Queer Theology
The Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – have historically condemned same-sex sexual relationships (O’Brien 2004). As a consequence, individuals who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual have had to confront a seeming contradiction: that they could not be queer and a “good” adherent to their faith. Individuals who have struggled to resolve this apparent conflict have reported experiencing feelings of loss, loneliness, and pain (O’Brien 2004). This predicament suggests three possible courses of action: to retain one’s identity as queer but abandon one’s faith and embrace a secular perspective, to accept one’s traditional religious teachings relating to homosexuality and struggle to remain celibate or to “convert” to heterosexuality, or to retain both a queer identity and a religious identity. In discussing Christianity specifically, O’Brien (2004) noted that abandoning one’s faith could lead to a loss of meaning and purpose, but adherence to its...
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Loue, S. (2020). Queer Theology. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_200102
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