Homosexuality and Religion

Religious views on homosexuality vary dramatically with the time and place, as well as with the specific faith in question. To obtain the most up to date research on religious views of homosexuality, have the writers at Paper Masters custom write research on any religion you need. The paper will explain the religion's view of homosexuality and what its stance is on the gay people in general.

In recent years, the relationship between religion and homosexuality is trending towards greater tolerance and acceptance, though there are still many belief systems that view same-sex relationships as morally wrong. This negative perception can manifest in a variety of ways, from the belief that homosexual action, and not homosexuality as a state of being, is morally objectionable, to direct and punitive action taken against those who engage in same-sex relationships, up to and including execution.

• Judaism has a mixed perception of same-sex relationships;
  • Orthodox sects object to it
  • Conservative groups accept homosexuals into their congregations but oppose same-sex relations,
  • Reformed belief systems place homosexual relationships on the same level as their heterosexual counterparts.
• Traditional Christian denominations, such as Roman Catholicism, the Baptist church, and Jehovah's Witnesses believe homosexual acts to be sinful but are welcoming of homosexual individuals.
• Other, more liberal branches, do not view homosexual relationships as sinful, provided they are monogamous; these include the United Church of Christ and the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches.
• The Islamic faith does not condone homosexuality in any form.

Eastern faiths are more complex, as their perception of gender and sexuality is more complex. Hindus, for example, believe in a third gender, which complicates the matter as a whole. Because sexuality and sexual relations are not commonly discussed topics in Hindu society, the various branches of the faith do not have a unified opinion on the subject of homosexuality. Buddhists strive for attainment of the Five Precepts and the Eightfold Path, part of which is ending one's attachment to and desire for sensual pleasure, whether heterosexual or homosexual in nature.