Christianity isn’t the only religion comprised of a few predominately LGBT congregations.  There are Many choices for other faiths, including synagogues, buddhist fellowships and others.

By: Brodie Foster Hubbard

The straight world’s view of the LGBT community has had no greater influence than religion.

There are varying opinions even within the three Abrahamic religions. The Torah speaks of the destruction of the cities of Sedom and Amorrah, known in the Bible and the Qur’an as Sodom and Gomorrah, with arguments coming from each of those religions interpreting the destruction as punishment for same-sex orgies.

Midrashic literature, made up of expanded interpretations of texts as explained by ancient rabbis, attributes the wiping out of humanity by Noah’s flood as caused, in part, by samesex marriages of that time. But while Orthodox Judaism sees homosexuality as forbidden, and Conservative Judaism still wrestles with the issue, Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism has welcomed gays and even gay clergy into synagogues.

Both ancient and modern Islam has been clear in prohibiting homosexuality, declaring it worthy of punishment by death. There has been a history of Homosexuals in Islamic culture, some seeing tops as being less reprehensible than bottoms, and those with power and wealth were better able to engage in activities with young boys and even women dressed as men, collected by the eunuchs in their court. There is a gay movement within the Muslim community, though it operates very discreetly, especially since the 2001 fatwa declared on the Al-Fatiha Foundation, a Muslim LGBT organization.

SAME SEX SAMURAI

Other Eastern religions appear just as opposed to homosexuality, despite its undeniable presence in Eastern culture. There were bisexual Chinese emperors and, much like in the history of Islamic culture, homoerotic Chinese literature. However, traditional Chinese religions, from Confucianism to Taoism, see same-sex relationships as an obstacle to both procreation and the concept of male-female balance, valued as more important. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Tibet. Buddhist monks are prohibited from any sex, and the third of five precepts of Buddhism, which discusses sexual “misconduct,” is sometimes interpreted as prohibiting homosexual acts. Buddhist texts recognize four genders, the additional two called “ubhatovyanjanaka” and “pandaka,” members of which are prohibited from Buddhist practices and ordination. These two groups are interpreted by some as representing the LGBT community.

Yet Japanese Buddhism is very permissive of homosexuality, even historically within monasteries. Shinto monasteries also housed homosexual relationships, and Shinto has no edict against homosexuality. Samurai under the Tokugawa shogunate also enjoyed relationships with young men, much like the Spartan warriors, within a system known in the Edo period as “shudo.” However, modern day Japan, where there is still not same-sex marriage, has sometaboos about homosexuality, with gays and lesbians staying in the closet and entering marriages with the opposite sex.

Hindu is a complex and diverse religion with many deities, denominations, and texts. There are “third-gender” sects, including the Hijira, comprised of homosexual prostitutes and transgender people. There are portrayals of homosexual acts in sculptures at medieval temples, gay men referred to as “kumbhika” and “asekya” in the Sushruta Samhita, and lesbians referred to as “svairini” in the Kama Sutra. Of course, even with gods that change gender and pairings of gods in same-sex couples, there are also Hindu texts that assign punishments for homosexual behavior, and contemporary swamis against same-sex marriage. Sexuality is not as open a topic in India as in American dialogue, though much like in the U.S., there is still a debate over LGBT rights within India with progressive activists on one side and religious fundamentalists on the other.

The Baha’i Faith, Sikhism, and Jainism are open to gays and lesbians, but not to their homosexuality or, for that matter, any lust or extramarital sex, though matching the “hate the sin, not the sinner” call of many modern day Christians.

SILENT SCIENTOLOGY

Scientology prefers to remain silent on the issue these days, especially regarding rumors about certain celebrities involved in the church being closeted. Before later declaring that he had no interest in dictating rules about sexuality, L. Ron Hubbard, whose son Quentin was gay and committed suicide in 1976, had written at length about homosexuality being a “perversion.” The Church of Scientology in San Diego made donations to the campaign for Proposition 8. There are, however, openly gay Scientologists working within the church to improve relations between the church and the LGBT community.

Despite their own history of other definitions for marriage besides “one man, one woman,” and their policy of welcoming gays and lesbians into their congregation, The Church of Latter- Day Saints discourages homosexual acts and was one of the largest groups of donors and biggest campaigners for Prop 8. Mormonism sees homosexual feelings as a temptation to be resisted and overcome, and has included proponents for conversion therapy, but the church discourages the strategy of gays and lesbians entering mixed-orientation marriages with heterosexual members of the opposite sex.

The other big player for Prop 8 was the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization. Whether Catholic or Protestant, affiliated or non-denominational, it is Christianity that has shaped views of homosexuality in the U.S. the most, from gaybashing straights to self-hating gays.

