Why are there few men in the Church? Why are there fewer men than women in Orthodox churches? Why don't men go to church.

How to explain the fact that there are four more women in temples than men? Why is it bad in the temple - weakness, cold sweat, increased heart rate, stuffy ears, lack of oxygen, blurred vision, loss of consciousness?

Dear visitor of our site, quite recently on our site we answered a very similar question. I will add that the number of girls and girls attending services and participating in church life, indeed, far exceeds the number of boys and young men. In our time, in a strange way, some kind of feminized version of church life is obtained, in which the female sex finds its place, and it is very difficult for a man to find his place if he does not become a clergyman or altar boy. This fact cannot be denied, although the reasons for this are not clear. We have a female Russian Orthodox Church; without a female priesthood, but there is a danger that soon only the clergy will be male, and all the rest will be women, as in convents. Boys lack something - both in church life in general, and in schools in particular - some kind of masculine principle. It's hard to say what it is. Military-patriotic education, recreation, sports, car business - this is some kind of simplification. It's not about the absence of classes in car business, not that we don't have circles where they would cut with swords and throw each other on mats, we lack something else. The Church really lacks some kind of constitutive masculine principle.

Regarding your second question, the following can be said. There are different levels of how and why this happens. We must not forget about the spiritual level - the invisible battle that every Christian undergoes and which concerns not only the soul, but also our bodily composition. Almost every one of those who came to the Church in adulthood certainly remembers how he went through that period when standing in church was accompanied by the most unexpected reactions of the body. A young, healthy, vigorous person after half an hour or an hour of staying in the temple began to feel pain in the right and left parts of the abdomen, constant urges to leave the church in order to take a walk where the king even walks, extreme fatigue of the legs, convulsing them, ringing in the ears, dizziness and pre-fainting, which I had never experienced before in my life. This can happen not only at a crowded Sunday or holiday service, but also at an everyday one, when there are five to ten people standing nearby and there is clearly enough air, and the concentration of incense does not reach such an extent that this can be interpreted as the most difficult kind. allergic reaction. And this, of course, is not just physiology or even psychosomatics, in the language of doctors. This is an attempt to ward off the enemy of the human race novice christian from visiting the temple, at least, regular and non-lethal through, as it were, the weakness of his nature. This is overcome - I testify with many examples - by perseverance. Here the person decides: no, I will faint, but I will go to church for Sunday services - and in a month it will be as if it had not happened. He stands like a cucumber, he doesn’t prick in his side, he doesn’t want to run away for a breath of air, and even sweat doesn’t flow into three streams at Sunday service. This is one level.

The second objectively existing factor is that, of course, most of our churches are historical buildings, and even ancient building, monuments of architecture and historical culture. These are not necessarily monuments, but often buildings that do not require such a ventilation system that would provide sufficient airflow with the current attendance of most urban temples. Objectively speaking, in many services it is both cramped and stuffy, and not always adequately ventilated. The question may be: what can be done here?

Peace be with you, Alexander.

Each church has its own "format" and its own target audience. This can happen consciously or unconsciously. For example, when a church is just being formed in some territory - there come different people , but here which of them will remain and continue to attend worship services within 1-3-5 years - this is already the subject of sociological research to identify significant factors.

The first point is that men may come, but they may not stay. I saw and I know good families where the wife goes to church, takes the children - the husband brings and takes her, periodically communicates in an informal setting with other members of the church and ministers (for example, field trips, tourism, barbecue, etc.) - but does not want to go to the services themselves come and go for many years. This can be especially true for small towns and villages where everyone knows each other. Everyone communicates, but there is no desire to change the "status quo".

I read interesting studies on this topic by Pastor Steve Sanderman. Of course, his view may have a slightly different specificity - we have a different political and economic reality. But the main ideas are quite clear and applicable:

"Here are a few basic principles to help you develop a male-friendly church.

The atmosphere in which you will develop all this is more important than events or programs. A man seeks an environment that is consistent with who he is as a man, and places where he will feel comfortable, belonging to which he will become the person that God wants him to be.

