An interesting article about gays and religion

http://www.365gay.com/news/are-gay-churchgoers-more-devout-more-active/

A report on PoliticsDaily.com suggests that gay and lesbians may be more spiritually active than is publicly perceived.

The survey indicates that not only do a majority of gay and lesbian Americans consider themselves Christian, but the pollster’s anecdotal findings suggest that gays and lesbians who actively attend church may be more invested and committed participants in their church than their straight counterparts.

The article on PoliticsDaily.com states: “A new surveyof 9,000 gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans from George Barna, a well-known evangelical pollster, showed that 70 percent of gay adults describe themselves as Christian and 60 percent say their faith is ‘very important’ in their lives. Granted, those figures are lower than the population as a whole, which register 85 and 70 percent on those rankings, respectively. But Barna, himself a Bible-believing, born-again Christian, points out that the numbers demonstrate that ‘popular stereotypes about the spiritual life of gays and lesbians are simply wrong.’”

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I think this is quite interesting. I would have thought gays were more significantly less religious than we apparently are. The involvement part of the study doesn't surprise me though.

I wonder how many are catholic? I mean the catholic churches stance on gays has been well......horrid. Hypocrites! The clergy has its fair share of homosexuals and yet condemns them at the same time.

I would imagine less so, probably more towards the Protestant sect like the United Church of Christ, as well as more independent minded churches like the Metropolitan Community Church. There are also plenty of more reformed minded synagogues throughout the country. But Catholic, I don't think so (at least not most of the time). I was raised a practicing Catholic until I reached the age of you know...reason. If I ever became religious again at all, I certainly wouldn't go Catholic. People forget that apparent majority of Christendom in this country may harbor ill will (or at least great misunderstanding) toward gays, they based that solely on man made beliefs. As far as I know, God loves all her children, or so they say. If a gay man or woman, with their partner, their family, or by themselves can find happiness in an accepting church that welcomes them with open arms, than more power to them I say. Me, I'm find with my relatively agnostic beliefs, and an appreciation for the great mystery of life and the cosmos etc for the time being.

>>>>>In greater details the report notes: “‘One reason homosexuals are drawn to the church is that many of these people have been wounded themselves, so they know what it’s like to feel broken, and they want to help others in whatever way they are hurting,’ said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author, who knows many gays and lesbians who work in ministry despite the fact that they cannot openly identify as homosexual.>>>>>>>

More paradox than paradigm, I'm thinking.

Any given poll about religion taken among DUers will show a strong anti-religious slant, yet Americans in general don't seem to share that sentiment. Your friends and co-workers are probably a much better indicator of where America really stands today than what you read here.

DU pretty much just reinforces my personal prejudices.

DU tends to turn hostile on anyone who doesn't conform to the beliefs of the vast majority here, and thus those people eventually leave.

Which is sad in a way, because it kills diversity and turns the place into an echo chamber.

I have noticed this disturbing trend on our side of the isle for some time. I disagree with the tea baggers for example (on just about everything) but I am appalled at the Democrat party and media treatment of them. We must remain vigilant to be truly diverse.

Please elaborate...

I should have clarified, although the tea bag crowd is a bag of mixed nuts if you ask me, the media in general (and I hate generalizations) treated the whole affair as though everyone there was a nazi/klan member who hated Obama because of his race. I am sure that those types were amognst them but it was a dishonest bit of reporting. The democrat party did not distance itself from these types of allegations and in fact in many cases prompted it. Don't get me wrong these minor complaints pale in comparison to the republicans and fox news. We just cant expect to criticize them if we do the same.

would embrace a belief system(religion) whose teachings claim gays are worthy of death( see Leviticus) . even worse is when these same christian gays have the fucking audacity to whine because *I* find this belief system extremely offensive. :crazy:

Seems to me like the spiritual equivalent of being a Log Cabin Rethug.

goes through the excruciating trouble of finding an accepting church (not many out there) he or she must really, really want to be a member, hence the involvment once he/she joins.

I would have believed that most homosexuals would have gotten religion out of their lives.

Assuming you understand that not everyone of a sexual orientation is the same as everyone else. But that may be an assumption on my part

any religious organization that views same-sex sex as a sin for which you will be condemned to an eternity of unspeakable pain and suffering? Not to mention an organization such as the Catholic Church that devotes huge amounts of money and resources toward keeping us second-class citizens. That's a strange and twisted kind of spirituality imo.

But the vast majority of Christian churches do view gay sex as a sin although I think many of them cut you some slack if you are gay but celibate. And again, there is the anti-gay politial activism that so many churches engage in and which gay memebers support with their presence in the pews and their financial contributions.

It seems to me that rational Christian gays would be filling the MCC and the UCC to overflowing while leaving the rest in droves. But I'm not a Christian nor did I grow up in a Christian tradition so this is purely an outsider's view.

But as I stated in post #15, that is from a insiders view.

>>>It seems to me that rational Christian gays would be filling the MCC and the UCC to overflowing >>>

Not to bash religion ; that gets a little redundant around here. But religion operates outside of " rational" parameters by definition.

I had an exchange recently with a good friend ( highly educated, and religious in the 'liberal protestant' sense). The conversation touched on rational and irrational as it relates to religion and I referred to the Jefferson Bible ( and how TJ had gone through the new testament eliminating all references to the supernatural so he could reconstruct the life of JC, the historical figure and could try to extract the core of JC's ethical teaching from the mystical muck.).

She not only had never heard of the Jefferson Bible, she thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard of. Literally doubled over in laughter. What amused her was that Jefferson would undertake such a ( to her )silly project.

Point: to religionists ( most of them anyway) "rational" is not the issue. They don't do religion 'cause it's rational; quite the opposite. Its *irrationality* is the attraction.

Aslo the MCC in Fort Lauderdale has 4 morning services and two evening services. You also usually see the same faces. At least from my experience.

I get the MCC thing already. And the UCC too. But what about the ones who belong to churches other than the MCC? THOSE are the ones I'm having trouble figuring out.

And still attend with my mother on occasion. Grant you not all are accepting but the majority make me feel right at home. And lets not forget the gay episcopal bishop, grant you some of the Churches in that denomination split but hey nothing is perfect. And I might also mention the Unitarians. Times are a changing and as people learn the Bible is NOT literal but spiritual, makes my faith even stronger.

P.S. There are numerous other congregations that are just as friendly. Don't let a few taint the good of the many.

Go in peace my friend.

or whatever the appropriate response is. See you on the barricades.

I don't have that strong of a belief in a particular religion to stay in one that would be so negative towards me, but others feel differently. I don't understand it either.

an excellent blog entry by Andrew Brown, their very fine religion writer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2009/aug/14/religion-gay-rights-evangelicals