Interesting new blog

Queer Interfaith blog

http://queerinterfaithcommunity.org/

Queering Sacred Texts

Particularly for the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, sacred scriptures play a central role in the discourse about queer rights and the place of LGBTQ individuals in synagogues, churches and mosques.  An ‘understanding’ of what the sacred scriptures ‘say’ about LGBTQ individuals is a central part of the way that religious communities address these issues.  Scholars tell us that prior to the nineteenth century the category of ‘homosexual’ did not exist.  The concepts of ‘gay and lesbian’ were created in the mid-twentieth century and the positive use of term ‘queer’ is from the last decade of the twentieth century.  Obviously none of these terms existed in the sacred scriptures of Judaism, Christianity or Islam nor at the time that they were written, edited and compiled.  The types of relationships or styles of life that these terms refer to in the twenty first century did not exist millennia ago.  That said, the way that queer individuals are treated today by people of faith and religious institutions often relies upon our understanding and interpretation of a few scattered texts in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, or the Koran. Whether it is arguing against employment nondiscrimination laws, marriage equality, or laws that would penalize the bullying of queer youth, conservative politicians and individuals rely on faulty understandings of these texts to justify their actions.  History shows us that sacred scriptures have long been used to justify social injustice. A few examples include slavery, the repression of women, and laws that outlawed inter-racial marriage in the United States and supported apartheid in South Africa.

 

Today there are a number of monographs that offer new interpretations of sacred scripture that respond to the needs of LGBTQ people of faith.  In this post I will look at only a few of the texts available from the Christian tradition. There are Jewish, Islamic, and other faith traditions that offer similar materials but work in this area has been most prominent within Christianity.  In the first chapter of Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology, Patrick Cheng looks at ‘queer scripture’ within the Christian tradition and reviews the major writers in this area over the past half century.  Some notable examples are Nancy Wilson (Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible), Daniel Helminiak, (What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality) and L. William Countryman (Dirt, Greed and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their Implications for Today). Cheng’s book details the contributions made by these authors and a number of others to queering the Christian scriptures.

 

God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality by Jay Michaelson is popular in Unitarian Universalist circles. In his book, Michaelson looks at the bible from two perspectives. The first section of the book looks at scriptural verses that emphasize compassion, love, and fairness. The second portion looks critically at the queer "texts of terror" and adopts queer affirming interpretations, and critiques conservative Christian readings of these texts that are used to marginalized and condemn LGBTQ individuals and devalue their lives and relationships. Looking at the adaption of religion to new understandings of sexuality, Michaelson writes: “Religion lives when it grows, when it is able to maintain its core values while adapting to new facts and understandings. We should welcome this new understanding of sexual diversity, which is a natural part of God’s creation, found in every culture around the world and in hundreds of animal species as well. We are able to encompass more truth in our religious teachings than our ancestors were. Yes, this new scientific information is challenging…But this challenge makes our spirituality stronger, not weaker” (p. xx).  Overall, Michaelson argues for progressive religious support of LGBTQ equality on the basis of biblical values and ethics informed by contemporary scientific understandings of sexuality.

 

Given the central importance of sacred scriptures to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, religious communities that are hospitable to LGBTQ folks need to address the issue of what the scriptures have to say in relationship to the lives and struggles of queer individuals around the globe.  In addition, if these religious traditions want to reject the identification of their faiths with violence, injustice and oppression of LGBTQ folks, the queer "texts of terror" and the misuse of sacred scriptures need to be addressed by religious communities directly. 

That's Blasphemy!

Many scholars working in queer studies and religion look at the interpretation of sacred scriptures and how traditional conservative understandings of scripture marginalize LGBTQ individuals and at times lead to discrimination and violence against individuals who do not conform to  hetero-normativity. But there is also an entire sphere of visual representations---photographs, paintings, sculpture, and illustrations---that are very important in understanding religious ideals and values. Visual representations often also play a significant  role in personal devotion and spiritual  practice.

Citing legal scholar Leonard Levy, Plate discusses the functioning of blasphemy to maintain morality and social cohesion. He writes: “Blasphemy and the accusation of blasphemy, is a culturally symbolic marker that helps defines societies and religious traditions, as well as provide identities for people in terms of gender, race, class, and sexuality. Some seemingly blasphemous images are ignored or overlooked by the masses, while religious and political authorities exploit other seemingly tame images. Oftentimes, those with the most authority, politically or religiously, win the battle. But not always.” (S.B. Plate, Blasphemy:Art That Offends, 2006, p. 27).

