2191731

A Coming Out Story: Happily Ever After?

Sitting in my church as a naive 13-year-old, excited for another day of worship after

spending ten years with the people I love and admire, I am eager to learn more about the great

miracles that God has done for the world. From sixth graders to twelfth graders, my fellow peers

discuss their riveting weekly activities. Suddenly, as the door creaks open, my youth pastor

enters the church and all eyes turn towards the stage. He approaches the podium, takes a deep

breath, opens his sacred Bible, and commences the youth worship: “Today, our lesson is on the

gay community.” I, as a closeted 13-year-old, am exhilarated to learn how the person that I have

struggled to understand and embrace is completely acceptable and welcome in this world. As my

pastor begins to utter the first words of the lesson, I lean back and close my eyes expecting to

hear harmony created by positive words, “Homosexuality, as stated in the Bible, is inhumane and

a mental illness.” Suddenly, my eyes snap open, my face reddens, and my smile disappears. I

think to myself, “No. I didn’t hear that correctly.” Rubbing my eyes and ears to clear them, I

continue to listen to the lesson: “All gays are unholy and are undeserving of God because they

represent the wicked doings of Satan. There is no place for them in this world.” Bewildered by

his words, my eyes wander around the room expecting opposition, but all I see around me are

intrigued and mesmerized faces. In the span of a few quick seconds, my feelings of comfort and

support are quickly diminished. Instead, I am consumed by pure embarrassment and animosity as

I am being patronized for who I am, in front of the people I love. Being told that the person that I

have been hiding from the rest of the world is evil, wrong, and deserves nothing but death, my

heart breaks. Being told that everything that I have been experiencing is caused by a mental

illness, my soul crumples. Being told that after ten years of devotion, the person I am goes

1
 2191731

against anything God wants and that I am the reason for the world’s pain and hatred, my will to

live diminishes. Sentence after sentence, my mentality is stripped away and I slowly yet surely

begin to fade from the world. At this point, nothing else exists in my brain except for those

demeaning words of my once loving and supporting pastor. Slowly, I sink back into my chair,

close my eyes, and ponder the only possible situation that will fix this feeling of betrayal and

hopelessness: suicide.

Although this situation may seem extremely dramatic, it is not. This is just a simple

example of what religious queer individuals have to endure when they realize their sexuality or

gender, including me. Living in the world as an innocent Christian, I did not expect such hatred

and pain from my church when it came to my sexuality. I expected them to be understanding and

accepting. However, according to my pastor, I am not pure, I am mentally ill, and I need to be

cleansed. When it comes to individuals of the LGBTQ+ community, there are usually three

solutions to this solve this situation: leave the church, confide in the church and face the

consequences, or self-harm. Again, this may seem over-exaggerated, but it is nothing short of

reality. I was lucky to be one of those individuals that were able to leave my church behind in

order to live a better life. Now that this experience remains in the past, I have noticed how people

are shaped by their religion's teachings and views when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community.

These views and their correlations to religious teachings have led me to ask the question: How

does one’s religious upbringing influence one’s views on homosexuality in the United States?

In regards to the relationship between religion and homosexuality, there is a fine line

between acceptance and discrimination. For those that follow a religion, their minds tend to

engage in an endless clash of opinions: their subconscious is telling them one thing while their

2
 2191731

religion is telling them another. When it comes to the views of the world’s religions and those

who follow them, one may say that they are all unaccepting and homophobic. However, people

usually fail to take into account the plasticity of the human mind when it comes to the integration

of ideas. Therefore, in regards to this bold generalization, one must look into the past, observe

the present, and ponder the future in order to fully understand one’s views.

Looking at the various communities in the United States, there are many different

cultures and religions that are practiced within these communities. This is due to the great

amount of diversity and the integration of cultures from the rest of the world. Specifically, in

2017, a study conducted on American Religious Identification states that 48.5% of the American

population is Protestant/Christian, 22.7% is Catholic, 2.1% is Jewish, 0.8% is Muslim, and

21.3% do not identify with a religion (Newport). Therefore, as far as comparing religions, each

one must be addressed and analyzed in order to fully understand the impact of their teachings.

