Menu Policies of 47 Christian
faith
groups towards homosexuality
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Notice:With the legalization of gay marriage in mid-2015, the response of many Christian denominations has been so rapid that we have been unable to keep the essays linked to this essay up to date.
Overview:Most Christian denominations, sects, and new religious movement have stated policies towards gays and lesbians:  |
Whether to allow known, sexually active homosexuals to:
 |
become and remain church members with full
privileges. |
|
be considered for ordination |
|
hold other positions of
power.
|
| |
Whether to allow known celibate homosexuals to:
|
become and remain church members with full
privileges. |
|
be considered for ordination |
|
hold other positions of
power.
|
| | Whether to provide a formal religious ceremony for committed gay and lesbian
couples. These are variously called union, civil union, commitment, or -- in a growing number of states -- marriage
ceremonies, depending upon the laws of the individual state.
| |
Whether to have an active study program to reduce homophobia within the denomination. |
There is no consensus within Christianity about:
The core reason for this lack of consensus is related to how an individual faith group defines truth. The main criteria are:
- What the six or so "clobber passages" about same-sex sexual behavior mean, according to historical interpretations.
- The policy that the faith group has taken towards homosexuality and homosexuals in the past.
- The individual members' personal experience.
- The findings of scientific research into homosexuality.
Conservative faith groups like the Roman Catholic Church, and Southern Baptist Convention tend to give criteria 1 & 2 much more weight than 3 & 4. Religious liberals and progressive Christians tend to stress 3 & 4 in comparison to 1 & 2. The response of Christian faith groups to homosexuality thus cover a wide range. An individual faith group's stance,
can be predicted, based on upon their position in the liberal - fundamentalist continuum:
-
More liberal denominations and Christians tend to view homosexuality as a
civil rights matter; they generally believe it is fixed, unchosen, normal,
natural, and morally neutral sexual orientation for a minority of
adults.
-
More conservative denominations and Christians tend to view
homosexuality as a profound evil; they generally believe it is changeable,
chosen, abnormal, unnatural and immoral behavior, regardless of the
nature of the relationship.
Thus:
-
The more
liberal denominations, like the United Church of Christ, have changing their positions on homosexuality, in recent years, to adopt a more
inclusive stance.
-
Mainline denominations such as the Methodists, Presbyterians and
Episcopalians are actively debating the question. Denominational schisms
may result., particularly in the case of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and
Episcopal Church. USA. Similar splits have
occurred in the past over human slavery, whether women should be ordained, and certain theological debates.
- More conservative denominations are taking no significant action to
change their beliefs and policies at
this time.
-
Fundamentalist denominations commit significant effort to prevent equal rights for homosexuals. For example, they:
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Opposed hate-crime laws that protect persons of all sexual orientation,
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Opposed laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation,
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Opposed the elimination of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
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Occasionally expel congregations from their denominations over "the issue." In the case of the Southern Baptist Convention three
of their
congregations were expelled. The latter had conducted a study of homosexuality, had concluded
that the denomination's beliefs were invalid, and had welcomed gays and
lesbians as members.
All movement appears to be towards greater inclusiveness towards
homosexuality and homosexuals. This is reinforced by the more accepting
stance of today's youth. We are unaware of any religious groups becoming
less inclusive.
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Partial list of churches and their position on homosexuality:
As we uncover statements about homosexuality by various Christian
denominations, we include them in a new essay and link it to the following list.
Over time, we hope to add to this list so that it represents all of the large
Christian denominations, and some smaller ones. We encourage our visitors to
help us add to this list by supplying us with information from their own
denominations. We currently have essays available about homosexual policies and beliefs by the following denominations. : * The Unitarian Universalist Association is not generally considered a
Christian denomination. We have included it here because about 10% of its
members consider themselves to be Christian.
Related essay on this web site:
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Copyright © 1996 to 2014 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Latest update: 2014-JUN-23
Author: B.A. Robinson
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