1. Relevance. Most of the men in our modern society do not see the value in going to church because it does not speak their language and does not address the issues they face. For example, a recent survey showed that 92% of male church goers had never heard a sermon on the topic of work. The unspoken message is that what you do 60 or 70 hours a week has nothing to do with what you do on Sunday morning. The most important issues for men are their work, family, marriage, sexuality and finances - and how often do we talk about these topics from the pulpit today? Some of the key questions men ask are:

• What is real courage?
• What is success?
• How can I deal with guilt?
• What is male sexuality?
• Is integrity possible today?
• What should a healthy marriage look like?
• How can I raise my children to be successful?
• How can I be a whole person?
• How can I be a leader at home, in church, at work, and in the world?
• What is the meaning of my life?

2. Being involved in something bigger than themselves. Men want to be involved in something driven by a compelling vision. Men want to know what mountain the church climbs, where we go, what we do. The Church has the greatest and most far-reaching mission on earth, and we should not hesitate to challenge the men of our community in this.

3. Aim for the great. I have never met a man who wants to be a failure or a loser. Men want to win. They want to be heroes. They want to come first. Unfortunately, it looks like the church today just wants good guys, not great men.

4. Get a call. Men tend to look at the world around them as something that can be overcome or conquered. It's time to tell them they don't have to measure cars at church doors. If they are looking for risk, adventure, change, competition or expansion, tell them how to find it all in the mission of Jesus.

5. Action. Today, men are looking for opportunities to do something; they don't want to sit and talk about 27 views of the second coming of Christ! Men evaluate themselves by performance, and get a dose of self-esteem based on what they do. Their desire for adventure is often expressed in the desire to be involved in decisions. Many churches today are in service mode rather than missionary mode.

6. Men seek leaders and want to be leaders. The principle is simple: men don't follow programs, they follow men. They want to follow a bold, courageous, visionary leader. Create an enabling environment where strong leadership is attractive. Men are not only looking for a leader to follow, but they want to become leaders themselves. They want to lead in their families, jobs, churches, communities, and the world. One of the things you can do for them is prepare them for leadership.

7. Fun. If men come to church and see a bunch of serious, stoic-looking people, shouldn't they think about the fact that Christianity really is a rare bore? The world is a serious place and men are looking for opportunities to both laugh and have fun to balance this harsh reality. They like good jokes, funny stories or movies. I encourage you to develop a service environment where men can be fun and interesting together.

8. Brothers. Most men have many acquaintances, but very few have a good friend. According to statistics, the average man over 35 does not have a single close friend. Men need teaching on how to develop and strengthen friendships and an environment in which they can find true male friends.

9. Healing. Many use socially unacceptable means to cope with their pain - making their work or hobby the main thing in life, abusing sex, drugs or alcohol. Until these wounds and pain are healed in the right way, they will never become the men God wants them to be. They will never be able to have healthy relationships or outgrow childish behavior.

I hope that some of these observations from my own ministry to men will help you as you strive to serve the men of your church and community more effectively."

At a minimum, the church can take into account the interests of different groups of the population. Because church communities, in which the majority are older people, they directly or indirectly create relationships and situations that are right for them. A young man, coming into such a community, on initial stage filled with enthusiasm and does not notice anything, but over time he begins to look for his place in this group. And if there is no such place or it is unacceptable, the young man can leave, although he will continue to believe in God.

God bless you,

Victor

Read more on the topic "Religion, rituals and the church":

We are so accustomed to the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church is predominantly the Church of "white handkerchiefs" that somehow we even ceased to be surprised and worried about the fact that there are really few men in the church. And they even began to look for and find some analogies in sacred history... Recall the special sensitivity of the female heart and the fact that even the "hard-hearted" apostles fled after the crucifixion of Christ and hid "for the sake of the Jews", but the myrrh-bearing women ... And so on and so forth ...

This gives the enemies of the Church another reason to talk about the “inferiority” of the Church, about her predominantly feminine nature, about the fact that the ideals of patience, humility and meekness are not at all masculine ideals. And one can endlessly explain that this is not so, that in modern society the most sublime concepts are consciously or unconsciously distorted ... and that humility, for example, does not mean primitive downtroddenness, but the ability to adequately accept what happens against our will; that patience is not a slavish humiliation, but wisdom that knows how to wait… meekness is not a pitiful lack of response, but the power of kind restraint… All this can and should be explained, of course. And yet ... there are few men in temples - and this fact requires reflection.