When it specifically comes to homosexuality as a practice and lifestyle, these varying

religions and denominations have specific views that have stayed true to their roots. To begin, it

is crucial to know that Christianity is a broad term that encompasses many other denominations,

including Roman Catholicism, according to the novel The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom

Traditions: “we find the Church divided into three great branches. Roman Catholicism focuses in

the Vatican in Rome and spreads from there” (Smith 346). However, now in the modern times,

Roman Catholicism is referred to as a religion that was created by its divergence from

Christianity. Because of this, one can understand why this misconception between the ideas of a

denomination and a religion exists. Furthermore, since Christianity and Catholicism emerge from

the same roots, both of these denominations maintain strong and similar views on

3
 2191731

homosexuality: “homo-sexual acts are considered extremely grave, a direct offence against the

divine law...homosexual activity is the inversion of nature and order as willed by God”

(“Clarifications on Homosexuality”). Because of the strong emphasis on the Bible as a

foundation, these origins were the beginning of this homophobic stigma that is associated with

these two denominations. However, when it comes to living in the United States, one must

understand that these views cannot be generalized to the entire population. According to

Anthony Brown, a current Catholic youth minister from Pleasant Hill, California, “in

Catholicism, what we teach is that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity no matter

where you stand. This doesn’t change for gay people. But when it comes to marriage and sex, the

church is very strict; it is a sin.” Additionally, Wyatt Lewis, a Christian pastor who relocated to

Concord, California from Illinois, states that “Christians do believe that homosexuality isn't right

and that it is a sin. But at the same time, it doesn't mean that we should look down on them and

think that they are not worthy of being heard.” From the perspectives of these two very different

people, there is a great divide in their views due to not only their locations and influences that

contributed to their upbringings, but how they perceive and interpret their religious teachings.

While focusing more on the smaller yet prevalent population of Judaism and Islam followers in

the United States, their upbringings as a religion are significantly different however, they are still

similar in their views on homosexuality. When referring to Judaism, “in the State of Israel, where

the Orthodox rabbinate dominates the religious life of the Jewish population, homosexuality is

still largely frowned upon and stigmatized as ‘sinful’” (Mendes-Flohr) and in Islam, “same-sex

intercourse is condemned outright under Islamic law, and today, convictions of homosexual

behavior are punishable by death” (Ellens). These are strictly the views of religious scriptures

4
 2191731

and figures like the Bible, the Catholic Church and the Pope, the Torah, and the Quran. However,

once again, these views may vary from person to person depending on their interpretations of

these teachings as well as the religious significance in their lives. Additionally, from atheist and

agnostic views, because of the lack of foundation and guidelines to live by, atheists and agnostic

followers tend to have a similar mindset of “if an individual chooses homosexuality freely and

authentically, in good faith, it is morally valid for him/her” (McCarthy), as stated by the Head of

Religious Studies at Blackheath School. What came as a surprise was that even though there are

set rules that act as the foundation for most of the world’s religions, there is a substantial amount

of divergence regarding individual views. Therefore, when it comes to religious teachings, not

only do people receive a religious perspective on homosexuality, they also begin to incorporate

these teachings into their own personal views thus either creating more liberal or conservative

attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community.

While viewing the progression of the modern world and religion as a whole, there is

somewhat of a tension between these two ideas. This is due to the need for religions to stand by

their traditional teachings and ways. This can be seen in a survey done on Catholic positions on

sexuality: “the Catholic Church issued its first official statement on homosexuality with the

publication of Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics. Homosexuality and

prohibition against it were mentioned alongside issues such as masturbation” (Yip). Despite this,

amongst these conservative churches and groups, a shift in views is occurring within the United

States. For example, one significant difference between Christianity and Catholicism is that

Catholicism was one of the first Christian denominations to become more accepting of the

LGBTQ+ community because they have a more liberal and progressive figure or example to

5
 2191731

follow. This emerged when “Pope Francis brought new attention and relevance to the Catholic

Church...softening his predecessors' hard-line positions on divorce and homosexuality”

(Littlestone-Luria). This level of liberalism and progression in the Catholic Church can also be

seen in some current followers; currently, Brown, the Catholic youth minister from Pleasant Hill,

California, is “in full support of the LGBTQ+ community and their rights” and “fully disagrees

with the church.” Additionally, Brown “personally believes that at the end of the day, everyone

goes to heaven. Everyone is called to love and called to be with the people they are meant to be

with. People go to heaven regardless of their sexual orientation.” However, when it comes to

Christianity and their lack of a progressive figure, most denominations still practice the

traditional teachings of The Bible: “We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but

for...those practicing homosexuality, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that

conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God” (New International Version

Bible, 1 Timothy. 1.8-11). An example of a Christian denomination that follows these traditional

roots is the Southern Baptist Convention: “the Southern Baptist Convention urged its members to

initiate a nationwide campaign to turn gays into ‘straights,’ furthering their belief that

homosexuality is a socially determined condition ("Homosexuality and Religious Institutions").

