Homosexuality takes a different place in the hearts and minds of people from different religions - and often even in the hearts and minds of people from the same religion. Additionally, there might be differences in perceptions depending on the time and place. How people perceived homosexuality 100 years ago has totally changed in virtually all religions and across all geographies.

Below is a table from Religious Landscape Study (2018), on views about homosexuality by different religious groups. As can be seen from the table, Buddhists seem to be the most moderate among all the other participants with 88 %, followed by people who affiliate themselves as “none” stating that they do not consider themselves a member of the any religion listed with 83%. Next to them, Jewish participants, with 81%, were the third moderate group among all. Results reveal that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the least tolerant group.

70% of Catholics and 62% of Orthodox Christians state homosexuality should be accepted, in somewhat sharp contrast to the a mere 36% of Evangelical Protestants.  Almost half (45%) of Muslim participants stated that homosexuality should be accepted, with 47% of the Muslim participants stating that it should be discouraged. With these numbers, Muslims seem not to be so different from other religions, but in countries governed by Islamic rules, these numbers are too optimistic.

Kligerman (2007) in his article "Homosexuality in Islam: A Difficult Paradox," states that “the Qur’an is very explicit in its condemnation of homosexuality, with very few loopholes with which to theologically condone gays in Islam. In the Qur’an, homosexuals are referred to as qaum Lut (Lot’s people), referring to the prophet Lut (known as Lot in the Christian Bible) who preached against homosexuality in the cities of Sodom and Gomorra, which were subsequently destroyed.” However, it has be kept in mind that like in every other religion the interpretation of the religion changes with the new generations. Especially, as a religion being practiced in so many different cultures and therefore countries the way that the believers of Islam interpret it has undergone big changes. Yip (2003) evaluates the situation as “Islam is not monolithic in belief or in practice.” According to Yin (2003), the young generations who believe in Islam, especially the ones who grow up in Western cultures are raised differently from their elders in  their religious orientation and expression. They somehow in cooperate the values of the culture that they grow in with the culture of their origin and homeland which in turn changes their religious identity. As a result Yin (2003) says that, “As Western societies reflect on how to manage relations with Muslim communities in their midst and beyond, rather than further sensationalizing and essentializing Islam, it is the voices of these people that need to be heard much more in all social spheres. Otherwise, the efforts towards mutual understanding currently being made by Muslim and non-Muslim communities will be undermined.”

Christianity has its own complicated views on homosexuality. Much like people who believe and practice in Islam, the believers of Christianity also differ on their interpretation of homosexuality. Jimmy Creech, a former United Methodist pastor for nearly 30 years, answers the questions about what the Bible say about homosexuality. It is a known fact that this is a controversial subject in all religions, and Christianity and the church seem to be separated on that subject too. According to Creech, it is wrong to say homosexuality is forbidden in Bible, because “this is poor biblical scholarship and a cultural bias read into the Bible” he says. To him, the Bible cannot say anything about homosexuality because the term “homosexuality” was only coined towards the end of 19th century; there was no word in Hebrew that corresponded it. The writers of the Bible neither had the understanding nor the language to talk about it in the holly book. This is true for Qur’an as well. Some say that the Qur’an could not condemn a class of people that were not even known to exist. To sum up, as a concept, homosexuality is relatively recent, even if there is plenty of evidence for homoerotic pleasure in the past – albeit illicit in religious terms (Van der Krogt, 2018).

Van der Krogt (2018) states that for Muslims generally, as for conservative Christians, homosexual acts are sinful. It is difficult to be openly gay or lesbian in predominantly Islamic countries, but in the West, there are even (a few) gay imams. Yet, despite that teaching, Muslims in some countries have indicated support for LGBT rights. Just over 40 percent of U.S. Muslims said they supported same-sex marriage last year, in a survey by the Washington-based Public Religion Research Institute.

The ones who cannot declare themselves or cannot come out openly in the society that they live in find different solutions for themselves. Duran (1993) states that because Islam outlaws homosexuality, the number of the self-proclaimed gays in Muslim societies remains low. However, this does not change the fact that there are Muslims who engage in same-sex sexual acts. Duran (1993) summarizes the situation as “Upholding the appearance of family is of the utmost importance, and so long as one maintains the image of a good father and husband (complete with a wife—or wives—and children), many Muslims do not concern themselves with what goes on behind others’ closed doors. This has led Muslim homosexual men to marry heterosexual Muslim women to adhere to the appearance of social norms, actions that are cited by Western human rights groups as a human rights abuse”.

To sum up, more than what is said in the holy books, it is the people’s interpretation of the holy books that shape the understanding of a community about a particular concept. For Muslims generally, as for conservative Christians, homosexual acts are sinful. It is difficult to be openly gay or lesbian in any predominantly Islamic countries or in conservative Christian communities. Ultimately, the names of religions might change, but the perspectives of the people who react either by rejecting or by accepting homosexuality are independent from this - in almost all religions, be it Islam or Christianity or other, it is not the religion but the people who interpret that specific religion reacting to it.

When discussing religion in class, it is imperative to be respectful towards your students and to ensure that they are being asked to take part in conversations or activities that might be seen to disrespect their beliefs.  

With that in mind, a constructive way to engage students on this topic is to ask them to do their own research.  This way you give them the space and cover to consider questions and views that might feel alien or uncomfortable.  For example, assign your students a random faith or religion and ask them to find information on the following: 

Lucy Knight: Being a gay Christian can be hurtful and gruelling. But I refuse to lose faith.  

This article has won the 2019 Hugo Young Award, which champions political opinion writing among UK postgraduate journalism students. It was published in The Guardian on 21 March 2019 and can be read in full here.  

Extract: "I was at a comedy show in Soho recently, when my slightly too loud cackle attracted attention from the comedian. One thing led to another, and I ended up being teased affably about my love life as the audience laughed on.  Once my excitement about having spoken to one of my favourite comedians – Mae Martin, if you’re curious – had died down, I realised something pretty significant had happened. I had said, “I have a girlfriend” in front of a room full of people without even thinking about it."

• Living Out: Can you be gay and Christian? Is it a sin to be gay? How do you live life without sex? How do I support my same-sex attracted Christian friend/family member? We are a group of Christians who experience same-sex attraction bringing out into the open the questions and dilemmas that gay Christians can often face.
• Institute for Welcoming Resources: Denominational representatives of the Welcoming Church Movement created IWR in November 2002. The purpose of this ecumenical group is to provide the resources to facilitate a paradigm shift in multiple denominations whereby churches become welcoming and affirming of all congregants regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. IWR wants to help build church homes that are truly welcoming and nurturing, where everyone knows “they're okay, just like they are.”
• Human Rights Campaign: Faith Resources on LGBT and religion.