“GOD HATES FAGS”

Christian leaders have condemned homosexuality as far back as ancient Greece and the era of the Roman Empire, when citizens were involved in same-sex relations with slaves and pederastic relationships that were understood to be separate and apart from what was expected in heterosexual marriages. Like in Islam, submissive acts and gay sex between citizens were looked down upon. Christian emperors, just like today’s televangelists, were known to blame diseases and natural disasters on homosexuality, and Christian writers denounced homosexuality as worse than murder. Through the Middle Ages and the Protestant Reformation, Christian leaders eased up on homosexuality a little – by then, they thought bestiality was maybe at least a little worse.

In modern mainstream Christianity, especially in America, the conversation has become much more complicated, with liberal theologians and gay and lesbian ministers citing a gospel of love, tolerance, and inclusion, and progressive denominations and progressive movements within historically conservative denominations working to shift the paradigm. For many believers, the Westboro Baptist Church and its “God Hates Fags” message is an embarrassing, extremist anomaly, no more representative of their views on sexuality than the Ku Klux Klan is representative of their views on race. But Christianity has by no means embraced homosexuality across the board. There is still a discussion whether or not to welcome the gay community into congregations, and then from there, whether or not to condemn their orientation. Some Christians aren’t sure whether it’s homosexual lust, or homosexual love and same- sex relationships altogether, that are immoral. Some have even offered services attempting to train homosexuals away from same-sex attraction into becoming heterosexual, although the practice is on the decline.

DIFFERENT BIBLE INTERPRETATIONS

While Catholicism has maintained their stance that homosexuality is a “disorder,” there are Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches, much like Anglican and Christian Reformed churches in Europe, still debating a spectrum of opinions. Some forgive homosexual desire as long as it’s not acted upon, some regard active homosexuality as incompatible with Christian living, some accept it as totally natural, and some are still considering whether or not non-celibate or even celibate homosexuals can serve as clergy.

The debate hinges on different interpretations of bible verses, particularly Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, and Leviticus 18 and 20. Yet there are events in biblical narratives, such as the relationships between Ruth and Naomi and between David and Jonathan, which are interpreted by some as endorsement of gay and lesbian relationships. Some interpret verses seemingly against homosexuality as being specific to a historical and geographical context, with the Greek words “arsenokoitai” and “malaokois” that have been translated to “homosexual” perhaps actually referring only to male prostitutes and their customers. They also point out that the same Bible cited as against homosexuality also requires a childless widow to attempt procreation with all her dead husband’s brothers until a child is conceived, so maybe it’s time to understand “God’s word” in a new light.

UNITARIANS FOR AFFIRMATION

There were scattered gay-affirming Christian movements across the country as far back as 1946, when Archbishop George Hyde of the Eucharistic Catholic Church held a mass for gay men in Atlanta. The Episcopalian Church has spoken out in support of gay and lesbian civil rights since the seventies.

The nineties and early aughts saw disagreement within the denomination, but over the last five years, they have recognized gays and lesbians as equal members of the congregation and worthy of ordainment. The Unitarians came out for affirmation of the LGBT community even earlier, ordaining gays and lesbians as early as 1984 and advocating same-sex marriage since 1996. There are a number of Christian ministries across the country geared specifically for the LGBT community, embracing their sexuality and being led by gay and lesbian pastors and priests. The biggest LGBT church is the Cathedral of Hope, a United Church of Christ congregation in Dallas, Texas, started in 1970.

Christianity isn’t the only religion comprised of a few predominately LGBT congregations. There are many choices for other faiths, including the Beth Chayim Chadashim synagogue formed in Los Angeles in 1972 for the gay and lesbian Jewish community, and the Gay Buddhist Fellowship in San Francisco, which holds an annual retreat now in its 20th year.

SPIRITUAL, NOT RELIGIOUS

For those not afraid to be criticized as dabbling in the dark arts, there is Wicca and other pagan religions that are very welcoming of the LGBT community, an LGBT history in Haitian Voodoo, and acceptance by the Church of Satan, which is open to anything as long as it is between consenting human adults.

For those who consider themselves “spiritual, not religious,” there are numerous gurus and temples that don’t adhere to any organized religion, and that welcome gays and lesbians. And for those ready to ditch theism altogether, there are numerous support groups for gay atheists, non-theists, agnostics, and secular humanists.

Religious tolerance has been held up as just as important an ideal as anti-racism and feminism, but homophobes have hid behind religion and even claimed that acknowledging LGBT equality is somehow bigotry towards the religious. Gays and lesbians with religious leanings, and increasingly more of their straight allies, regard such ideas as blasphemous. While some of us are perfectly happy, ethical, and moral people without religion, there are also people who feel a deep connection to something greater than themselves. Though there is a long history of persecution and bloodshed over religion, we now live in a time where gays and lesbians can practice their faith, whatever it may be, without denying who they are or how they believe their god made them.