
Until the beginning of the twentieth century, a sharply negative attitude towards women who dressed in men's clothing prevailed in Christian countries. This was also reflected in legislation. In 1801, Napoleon banned women from wearing trousers by special decree.
But with the decline of faith in Europe, moral foundations were also shaken. The feminist movement was gaining strength, striving to be like men in everything, especially in appearance. In 1909, Napoleon's decree banning women from wearing trousers was repealed. However, for a very long time, the appearance of women in public places in men's clothing was considered reprehensible. In 1931, for example, the mayor of Paris demanded that the German actress Marlene Dietrich leave the city immediately because she was walking the streets in men's clothing. Until the end of the 70s, women in trousers in the West were not allowed into institutions and restaurants.
A crisis of public morality has also come to Russia. Feminist ideas have found a breeding ground in our country, where, after many years of fighting against God, the immunity to destructive influences on the souls of people has been weakened. The demagogic calls of the creators of the “new world” to fight for the “emancipation of women” bore poisonous fruit. Women began to forget about their true purpose, that their duty is to be models of modesty and meekness, faithful wives and loving mothers, guardians of the family hearth, to teach children faith, piety, and moral purity. For years, the means of propaganda have instilled the idea of blurring the lines between women's and men's professions. Loud slogans replaced one another: “Women to the tractor!”, “Women to the machine!”, “Women to the construction site!” These loud calls found a response. Dashing girls and women in overalls, with jackhammers and wrenches in their hands, flashed on movie screens, on the pages of magazines and newspapers. So great was the desire of the builders of the “new world” to be equal to men in everything. Isn’t it in those ill-fated times that we need to look for the psychological roots of the current women’s fashion for men’s clothing in Russia?
True, mass dressing of women in trousers occurred in our country only in the 70s of the last century under the influence of French fashion, when contacts with the West expanded. Now not only young creatures or middle-aged women wear men's clothing, but also children of kindergarten age and even old women, apparently, who also do not want to lag behind fashion. Our girls are persistently taught to wear trousers in various ways, including through play. It is no coincidence that dolls in skirts and dresses disappear from sale.
What arguments do supporters of wearing men's clothing come up with to justify themselves! One of the most common is the need for protection from the cold. But it is correctly noted: very often those who talk about “insulation” with trousers wear ultra-short jackets and without hats in winter. And in the warm season, they do not switch to dresses and skirts and continue to wear trousers. So it’s probably not a matter of fear of a cold, but something completely different - a reluctance to go against the grain, against generally accepted standards, a fear of being different from others, of seeming out of date. It is characteristic that the defenders of trousers do not remember the moral side of the problem at all.
Meanwhile, one of the most respected hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Vikenty, rightly points out that the sight of a woman in trousers that fit her figure tightly is seductive to those around her. “This is a great sin,” says Archbishop Vincent. A woman, he said, “should be afraid to seduce her neighbor with her appearance.” “It may be pleasant for her to wear trousers, but if it serves to seduce her neighbor, then a woman must sacrifice herself, give up her whim,” the bishop believes. Archbishop Vincent calls on women to abandon “their passion for wearing trousers and walk in the clothes that are permitted by the Lord.” The sight of a woman in decent clothes normalizes a person’s spiritual state.
For women, according to experts, it is harmful for women to wear trousers from a medical point of view (and some ladies, as if nothing had happened, frivolously continue to wear trousers during pregnancy). Constantly wearing trousers leads to even sadder results. Doctors say that chronic blood stagnation causes infectious diseases and negatively affects the ability to bear children. Women wearing men's clothing also has a negative impact on raising children. Based on the clothes of the parents, the baby cannot distinguish where the mother is and where the father is.
Let us remember the biblical story of the fall of our first parents. Eve, succumbing to the instigation of the devil, was the first to taste the forbidden fruit and prompted Adam to do the same after her. A sin was committed which resulted in the breaking of the union originally established between God and man. The disastrous consequences of the Fall of the first people were not limited to the first parents, they spread to the entire human race. A worldwide catastrophe has occurred. And it began, it would seem, from a small point - with a manifestation of female weakness, with a desire to taste a fruit that was tasty and pleasing to the eye, regardless of the will of God. Isn't there a well-known analogy with modern fashion here?