This topic - the lack of participation of men in church life - came up recently in a conversation with a distant correspondent of mine - a Russian Orthodox woman living in America. I have already said that we are almost unaware of this problem as a problem, but from the far side, everything looks different. If there are no or very few men in the emerging national church community, then for the parishioners themselves this is another reason to feel their weakness, helplessness. And you can say as much as you like that "the power of God is made perfect in weakness," but this truth in no way justifies the inertia and weakness, lack of faith and, pardon me, the degeneration of our peasants. And that's exactly the question. Because if in our "wide" country the question of the degeneration of the masculine, although it sounds, is somehow hypothetical, then in a foreign country it is simply a matter of survival: the degradation of men, their unbelief, unrestrained drunkenness and weakness are a sure sign of the degeneration of the national community and rapid assimilation. And for us - good example what awaits us in the near future, if nothing changes. What can you do, in this world, to promote any idea, you need assertiveness, ingenuity, and purely masculine determination; and grief - if all these qualities are forced to show women.

An American friend of mine drew attention to the fact that in no other Church does this monstrous bias towards the "female presence" exist. And we are not even talking about numerous Protestant communities, but about Orthodox churches belonging to another jurisdiction. I myself recall that, for example, in the Greek temples of men, if fewer women, then not much and the participation of men in the life of the Church is the most active and fruitful. And that's exactly how it should be! After all, conscious and active service to God in the "public", so to speak, dimension is, first of all, a man's business. That's the way it should be, and that's how it always seems to be.

The role of women in church life has always been enormous, but this role is really auxiliary, and in the best, loftiest sense of the word. In the meaning of help, and even sacrificial help, and it is difficult to imagine anything higher than this from the point of view of genuine Christianity. And it's natural. Remember how Scripture speaks of the creation of woman? "Let's create a helper." How good, right? What depth and wisdom these words are filled with!

But since we are talking about the position of women in the Church, in connection with our main topic I want to talk about something that I did not dare to talk about before. This is a painfully touchy topic...

I want to say that, due to the lack of male ministry, in the Church, especially in recent times, such a problem has arisen as female authority, and even exorbitant authority, "going wild". This female authority is precisely the direct consequence of the lack of male activity in church life, and this, so to speak, “provoked authority” of women does nothing good either for women themselves or for church life as a whole.

However, in fairness, it must be said that this problem - the problem of women's authority in the Church - is by no means our national and far from modern. Here is what the great Saint John Chrysostom said about this back in the 5th century. I foresee a possible chorus of indignant voices after this quote, but what can you do: as they say, all claims are "not for me."

“The Divine law removed women from the priesthood,” writes St. John, “and they try to intrude into it; but since they themselves do not have power, they do everything through others and appropriate such power for themselves that they elect and reject priests according to The proverb "upside down" comes true here in practice. Leaders are managed by subordinates, and even men, but those who are not allowed to teach. What do I say - to teach? Blessed Paul forbade them to speak in church. I heard from one person, as if they were allowed to such insolence that they even reprimand the primates of the Churches and treat them more severely than the masters with their servants.

But now we are not talking about women's power in general, but precisely in the context of that "vacuum" of male service in the Church, which the manifestation of this power in many ways provokes. And the blame for this lies again on us - men. It is not difficult to see that this also happens in Everyday life, where women are forced to "pull" what our suddenly and everywhere exhausted peasants brush aside. The problem is no matter how you look at it!

But why is it that there are few peasants in the Russian Church? It even became interesting to me what the statistics were like before the revolution, because the first thing that comes to mind when looking for the causes of this problem is our near godless era, and here there are analogies with the crucifixion of Christ and with the disciples who fled "for fear", and wives the rest does not look very stretched. With that, perhaps, an amendment, however, a very significant one, that the majority did not run away, but were simply destroyed as the most active and, therefore, dangerous in the eyes of the authorities. But still, it is curious to know the pre-revolutionary statistics in order to understand once and for all: the problem of the small presence of men in church life is a consequence of the revolution or something of our "originally Russian." If the latter, then the situation is more complicated, and then the reasons must be sought not in external circumstances, albeit tragic, but still temporary, but in the depths of the Russian male character, and this, you see, is immeasurably more difficult.

But the search for documents on this topic was not successful.

It was not possible to objectively evaluate the participation of men and women in pre-revolutionary parish life in percentage terms, because all baptized men and women in general were listed as parishioners of one or another church, but I have not been able to study the actual life of the parish with an analysis of the degree of participation of men and women in it. got caught.