However, the Southern Baptist Convention is one of the most extreme Christian denominations

to exist in the United States and therefore, must not be used to generalize, for there are countless

other Christian institutions or pastors in the country that have become accepting of the LGBTQ+

community. This acceptance can be seen in Christian pastor Lewis’s statement that “for me

[Lewis], I do believe it is a sin because that is what is written in the Bible. However, it doesn't

mean that Christians have to think that those people are inferior to us...people always do have a

6
 2191731

place in the Church regardless of where they are at in the world.” In regards to Judaism, there are

many denominations within this religion that have varying views on the topic of homosexuality.

These denominations fall under Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism.

Focusing on Orthodox Judaism, these followers worship the traditional teachings of the Torah

thus causing this denomination to be “unambiguously patriarchal” and view “homosexual

intercourse as contrary to the Torah” (Mendes-Flohr). This is an example of the conservation of

traditional teachings due to their success in the past and this being the “correct” way to live in the

eyes of the followers. Looking at Reform Judaism, more progression and acceptance is present

due to their abandonment of Orthodox Judaism and their attempts to modernize with the world.

This causes their teachings to “welcome homosexual men and women into their congregations”

(Mendes-Flohr). In the last branch of Judaism, “Conservative Judaism is gradually adopting a

more open position regarding homosexuality” (Mendes-Flohr) due to North American

influences. The different branches of Judaism are perfect examples of how divergence can occur

in one religion and how many other factors including location and modernization can impact

religious views. When focusing on Islam, there are two major denominations that are widely

followed: Shiism Islam and Sunni Islam. While they do have their differences, they both share

the same view of homosexuality: “Like Sunni Islam, Shiism is opposed to abortion and

homosexuality” (Zamir). In terms of the future, there is hopes for acceptance because both

communities are continuing “to debate questions about the nature and scope of the religious

authority of the jurist” (Zamir) and who gets to formulate these teachings. To connect these

topics back to the question of how religion affects one’s views on homosexuality, as the religion

begins to progress through prominent figures and examples, the teachings become more

7
 2191731

accepting thus inspiring religious followers to adopt these new views. However, if the views stay

traditional, then the followers’ views will also stay traditional. Therefore, when addressing the

impact of modernization and progression in different religions, the actions that the religions take

are heavily reflected on their followers.

Considering the future of religion and homosexuality, there is statistical evidence that

shows the impact of modernization and progression in many religious institutions. For example,

in Roman Catholicism, “According to the Pew Research Center on Religion and Public Life, 70

percent of Catholics believe that homosexuality should be accepted, including 85 percent of

Catholics ages 18 to 29. This acceptance seems to be growing and moving outward” (Lefebvre).

Because of the influence of Pope Francis’s liberal and progressive ideas, the Catholic Church

began to adapt with the modern world. This eventually led to many Catholics to adapt to these

new modern religious teachings thus allowing more acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.

Even though a huge part of the Catholic denomination has changed, it cannot be assumed that the

entire denomination will change with it. This can also be seen in the Catholic youth minister

Brown’s idea that “the church will sadly not become accepting of gay marriage; however,

referring to homosexuality itself, the church acknowledges it and is ‘fine’ with it, but when it

comes to the institution of marriage, I don’t think that that is ever going to change.” When

referring to Christianity as a whole, there is little hope when it comes to the acceptance of the

LGBTQ+ community due to the lack of progressive efforts in the world. Although there may be

many institutions in the United States that are accepting and affirming, most Christian

institutions stick to traditional teachings and their roots. These traditional roots are then

portrayed in the Christian youth pastor Lewis’s answer: “homosexuals don’t have a place in the

8
 2191731

church even if they say that they want to follow Christ and especially if they say that they believe

in the Bible.” The comparison between the Catholic denomination and Christianity is a prime

example of how changes in a religion can influence the views of its followers. Because of the

progressive efforts taken by Pope Francis for Roman Catholicism, followers became more

progressive due to his credibility as a religious figure. On the other hand, the lack of progression

in Christianity causes its followers to keep with their traditional views. However, efforts taken to

advance Christianity towards acceptance should not be ignored. For example, in a biography

about novelist Jack Roger’s journey and his struggles in the Christian community:

Rogers concludes by calling the church to move beyond its stereotypes regarding

homosexuality, its violent rhetoric and exclusion of gay and lesbian Christians from

ordained ministry, and its opposition to the blessing of committed same-sex marriages. In

short, Rogers sounds a prophetic cry with which serious Christians must wrestle as they

seek to discern the leading of God's Spirit in Christ. (Siker)

Although there have been attempts to reassure the Christian community about acceptance, no

significant changes have occurred in terms of affirmation. According to the book, Homosexuality

and American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis, this is not a rare sight in most religions:

“while…the twentieth century had witnessed many changes necessary for the transformation of

attitudes toward homosexuality, these changes were not sufficient for a radical break to

occur…for a shift to occur, the interests opposing change must have been subject to erosion”

(Bayer 7). As a whole, when it comes to acceptance in the future, many believe that full

acceptance is virtually impossible, however, the world will continue to expose followers to

9
 2191731

different situations that will either strengthen or weaken their views of homosexuality. The

power of acceptance lies within the people and not the religion itself.