It is in vain that some believe that clothing and the spiritual state of a person are not connected with each other. Clothes, on the one hand, reflect the inner world of a person, and on the other, influence him. This has long been noted in patristic literature.
“When our crafty opponent is unable to convince us to remain in worldly confusion and destruction, he hastens to convince us not to give ourselves over to a strict life,” writes St. Basil the Great. And he calls: “Do not attempt to change anything in the rules of a good life and, with your own self-will, cause stumbling blocks for those who strive, and collect the burden of sins for yourself: do not do this either in a softer bed, or in clothes, or shoes, or other what affiliation..."
Let us also listen to the words of the Glinsky elder Porfiry (Levashov): “Costumes are also symbols: in them one can see the gradual progress and development of education, taste and passions themselves; Even in ancient times, clothing was considered one of the distinctive signs of a person’s moral qualities.”
It would be useful to think about the aesthetic side of the problem. Trousers change the behavior style of women for the worse, making their manners angular, harsh, rude, sweeping, stimulating a sense of self-confidence, belligerence, and aggressiveness. Do representatives of the fair sex really want to look like this, and not feminine, elegant, graceful?
Of course, speaking about the unfortunate passion of modern women for men's clothing, we must not forget about other problems related to their moral character. Enough bitter words have been said and written about what a terrible symptom of decay are, for example, miniskirts, transparent blouses and other frivolous clothes that came to us from the West. Do the girls and women who wear them understand that with their appearance they seduce those around them, and above all children and teenagers? Let us recall the words from Holy Scripture: “Woe to those who cause these little ones to stumble...”
An increase in the number of women who smoke and drink poses a serious danger to society. According to statistics, in our country about 30 percent of the fair sex smoke, and about half of them first started smoking when they were under 18 years old. As for women suffering from chronic alcoholism, the Research Institute of Narcology estimates their number at approximately 2 million. However, independent experts give a different figure - 5 million.
Holy Scripture tells us that God created woman as a helper to man (Gen. 2:18). But, as the holy Apostle Paul points out, the wife, being deceived, fell into crime. However, the Apostle continues, a woman will be saved through childbearing if she continues in faith and love and in holiness with chastity (1 Tim. 2:15). These words of the Bible clearly outline the Christian understanding of the role of women. “Two responsibilities, spouses and mothers, equally important, await girls in the field of their lives,” wrote the elder of the Glinsk Hermitage, Hieromonk Porfiry (Levashov), in full agreement with the Holy Scriptures. Do all of our contemporaries realize what responsibilities they have? And if they are aware, do they actually implement them? Can a woman who drinks and smokes, flaunting herself in immoral outfits, be a worthy assistant to her husband, an exemplary wife and mother?
Hieromonk Porfiry (Levashov) spoke well about the responsibility of women: “Usually the first beginnings of raising children are nurtured in the depths of families; according to the nature of mothers, good or bad sides are revealed in children; mothers serve as prototypes for them.”
Not only they themselves, but also their husbands are responsible for the behavior and appearance of married women. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk warns: “We see in stories that many wives corrupted their husbands and led them to destruction; For this reason, husbands should not slack off their wives, and should allow them to do whatever they want, but restrain the desire for wanton whims, lest they suffer from such things. The serpent approached Eve and deceived her. Eve, being deceived, deceived Adam and led him to destruction. This still happens today. In the same way, the ancient serpent approaches a wife, seduces her, and through the wife draws her husband to lawless deeds. Be careful, and don’t follow your wife’s will or advice, so that he doesn’t take control of you and lead you wherever he wants.” Summarizing these judgments, Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov) writes in “Symphony on the works of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk”: “A wife is more willing to resist temptations. A husband should not fulfill his wife’s whims.”
Let no one be mistaken - violation of divine commandments will not go unpunished. “The way of the wicked will perish,” we read in the Psalter and hear at church services (Ps. 1:6). Punishment will sooner or later overtake the sinner, unless, of course, he repents of the evil he has done. “There is no sin without execution,” teaches the great 19th-century saint Filaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. Punishment awaits not only individual sinners, but also entire countries and peoples among whom sin is spreading. The entire history of mankind is evidence of this. Wars, economic and political upheavals, and natural disasters strike those societies in which evil reigns. May the Lord save us from such a fate!