But modern statistics, recognizing a larger percentage of women in churches and their greater participation in church affairs, attribute this to the greater emotionality of women, to their greater ability to believe, while men for the most part are more skeptical and think rationally. Well, then we must admit that our Russian men are the most rational in the world. It is only incomprehensible why this rationality does not bring those phenomenal fruits in the rational organization of life, which it should, logically, bring. On the contrary, we see completely irrational and self-destructive behavior as a sad and ubiquitous norm in our lives.

It seems that upbringing still plays a decisive role in the attitude of modern men towards the Church - either completely godless, or based on the idea that the main thing is "that God be in the soul." That is, at best, it is a "non-church" religion of morality, compliance with the basic rules of "human" morality. And this is considered sufficient. Alas, people get out of this state and come to a full-fledged Christian life, as a rule, only as a result of some serious shocks. And here, perhaps, it is necessary to take into account the type of male character, the most common, which can be called conservative - regardless of whether he is good or bad. Our man is not at all inclined to change his life, whatever it may be, and if in the case of the right faith this quality contributes to the assertion of fidelity, then in the state of "arbitrary" delusion it becomes a difficult obstacle to overcome on the path of transformation and changing his life for the better. Sometimes they say so: "I never went to church, but why am I going now!" And this "fidelity" of their own life, even godless, is even proud of as some kind of dignity. What can you do: such is our Russian character in its generalized expression.

There is only one way out - to speak, to explain, to appeal, if not to feelings, then to the mind, to pray for the Lord to enlighten, well, at least try to instill in children the foundations of a correct worldview, the foundations of a right faith. In the hope that they will grow up with a firm understanding that the church life is necessary condition full, healthy and good life.

Priest Dimitry Shishkin

Why are there few men in Russian churches? How many representatives of the stronger sex attend worship services in other countries? How to bring men back to the Church?

Orthodoxy male religion

Orthodoxy is a masculine religion, such a statement can be heard more and more often from priests. It began to sound only in the last decade. You will not read such a definition among the elders and theologians. Talking about male religion is a response to the situation in which the Russian Orthodox Church finds itself: it is almost never attended by men. And the priests reproachfully appeal to them, trying to explain:

men, the Church is not complete without you! Where is your opinion and good deeds in the church community? What are you spending your time and energy on? Why forget about God?

Archpriest Andrey Tkachev: “Our religion is masculine. She is brave and smart, not warm and sentimental. The absence of a muzhik in our churches means the absence of theology, since Christianity can be understood and explained, with rare exceptions, only by a masculine mind.
Temples must be full of men. Prayer in general is a man's business, since it requires not so much experiences as perseverance and attentiveness.
You go into the western temple - a lady in a hat stands in front of the Crucifixion and prays either for her female destiny, or about starving children in Cameroon. When you come to us, a soul-sister walks among the candlesticks and sculpts candles, whispering something about unlucky children, or about a missing husband. This is the dominant feature of religious life. Personal ladies' misfortune and personal whisper in front of images.
Where are our men? Drink? Do you go to the mountains for adrenaline? Going on safari to Africa? Do they sit their fifth point on fishing?

Archpriest Andrey Romashko“Christianity is a purely masculine religion. No, of course, it is also available to women, but it is "imprisoned" for the male mentality, for the male perception of the world. Having come to earth, Christ equalized men and women in religious rights, but His preaching was addressed mainly to men….
Why is it that a man's voice is not heard in our churches today? Why don’t modern men understand that the Gospel is addressed specifically to them, and only then, through them, to daughters, wives, sisters, girlfriends… Why does a woman drag a man to Church today, and at any age, from infancy to old age? I will answer with a banality: the men were crushed. They got mad, corrupted, capricious, lost their character, willpower, responsibility. There are many reasons, objective, subjective, social, economic.”

You read such harsh statements and think: why for some shepherds the feminine means something flawed? But let's write off such moods of the priests for regret that the majority of Russian men neglect the salvation of the soul. This is both a reproach and a call to the stronger sex to return under God's roof.

Few men

Unfortunately, scientists have not done research on the topic: what percentage of men attend the Orthodox Church? But according to the observations of believers, men make up about a third of the parishioners and less.

