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 | Religious conservatives generally regard homosexual behavior by any two persons as profoundly immoral regardless of the nature of their relationship. |
| Religious liberals generally regard any inequality in human rights based on sexual orientation to be profoundly immoral. |
| Groups of religious moderates tend to be split between the conservative and liberal viewpoints. |
Most web sites promote a single viewpoint -- typically that of the webmaster or the sponsoring group. We do not. Rather:
| We explain the six most common viewpoints that people have about the nature of homosexuality. We recommend that you read this series of essays in order to understand the full range of beliefs in North America. | ||||
| As in most of the topics covered in this web site, we compare and
contrast the most common
conservative and liberal viewpoints:
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The two most vocal groups:
These are naturally at the extremes of the conflict:
| Very conservative Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs etc. supported by members of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH): Most of this small professional group prefer to continue the current restrictions against gays, lesbians, bisexuals -- including prohibition of same-sex marriage. Some advocate the restoration of laws which once criminalized same-sex behavior. Most oppose the extension of existing hate-crime laws to include sexual orientation. |
| A number of groups, consisting of most gays, lesbians, bisexuals and their friends and families of origin, religious liberals, mental health professionals and their associations, civil libertarians, human sexuality researchers, etc. They tend to favor equal rights and protections for persons of all sexual orientations, including the right to marry, with special rights for none. |
People love to portray conflicts in terms of two options: the weather is either too cold or too hot; one is either a Democrat or Republican; people are either heterosexual or homosexual, etc. But sometimes, life is not that simple. We have found not two but six major belief systems about homosexuality. Most heterosexuals in North America probably hold one of the four intermediate viewpoints.
| Being heterosexual, most probably feel uncomfortable with the idea of homosexual behavior. |
| They may regard same-sex behavior as intrinsically sinful, no matter what the nature of the relationship. |
| They may respect and love the person even though they reject their behavior. They may believe that God feels that same way. |
| Most adults in the U.S. reject the concept of same-sex marriage; most Canadian adults accept marriage for all loving committed couples -- including same-sex couples -- as a civil right. |
| Many favor allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships with some or all of the traditional benefits of marriage. |
| A large majority would like to see gays, lesbians, and bisexuals -- in fact, persons of all sexual orientations -- protected from abuse, firing, discrimination in accommodation, hate crimes, etc. |
Trends:
A massive gap in beliefs exists between America's youth and elderly. Older teens and young adults, who are not religious conservatives, have generally accepted homosexuality as a normal and natural sexual minority. They are far more likely to have one or more gays or lesbians among their circle of friends. They are much more supportive of sexual minorities than are their parents.
Geographical scope:
The essays in this section relate mainly to the American scene. However, we have included many essays about homosexual rights in Canada, because about 5% of our website's visitors are from that country, and because events in Canada may indicate the direction that U.S. society will take in the future. There are occasional references to countries outside of North America, like Holland and Belgium which were the first jurisdictions to legalize same-sex marriages.
Topics covered in this really big section:
| A brief overview
<<< We recommend that you read this first. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic info about homosexuality and bisexuality:
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| The impact of religion:
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| Same-sex marriage (SSM), civil unions, etc
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| Challenges faced by gays and bisexuals:
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| Homophobia: Attacks against
homosexuals and bisexuals:
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| Gays becoming ex-gays? Reparative
& other therapies:
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| Laws affecting gays and bisexuals
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| The "homosexual agenda,"
including news in the media
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| Essays, sermons, testimonies, comments...
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| Resources
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You can buy the following books on homosexuality from Amazon.com's online bookstore:
Reference:
The following information source was used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlink is not necessarily still active today.
- The "Christians No Longer Gay Living for God" is at http://cnlglfg.com
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Copyright � 1996 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Last updated 2008-JUN-23
Author: Bruce A Robinson
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