The price to pay for the departure from the faith of our fathers, for deviations from moral norms in personal and public life, was the Bolshevik revolution, civil war, bloody repressions against innocent people, and the attack of Nazi Germany, which claimed millions of human lives.
Similar disasters occurred in other countries. The decline of religiosity and morals led in the 18th century to the so-called “great” French Revolution, which resulted in countless casualties and a sharp decline in the country’s population. If before the “great” revolution France had three times more inhabitants than Great Britain, now France is inferior to the latter in terms of population.
The demographic catastrophe of recent years in our country is a consequence of a deep spiritual and moral crisis in Russian society, which is reflected in the several dozen times increase in the number of sexually transmitted diseases. How not to think about the reasons for such a terrible phenomenon! The Lord sends us catastrophes and calamities to enlighten us and guide us on the right path.
What, if not God's punishment for the sins of fornication and adultery and a terrible warning, is the new terrible disease - AIDS, which is increasingly affecting our compatriots? The rate of spread of AIDS in Russia is the highest in the world. About one and a half million people are already infected with HIV, and in the worst case scenario, up to 10% of the country's adult population will be infected with the deadly virus. Such conclusions are made by independent experts in Russia and abroad. The AIDS epidemic, according to experts, has reached such proportions that it poses a serious threat to the country's national security. AIDS is not the only new disease of recent times. Doctors say that today, on average, one previously unknown disease appears in the world per year, and old diseases take on new, deadly forms. At the same time, newly emerging infections are spreading with extraordinary speed.
The number of natural disasters is steadily increasing throughout the world. Over 20 years, according to researchers, it has quadrupled. Over the course of ten years, natural disasters have killed 622,000 people worldwide and affected 2 billion people. In Russia, the number of natural disasters in Russia increases annually by more than six percent. The annual damage from natural disasters in our country amounts to 60 billion rubles. Shouldn't we think about the reasons for these phenomena?
The current financial and economic crisis was sent to us for our understanding. The idea of achieving material well-being at the cost of forgetting moral standards and indifference to the spiritual foundations of life finds many supporters in Russian society. Although, it would seem, the dramatic history of our country in the twentieth century should have convinced everyone of the ephemerality of hopes for building a happy life on earth without God, without relying on the age-old traditions of the people. New shocks were needed to help the lost get rid of the old illusion.
Against the background of the current economic cataclysms, a conversation about deviations from traditions in women's clothing may be considered untimely and strange. But it would be permissible to remind you that there are no trifles in the matter of saving the soul. In the old days, it was not without reason that they said: “Moscow burned down from a penny candle.” Any, even the slightest violation of God’s commandments alienates the guilty person from God, leads to the destruction of the individual, undermines the foundations of the existence of individuals, families, societies and has a detrimental effect on the afterlife of a person. Let us obey God's commands in everything, so as not to incur the wrath of the Creator and not to be among those about whom the Lord said: “Depart from me, you who practice iniquity!”
Character traits
Clothes in Orthodoxy are divided into several conventional types: for visiting a temple, for pilgrimage trips, for work and for holidays. These varieties share common features.
Orthodox clothing has characteristic features. Things, first of all, should not be provocative, bright, vulgar, or sexual, as this discredits the dignity of a believing woman. Choose models in soothing colors that are age appropriate. Also, clothing should take into account your body type, not be too tight and not cause discomfort.
Under no circumstances should Orthodox clothing for women evoke thoughts of a sexual nature on the part of the male sex. Therefore, it is unacceptable to wear skirts and dresses above the knees. As a rule, people wear a smart light suit to church.
How to dress for temple
Clothes for the temple must be special and comply with established rules. This is especially true for women. She must enter the church only with her head covered.
A skirt or dress should be no longer than the knees; maxi models are preferred. Now you can pick up a lot of beautiful things that won’t spoil your appearance.
Shoulders, arms and chest are covered. If you don't have a suitable long-sleeved blouse, use a shawl or scarf.
Please note that there are no cutouts or slits. It is also not recommended to wear women's jeans and pants. By wearing trousers, a woman likens herself to a man, and this is unacceptable.
Opt for a monochromatic wardrobe. You can choose a specific color based on symbolism, depending on the purpose of visiting the temple.
Remember that clothes must be clean. Even in Ancient Rus', people wore their best, festive clothes to church.