• Doctor of Historical Sciences N. Popov states: "There are more religious people among women than among men, the ratio is on average 65 and 45%."
• Sociologist B. Dubin notes: “Among the Orthodox believers, women and older people predominate. However, the largest influx of new Orthodox comes from among the youth, people with higher education, men".

Archpriest Roman Bagdasarov reflects on the place of a man in the temple.

Orthodox men abroad

AT Orthodox churches In other countries, men are equal to women or more, according to priests who have visited parishes abroad. There are no sociological studies on this topic either, but we can rely on photos and videos of worship services and trust our own eyes.

There are equal numbers of men and women in the churches of Ukraine and Bulgaria. In Greece and Macedonia, more than half of men attend divine services. In Serbia, men clearly predominate, women are lost in their crowd. The religious activity of Serbian men can be explained by the fact that Serbia defended its Orthodox identity for a very long time in battles with Muslims and Catholics. It was men who fought and the memory of this strengthens their religiosity. Christianity survived in Serbia at the cost of great sacrifices...

Liturgy in Serbian Orthodox Church

Why is there such a gender disproportion among parishioners in Russia?

Reasons for the religious passivity of men

Priests and laity, including journalists, find many explanations for the absence of men in churches. There are religious, psychological, everyday versions. There are flattering and even offensive for one or another sex.

Religious versions

1. Since Eve was the first to break the Divine prohibition in the Garden of Eden by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, now women feel more sinfulness, which they hasten to pray in temples.
2. Women's faith is connected with God's great gift - childbearing. The birth of a new man resembles the act of his creation by God. A man is not given to survive such an unusual phenomenon. Therefore, his connection with the Creator is not so strong.
3. Men prefer paganism. There are no strict moral requirements, no need to fast and limit your needs. Paganism flatters man; there he is not a servant of God, but a son of the gods. Iriy (or Valhalla) of the pagans promises feasts and battles, which is more interesting for men.

Men at worship in the Greek Church

Psychological versions

1. Men perceive the world as a battlefield where they must conquer and conquer. Orthodoxy with the preaching of humility, modesty, humanism is contrary to their moods. These days, the press paints an image of a man who goes to success over other people's heads. It doesn't fit with faith.
2. A man feels uncomfortable in the temple, because most of the women are there. It is not clear to him what to do there, except to light a candle and go home. The church community seems to him like a women's club. More comfortable with friends of the same gender.
3. Women go to the temple more often because they are worried about their children. They ask the Almighty for a better share for their children. And men are less worried about loved ones.
4. Women are cowardly, in God they see a protector. And our men are heroes, they are not afraid of anything, so they do not need God.

Household versions

1. The temples are dominated not just by women, but by old women. It is in retirement that people have more time for religious life. Growing old, many think about repentance. But - Russian men often do not live up to retirement! The temples are filled with their inconsolable widows.
2. Sometimes men are busy with work that takes a lot of energy. Therefore, they use weekends for relaxation. And we would be glad to pray, but there is no strength.
3. Men are too lazy to go to church. I have strength, but I don't want to get up early. It’s easier to watch football from the sofa…

I can also speculate. The problem is the destruction of the institution of the family. Previously, everyone went to church services in large numbers - husband and wife, children, grandparents. Now relatives have no need for religious unity. Everyone lives with their experiences, crying about sorrows on the Internet under a pseudonym. And only big holidays - Epiphany, Easter and Christmas wake up the former nepotism. Or great sadness. Then collective prayers sound, then they go together to holy places.
Only under special conditions does a man feel his responsibility for what is happening and begins to lead, organize and patronize. It wakes up the head of the family.

What do men say

As you can see, the opinions are the most controversial. And this is not all the answers to the question posed. Male readers on Facebook also responded differently. Some, in the style of the liberal press, expressed distrust of the Church: “You cannot be a Christian and attend the services of the Russian Orthodox Church at the same time. Only if you fully and completely support everything that is happening there now, then - yes .... you have complete harmony. True, there will be questions about your Christianity - either you simply do not understand what it means to be a Christian, or you are a hypocrite.

Some stated that God is in their souls, but the Church is not necessary for prayer. Even Holy Bible quoted: “And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites who prefer to pray in front of people: in synagogues, or stopping at the crossroads. I assure you, they are already receiving their reward. But you, when you want to pray, go into your room and, shutting the door behind you, pray to your Father in secret, and then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly” (St. Matthew 6:5,6).

