 the eastern orthodox church is particular in its view of sin. ==overview== the biblical greek term for sin is Î±Î¼Î±ÏÏÎ¯Î± (amartia) which means missing the mark, it means that our aim is out and we have not reached our goal, our fullest potential. as in western christianity, in eastern orthodoxy, the goal is union with god. orthodoxy also understands sin as a disease of the soul, a condition where the soul is lacking in god's grace. union with god, which is made possible through christ, is the ultimate medicine. in orthodoxy, the mysteries of the church, also known as sacraments in the west, are vehicles leading towards union with god. ==view on sexuality== from the orthodox churches point of view, humans are not sexual creatures in terms of their essential identity. to eastern orthodoxy, the relationship which people have with god is reflected in the love for one another; the union of two people in marriage is considered to be a reflection of our ultimate union with god. however, as a result of humanity's rebellion against god (the fall), humanity has tended to adopt a more animalistic view of sexual activity which is not true to the ultimate transfigurable nature of the human race, having been made in the divine image and likeness. eastern orthodoxy holds that adam and eve did not have sexual intercourse until after the fall,http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+4&version=niv and that sexual sin and the fall are intimately linked. (reproduction must have happened in some way, however, for god commands adam and eve to "be fruitful and multiply" before the fall as is stated in genesis 1:28.) the orthodox churches do not hold that sex is inherently sinful, but rather condemn seeing sex as something which can be divorced from the loving act between a married couple. as st. cesarios said, "copulation and birth of children in accordance with the law is free from any sin and condemnation."appendix. additional reflections on marriage and celibacy. marriage ===marriage=== one of the fathers of the church, john chrysostom, in elaborating on the words of paul of tarsus states that "because man is prone to strong lustful feelings, and because all men are not strong enough to be celibate, the church allows the temporary union of marriage as an alternative to sin". this is a commentary on 1 corinthians 7, which states "to the unmarried and the widows i say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as i am. but if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. for it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion." to some orthodox, sex and marriage are both temporary states experienced 
Eastern_Orthodox_theology