Patriarch Kirill: The 50 Variations of “Gender” on Facebook is a Clinical Case

Natalya Mihailova | 29 March 2014

The most terrible captivity is that of sin.

March 29, 2014. PRAVMIR. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called attempts to change people’s perceptions of gender in the modern world a “morbid fantasy” and a “clinical case.” According to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, such is the opportunity for users of one of the largest social networks to choose a gender identity from among fifty different options. He stated this on Friday, during a meeting with women entrepreneurs in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

“The destruction of traditional values ​​today also affects interpersonal relationships. We know that this challenges the fact that marriage is the relationship between a man and a woman, that gender selection is not an intellectual or volitional choice, but rather God’s choice,” the internet news portal RIA Novosti quoted Patriarch Kirill as saying.

The Patriarch recalled that social networking sites today offer users a choice from among fifty so-called genders that feel most appropriate to them.

“Perhaps this is some morbid fantasy. Of course, we can say that this is a clinical case – and, perhaps, this is the most reasonable answer. Yet today this clinical case is protected by law in many countries. And children are taught this, being told: you can choose yourself whether you are a boy or a girl,” noted the Primate.

Such phenomena are created “in the name of freedom” said the Patriarch; however, “the most terrible captivity is that of sin.”

It should be recalled that the social networking site Facebook earlier this year invited users from the United States to put on their profiles one of fifty different options of gender identity and to choose one of the forms of address – “he,” “she,” or “they.” Options include terms such as “androgynous,” “two-spirit,” and “trans.”

Since you are here…

…we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong.

Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable.

For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir.

If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life's purpose, family and society.