The priest joined the discussion Vasily Litvinov, who explained to the men: “If we believe in God, then we must participate in the Sacraments. So, they must be in the Church. The question of rational men: “what do I need this for?” Answer from the Gospel: “It is better for you that I ascend. Then My Heavenly Father will give another Comforter, who will guide you into all truth and righteousness.”

Gift of the Holy Spirit

So, this is why the Lord came and for what He performed His feat: for the sake of giving the Holy Spirit, which should show us the will of God at any moment of our life “so that our joy may be complete.” That's what we can get in the Church! A worthy fruit for our efforts? More than!!! The problem is different: why is this not talked about in the Church? The answer, I think, is on the surface: apostasy, the weakening of faith in God on earth, including in the clergy. Alas…

Hence, the male Church, the Church of the Martyrs, turned into the Church of the “white handkerchiefs”, the Church of ritual actions, although it proclaims the apostolic words: “If you are Christ’s, let them walk by the Spirit” ... But, this does not mean that even now it is impossible to find in it the promise of God “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”!”

Archpriest Evgeny Popichenko about the image Orthodox man.

What is a man to do in a temple?

The early Christian Church did not complain about the lack of male parishioners. Everyone found a worthy place there and devotedly served the Lord. After all, not only prayer can a believer express his religious feelings.

• The men were missionaries in different cities and countries.
• They preached about Christ to their relatives and friends.
• Participated in worship.
• They kept order in the church.
• They held leadership positions in church communities.
• Donated to missionaries, were benefactors of the orphans.

How can these principles be implemented today?

The Church still needs active missionaries who bring the Word of God to the remote regions of Russia. For example, the peoples of the Far North and the Far East need the attention of the Orthodox. But even in the central regions there are ethnic groups that are religiously unenlightened - let's remember paganism among the small peoples of the Volga region.

Guest workers from the southern republics are working everywhere, and in order to reach out to such people with a sermon, one needs male determination.

And even in the Russian capital, in any collective there are people who are not churched. They need the wise instruction of believers.

Personal salvation in Orthodoxy is not selfish, it depends on love for one's neighbor.

• Service in the church also should not do without men. It can also be spiritual when someone does the work of an altar boy. And social, if there is a charitable organization at the temple.
• catechesis new parishioners are more fruitful if a man teaches men, and a woman teaches women - it is easier for them to find mutual language. To do this, you should know the Gospel yourself and live according to the commandments.
• Follow the discipline during the hours of worship, too, befits a man, and not an old woman. Moreover, in our time, an inadequate person can appear under the church vaults, who should be called to order. There is a danger of terrorism in some regions, so the temples need male vigilantes.
• A congregation can also be led by a man and develop energetic activities for the benefit of society. Also, the church is always in need of new pastors who would devote their entire lives to it.

But if a man is too busy to visit the house of God, there is a way for him to escape too. This is a donation to the temple, financing works of mercy. Support for a charitable organization that helps orphans, prisoners or people in need of treatment.

What is a man looking for in the Church?

Analyzing discussions in Orthodox forums, we can draw the following conclusions.

A man is waiting for the Church to call him to action. For example, events and programs that change our society for the better. To decisive actions in defense of morality.

A man wants to hear a sermon about his current problems. These include:

• How to achieve real success?
• How to create a happy family?
• How to raise children worthy people?
• How to find the meaning of life?
• How to overcome your weaknesses/vices?

For many, the topics of achieving leadership, strengthening marriage, guilt before neighbors for mistakes, resolving conflicts are important ... Now psychologists of men's magazines answer such questions, but their advice is far from Christianity. For example, I saw an article: "Become a scoundrel" - a hymn to rudeness and cynicism. Of course, a believing man will neglect such texts. But he will be glad to hear in the Church how to overcome failures at work and in the family.

The man hopes to find like-minded friends in the Church. This means that there is a need to develop communication between parishioners with each other. Suggest occasions for meetings outside of worship. Such initiatives depend on the priests, on their desire to attract a new flock - representatives of the stronger sex.

Due to the lack of men, the Church has lost its masculinity, parishioners are afraid of priests and treat them like a submissive wife to a bad husband - they forgive and tolerate even what cannot be tolerated, says priest Theodore KOTRELEV.