Religion’s contributions to the human mind in the United States are unquestionably

significant. When addressing religion in the United States, most people are introduced to their

religion through their family and as young children. Because of this early exposure, the church’s

teachings are not only incorporated into their innocent brain’s inner workings but are also given

meaning and importance to. When it comes to a religion’s teachings, as these children grow up,

they begin to understand more about them and interpret them in different ways. Due to the fact

that most religious teachings are against homosexuality, many people are first exposed to

negative views on this topic. This will lead to a prejudice against this community just because

they are different from their life teachings. However, each person is unique and this idea cannot

be generalized to everyone. Depending on the environment one grows up in, their brains are also

exposed to other external factors besides their religion. For example, growing up in a

liberal/conservative environment will implant liberal/conservative ideas into their brain due to its

susceptibility. Because of this, religion should not be the only one to blame for these prejudices

against the LGBTQ+ community even though religion’s teachings have been proven to have a

significant impact on one’s views on homosexuality. With this being said, each person is

significantly different and can choose which ideas are significant to them. Although there may be

a correlation between religion and homophobia, there is no way to fully associate these two ideas

due to the divergence seen in religious followers. In this country, knowing the causes of

homophobia will not only point out the problems of the LGBTQ+ community, but will also

spread awareness in order to advocate for a safer and more equal country in the future.

10
 2191731

Works Cited

Bayer, R. Homosexuality and American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis. Princeton

University Press, 1987.

Brown, Anthony. Youth Minister, B.A in Musical Education. Personal Interview. 7 March 2019.

"Clarifications on Homosexuality in the Bible." Catholic Insight, July-Aug. 2007, p. 36+.

Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A167107165/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=88

e5bab9. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

Ellens, J. Harold. "ISLAM AND HOMOSEXUALITY." Cross Currents, June 2012, p. 282+.

Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A296699253/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=eb

7bd62a. Accessed 19 Apr. 2019.

"Homosexuality and Religious Institutions." American Decades: 2000-2009, edited by Eric

Bargeron and James F. Tidd, Jr., Gale, 2011, pp. 404-406. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX1929800213/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid

=da3b83b7. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

Lefebvre, Elizabeth. "An early spring: The Catholic Church is finding new life in the discussion

of how it treats its LGBT members." U.S. Catholic, Apr. 2018, p. 24+. Student Resources

In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A535619026/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=da

f6c72c. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

11
 2191731

Lewis, Wyatt. B.A in Youth Ministry, M.A in Biblical and Theological Studies. Personal

Interview. 1 March 2019.

Littlestone-Luria, Adam. "How Pope Francis has fundamentally reshaped the Catholic Church."

Washingtonpost.com, 24 Sept. 2017. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A506296484/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=80

56db40. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

McCarthy, Steve. "Homosexuality: issues in sexual ethics are interesting and thought-provoking,

but they often fail to translate into well-crafted essays. Steve McCarthy identifies some

key approaches to the moral questions raised by homosexuality, which offer a basis for a

scholarly approach to this topic." RS Review, vol. 4, no. 3, 2008, p. 6+. Student Resources

In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A177954005/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=fa

acc999. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

Mendes-Flohr, Paul. "Judaism." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, edited by

Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 1: Religions and Denominations, Gale, 2015, pp. 543-576.

Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3602600049/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid

=91435609. Accessed 19 Apr. 2019.

Newport, Frank, “2017 Update on Americans and Religion.” Gallup, 22 Dec. 2017,

https://news.gallup.com/poll/224642/2017-update-americans-religion.aspx. Accessed 19

Apr. 2019.

12
 2191731

Siker, Jeffrey S. "Jesus, The Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church."

Interpretation, vol. 60, no. 4, 2006, p. 472. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A153594882/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=b0

770958. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

Smith, Huston. The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. HarperSanFrancisco,

1999.

The Bible. New International Version, Biblica, 1978.

Yip, Andrew K.T. "Dare to differ: gay and lesbian Catholics' assessment of official Catholic

positions on sexuality." Sociology of Religion, vol. 58, no. 2, 1997, p. 165+. Student

Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A19735840/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=9ca

f5c47. Accessed 4 Mar. 2019.

Zamir, Syed Rizwan. "Islam: Shiism." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, edited by

Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 1: Religions and Denominations, Gale, 2015, pp. 492-503.

Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3602600046/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid

=e8dee50b. Accessed 19 Apr. 2019.

13