Homosexuality and religion: perspectives and tensions

Homosexuality and Religion

Homosexuality & Religion

Defining Homosexuality

Homosexuality and Religion

Teachings of Roman Catholic Church

Pastoral care of Homosexuals

Views of Protestants

Episcopal Church on Homosexuality

Southern Baptist

Religion and Discrimination against Homosexuals

Harm Caused by Discrimination and the Religious Correlation

Homosexuality and Religion

In this research paper the author discusses Homosexuality within religious context. This research paper examines the functioning of policies of discrimination towards non-heterosexuals in Christian churches and determines if these policies are harmful to non-heterosexuals in the church and in the broader social context. The author has discussed in detail history of homosexuality and gay rights movement. The author discussed views of Catholic and Protestants toward homosexuality.

The author starts by defining homosexuality followed by problem statement. The term homosexual is applied to sexual relations between individuals of the same sex. There are increasing numbers of people who are homosexual in the society and so there is growing concern about whether religion allows homosexuality, is this a sin? Should gays and lesbian have a right to marry? What are the views Catholic and Protestant churches toward homosexuality? Christianity provides an environment in which people can be supported and comforted through faith and forgiveness. So far the churches condemn homosexuality however give them right to either stop attending churches, or change their identity through conversion therapy. Conversion therapy assumes that homosexuality is an alterable state, that self-identification as a lesbian, gay man, or bisexual man or woman is not the only response to internalized feelings of same-sex attraction.

Defining Homosexuality

According to Vidal (1985), there are no such entities as heterosexual or homosexual people; there are only heterosexual or homosexual acts. He also stated, "most people are a mixture of impulses if not practices, and what anyone does with a willing partner is of no social or cosmic significance" (Vidal, as cited in Katz, 1995, p. 99). For nearly a century, the term homosexual has been applied to sexual relations between individuals of the same sex. The term homosexual was derived from the Greek root homo, and not from the Latin word for human, the term highlights the similarity of the two persons who are drawn in a sexual correlation. The term is used to symbolize the direct opposite of the term hetero, which is used for a relationship between individuals of different sexes (Kinsey, Wardell, Pomeroy, & Clyde, 1948).

The development of sexual identity is a difficult process that takes several years to unfold. As individuals realize that they are attracted to the same sex, the opposite sex, or both, it becomes apparent that only one of the three is an acceptable norm in the general population. Such a shared value in society comes from many different social bodies and is professed through the media in both overt and covert ways. One social force with significant influence is religion. Each religion offers values for acceptable behaviour, and the judgement of behaviour in turn has a strong connection to each religious community's beliefs.

As individuals discover that they are attracted to others of the same sex, they are often faced with a choice of accepting or rejecting their sexuality. If they choose to accept it, they can tell others in their immediate environment (otherwise known as coming out) or they can keep this part of themselves hidden. If they choose to reject their sexuality, they often ignore or repress their sexual attractions. Additionally, they can deny such sexual feelings and seek alternative religiously driven methods to address their sexual conflict, such as conversion therapy, in an effort to change their sexuality. Conversion therapy deals with a person's proactive decision to alter his or her identified sexuality through the interventions of a therapist specializing in such a trade (Beckstead, 2000).

Problem Statement