Priest Theodore Kotrelev, cleric of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Krasnoe Selo, father of 8 children, head of the Station People's Homeless Assistance Group

Is Orthodoxy a courageous religion? What is this courage?

— I think that it is not about Orthodoxy as a religion, but first of all about Orthodox Church. Of course, we would all very much like the Orthodox Church to be a courageous Church.

Masculinity, it seems to me, implies resistance to adversity and torment, firmness, including firmness in faith. We would like her to be masculine, but in different times this was very different.

We know a lot of examples of masculinity in the first centuries of Christianity, during the persecution. We know examples of masculinity in the Middle Ages, in relation to the heterodox persecutors of Christianity. In the end, and perhaps above all, we know and even saw people who were courageous during the most terrible persecution of Christianity, namely, the persecution in our country.

However, in my opinion, it is necessary to realize that we know other examples when the Church was cowardly, the Church was silent and even cowardly. For example, we are experiencing such a time now.

I believe that the Church now can not be called courageous. Only if we decide that we are wishful thinking, then yes - courageous. But if we take a serious look... The Church is people and their unity in Christ. Our Orthodox people in no case can be called courageous, because we are afraid of everything.

We are afraid to say a hard no to abortion. We are afraid to say a hard "no" to gay people. Yes, we certainly speak, but we speak in an undertone. But to bang on the table with your fist, as our ancestors would have done in response to even just a stutter about a gay parade, this is not now. Neither at the private level, nor at the general church level, no one cracks his fist on the table. Although here the sin of Sodom is unambiguously proposed as the official Norm, with a capital letter. This is exactly the case when the Church would have to bang. But no, we are afraid.

We are also afraid of our own bishops. We, the people of the church, are afraid of our own bishops! In one temple, the idea recently arose among the parishioners to hold a charity fair for the benefit of clergymen who were in trouble. First of all, in favor of the relatives of those who died in car accidents or from diseases of priests. There are many of them, the Orthodox press prints about them. There was an initiative from below, but the rector said "no".

Why, father? And because we are already being tormented by requisitions, they are always trying to control us financially, and any initiative related to finances will cause us unnecessary problems. Is it a cowardly rector, or is it the Church behaving in such a way that people become cowardly? I don't know. But the wonderful initiative was hacked to death. And this is not an isolated example.

To be honest, the Church is afraid of Itself. Priests are afraid of bishops, parishioners are afraid of priests. And therefore, on the same table there can be cognac and red caviar, closer to the priests, and herring with onions and compote where the candlesticks sit. Here they broke up. So no, there is no need to talk about any masculinity now. I do not know how we will behave if persecution begins. That's when they come, then we'll see. And now I do not think that the Orthodox Church is courageous.

Why are there fewer men than women in our churches? And less than men in mosques?

- This is the right question. My answer to the first question is related to this. We have such a Church because there are few men. If they dominated, like the Muslims, it seems to me it would be more confusing.

But here I am not talking about the Orthodox Church in general, but about the Russian Orthodox Church. We know examples of Local Churches in which there are as many men in the temple as there are Muslims in mosques, for example, in the Serbian Church. There in the temple there are 70 percent men and 30 percent women. Yes, that's where people can decide that they want something, and they will be listened to.

Why did such a ratio develop precisely in the Russian Church? It seems to me that because a Russian woman is very sensitive, I would say that she has a delicate structure, besides, she is dependent as a woman. A man is more self-confident, confident in his abilities, this is apparently so biologically arranged. Women feel very insecure. In such a state, of course, a person comes to God, but in the person of someone there must be a protector. And the more self-confident a person is, the less he needs a defender and, accordingly, he thinks less about God.

Why do Russian men go to church so little? I think that the paganism inherent in our peoples has not yet been outlived. Our inherent religious indifference. This is an Asian trait by the way. Not all Muslim countries show religious activity. Let's say Turkmens are very indifferent towards religion. And in fact, the whole of our Central Asia is the same. Now we see thousands of Muslims during Ramadan, this is of course the result of some kind of revival and the result of religious propaganda. But in principle, this is not typical of these peoples. The Russian is arranged in the same way, in fact, it is very conditionally ecclesiastical. Before the revolution, there were a little more men, but even then there were problems.

