Homosexuality and Religion: An Encyclopedia PDF
Preview Homosexuality and Religion: An Encyclopedia
Homosexuality and Religion Homosexuality and Religion A N E N C Y C L O P E D I A Editedby JEFFREY S. SIKER GREENWOODPRESS (cid:2) Westport,Connecticut London LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Homosexualityandreligion:anencyclopedia/editedbyJeffreyS.Siker. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN0–313–33088–3(alk.paper) 1.Homosexuality—Religiousaspects—Encyclopedias. I.Siker,JeffreyS. BL65.H64H63 2007 200.86(cid:2)64–dc22 2006026203 BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable. Copyright©2007byJeffreyS.Siker Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher. LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2006026203 ISBN:0–313–33088–3 Firstpublishedin2007 GreenwoodPress,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881 AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc. www.greenwood.com PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xi SECTION1 HOMOSEXUALITYANDRELIGION:SYNTHETICESSAYS Homosexuality, Religion,andtheLaw 3 Homosexuality, Religion, andtheSocialSciences 19 Homosexuality, Religion, andtheBiologicalSciences 26 Homosexuality andSpirituality 32 SECTION2 THEENCYCLOPEDIA Affirmation: GayandLesbianMormons 47 African AmericanChurchTraditions 48 AfricanTraditionalReligion 50 AIDSandHIV 52 American BaptistChurchesUSA 56 AnglicanChurchofCanada 58 CONTENTS Asian andAsianAmerican Churches 59 AssembliesofGod 62 Baha´’´ıFaith 63 TheBible 64 Bisexuality 71 Bisexuality andRitual 74 Buddhism 75 Christian Science 80 TheChurchofEngland 88 TheChurchofScientology 90 Clergy andOrdination 92 CLOUT 94 ComingOut 95 Commitment Ceremonies 99 DignityUSA 102 DisciplesofChrist 103 EasternOrthodoxChristianity 105 TheEpiscopalChurch 107 EvangelicalChristianity 112 TheEvangelicalLutheranChurchinAmerica 117 Ex-GayMinistries 119 ExodusInternational 121 GLBTQ 123 vi CONTENTS Hinduism 125 Islam 128 Jainism 133 Jehovah’sWitnesses 136 Jesus 136 Judaism 138 Latin@ChurchTraditions 145 Marriage 146 TheMennoniteChurch 149 MetropolitanCommunity Churches 155 Mormonism 159 NationalAssociation ofCatholicDiocesanLesbian andGayMinistries 162 Native American Peoples 164 Natural Law 166 Paul,theApostle 172 PresbyterianChurch(USA) 173 Protestantism 176 QuakerTradition 180 QueerBiblicalInterpretation 184 QueerTheology 188 RestorationChurchofJesusChrist 190 TheRomanCatholicTradition 191 vii CONTENTS Seventh-dayAdventists 200 Sikhism 203 SouthernBaptistConvention 207 Taoism 209 UnitarianUniversalism 210 TheUnited ChurchofCanada 213 TheUnited ChurchofChrist 215 TheUnited MethodistChurch 219 WelcomingandAffirmingFaithCommunities 225 TheWorld CouncilofChurches 227 SECTION3 BIBLIOGRAPHY FurtherReadings 233 WebSites 249 Contributors 252 Index 255 viii Preface Jeffrey S. Siker If the three traditional taboos for polite conversation include sex, politics, and religion, then the topic of homosexuality and religion is guaranteed to provoke strong reactions, polarizing rhetoric, and a series of conflicting claims that draw variously upon peoples’ experience,sacredtexts,establishedtraditions,andhumanreason.Thepublicandprivate debatesoverhomosexualityhavegrownsoheatedinrecentyearsthatsomereligiousgroups havedeclaredamoratoriumonevendiscussingthetopic,inordertoletthingscooldown abit.Othershavethrownuptheirhandsinutterfrustrationattheseemingimpossibility of moving the discussion anywhere beyond a rigid impasse. This has led some Christian denominations to have serious discussions about simply dividing over the question of whether or not to include individuals committed to same-sex relationships (e.g., the Presbyterian Church USA,theUnited Methodist Church,andtheEpiscopal Church USA).Whilesomehavearguedthatthefightoverinclusionofgay,lesbian,bisexual,and transgenderpeopleisjustlikepriorfightsoverthestatusofAfricanAmericansandwomen inreligionandsociety,othersarguethatthecomparisonisfundamentallydifferent,and thattheissueisdifferent.Further,somereligioustraditionshavelongexpressedacertain opennesstowardsame-sexrelations(e.g.,NativeAmericanSpirituality,Hinduism),while otherreligioustraditionshaveapparentlyalwaysviewedsame-sexrelationsasutterlysinful and against the will of God, especially in the Christian world (e.g., Southern Baptists, officialstatementsoftheRomanCatholicChurch). Onthepoliticalscenethesituationismuchthesame,particularlyintheUnitedStates. OntheonehandthepopulaceelectsaveryconservativePresidentwhomakesnoapologies about his intention to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages in ordertoprotectthesanctityofheterosexualmarriages.Butontheotherhandthissame populacethrivesonpopularculturethatoftentreatsgayandlesbianpeopleasthelatest “cool”thingtocomealong.SuchtelevisionshowsasQueerEyefortheStraightGuy,The EllenDeGeneresShow,orQueerasFolkglamorizegayandlesbianindividualsasacceptably differentandmoreentertainingthantraditionalheterosexualrelationalmodels. Thus, Western culture in particular is deeply divided over how to understand and to assess the status of people whose sexual orientation or gender identity is other than the heterosexualtraditionalnorm.Theroleofreligioninthisdivideisimpossibletoexaggerate. Byandlargemostreligiousorganizationsopposesame-sexrelationsbecausetheyviolate traditional understandings of scripture and centuries of teaching. Still, within virtually
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