A woman is more sensitive, more reverent, less protected. She needs somewhere to run, somewhere to cry. Aunties are so arranged that they need to sigh and cry. And the men - no, we ourselves will decide everything. But, I repeat, this is why the Church is so timid—there are no soldiers.

- The Church is becoming more feminine, roughly speaking, "The Church has grown mad"?

- This was talked about and written about half a century ago and even earlier. This is not news, it happened a long time ago. I don't know when, I'm not a Church historian. Of course, I got mad, yes. And this "deception" lies in the fact that everyone has adopted some specific female model of behavior. This model is that the parishioners are fools, and the priest is a wise man. In a normal situation, a woman, according to her structure, respects her man and treats him with reverence. This is fine. And so the people began to treat the clergy. Instead of distinguishing between healthy priests from the sick and so on.

How a woman usually puts up with the eccentricities or just the disgustingness of her husband, simply because he is a man. And what am I, I’m a woman and my business is a woman’s - I washed, washed, fed and put to bed. And he is a man. The Church began to treat priests in the same way. And this is wrong. And we, in turn, are happy. And this is where the free life begins.

Not later than today from the Arkhangelsk region came to me by social affairs woman, mother of many children. And she said that in their village church the rector was a hieromonk. He, when they approach him for confession, listens to the confession, and then says: “Well, we cast lots - whether you should take communion today or not.”

And another time she went to great post for her birthday, and there she ate salads with mayonnaise and drank half a glass of wine. And she confessed to the hieromonk in confession, and he says: “In a week, Easter, tell everyone who you have been to boil potatoes, paint them with beetroot juice and break your fast.” In the most extreme case, they whisper and convey, as was the case with me today, with some negativity: imagine, we have a father, this, as they say, is a difficult case. And so, basically, they ate one thing, ate lots, ate potatoes with beets for Easter and that’s it, “God save you, father.” This is a typical female model of behavior if we are talking about the laity.

The monastic model of behavior is quite different. There are sometimes such exercises for humility that such stories may perhaps fit in the right direction, I don't know. A layman is a free person. A layman is a member of the Church, this is a very high rank. And some things can't be tolerated. And we are arranged in such a way that people endure it. And when I say "with us" I do not exclude myself from this list. I am a member of our Church with all my guts. I love our Church and I don't know any other Church, and I hope that someday I will die in it. But I must state that our Church is not courageous at all.

How, while affirming masculinity in the Church, not to fall into a contemptuous attitude towards women and misogyny? After all, there seems to be such a problem that since a man has the first role in the Church, then a woman, supposedly, can be looked down upon.

- There is no masculinity in offending a woman, it is meanness, not masculinity. You just need to remember who was Holy Mother of God. If you remember about Her, then no humiliating attitude towards a woman will arise.

But there really is such a problem. This is a very complex issue, very debatable. I am sure that I will not formulate it impromptuly in a nutshell and will not offer an answer. But in short, the derogatory attitude is expressed in the fact that a woman is considered good, beautiful, of the same sex as the Mother of God, but still she is lower than a man. This attitude has huge historical and cultural roots that go back not even to Christian, but to pre-Christian, and maybe pre-Jewish, some kind of archetypal antiquity. I think this should be done away with. But whether it can be overcome, I don't know.

If we re-read all our lives from the Apostle Paul, “But let the women in the Church be silent,” this develops a certain position that contributes to a pejorative attitude. At least for the general population.

If all your life you are faced with the fact that women during critical days they can’t take communion, and some experts and others like saints can’t kiss icons, and others, apparently from even greater holiness, can’t even enter the temple, and even the churchyard, this certainly forms such an attitude. And not a single clear answer - why this is so. I studied this question, I think, in its entirety.

I do not swear at all and do not call for reform, God forbid. I'm just stating. And what else can be the attitude towards a woman, if we have such practices, and no one can say why they are like that. There are probably about 15 works on this topic, they set out excellent, scientifically proven considerations. But none of them answers the question "why". The answer is "simply because it is." She must be silent, she must give birth. You please give birth, but suddenly, when a regular event occurs, connected precisely with this main function of yours, suddenly a woman turns out to be so unclean that she cannot even take communion, we refuse her in Christ. Because, apparently, it is still a little lower. Well, this is a woman, what is there.