Visual representations of the religious that imagine the divine, for example Christ, Mary, or the saints, as non-gender conforming or sexualized, are condemned as blasphemy.  Formerly in the United States, blasphemy was a criminal offense.  Looked at historically, there are two dimensions of blasphemy. One form of blasphemy was offering an alternative understanding of a dogma. For example, denying the divinity of Christ and characterizing Jesus as merely human, was an example of criminal blasphemy in the United States during the seventeenth century.  Another form of blasphemy was insulting or cursing the divine.  Today, the United States no longer has blasphemy laws on the books. The same is not true in all countries. For example, Great Britain recently struggled with maintaining a blasphemy statute which would only have protected Christians.  A number of Islamic countries also have laws on blasphemy.

When queer artists attempt to offer LGBTQ imaging of the divine, there is often public uproar that is usually organized by small groups of right wing, conservative Christians.  Even when photographs or paintings are displayed in art venues, such as galleries or museums,  this sort of reaction occurs.  While conservative religious groups or individuals no longer have recourse to blasphemy laws, they exert political and social pressure to shut down these alternative imaginings that are friendly to LGBTQ individuals.   To make religion more inclusive and welcome to queer individuals, as a society and as members of religious communities, we must make the space for alternative ways of  imaging the divine in the same way that we create new, more nuanced and critical interpretations of sacred scriptures.  Text and image are both important expressions of religion and play important roles in spiritual practice.  We cannot let cries of blasphemy repress new visual representations.

Some useful resources on this issue include Steven Dubin’s “Arresting Images: Impolitic Art and Uncivil Actions.”  Dubin’s monograph includes several chapters on the cultural wars and the arts in the U.S. Many of these skirmishes involved LGBTQ issues and gay or lesbian artists.  Interestingly, some of these involved both gay and religious issues.  Kittredge Cherry’s “Art that Dares” offers images of Jesus as a gay man as well as Christ as a female.  The twentieth century artists that Cherry documents offer interesting alternative Christian images that are important in building religious communities that are LGBTQ welcoming and inclusive. Cherry's blog, Jesus in Love, offers numerous examples of queer religious imagery as well as reports of conflicts around such art.  Looking at the connection between blasphemy and contemporary art controversies, S. Brent Plate offers an overview that includes many images involving Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Plate’s richly illustrated monograph, “Blasphemy: Art that Offends,” is another useful resource.

Ethno-centric and America-Focused

Often when we look at the situation of LBGTQ individuals in other parts of the world, we use an ethnocentric lens that assumes that categories such as ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ are universally valid and understood in all cultures. This is not the case particularly in the realm of gender expression and sexual orientation. Non-Western countries have frequently been the victim of colonialism particularly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Often indigenous legal as well as religious belief systems were supplanted by Western Christianity. Colonial ethical and legal  systems often condemned same-sex sexual behavior and gender non-conformity. Today, memories of past colonialism are lost or covered up and Victorian mores and legal codes can ensnare those who do not hold to a hetero-normative ideal.

In addition, we in the West often assume a binary approach to sexual orientation which designates someone as either ‘gay or lesbian’ or ‘straight.’ These Western categories often do not fit behavior in non-Western countries. We often make the assumption that the way that we live and think is universal.  Such an attitude ignores cultural variation and is a characteristic of ethnocentricity. Cultures around the world have different ways of thinking about ethics, the essence of being human, as well as different ways of evaluating which behaviors are good and which are bad. The same is true for gender  and sexuality.  There is no fixed, unchanging, universal approach to gender expression and sexual behavior.  Conflict often arises between those who strive for LGBTQ rights in the West and activists or even everyday citizens in other countries with mores and belief systems that differ from our own. At times, LGBTQ activists’ stress on Western style civil rights have actually led to a decrease in the frequency of same sex behavior, often because such behavior, which may have been seen as natural and part of the diversity of human life, is now associated with ninteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century western cultural, economic, and political exploitation.
 
Globalization moves us more and more toward a homogenous world, at least in urban, economically priviledged metropolitan areas. Globally, in such enclaves we may find individuals who resonate with and adopt western gay rights rhetoric and beliefs. However, in much of the non-Western world there is a much wider diversity of sexual and gender behavior. Sexual behavior, particularly same sex behavior, is often conceived of differently than it is in the west.  These general, divergent cultural assumptions also impact non-Western religions. And a number of non-Western religions have picked up the animus that many branches of Christianity has against LGBTQ individuals. 

To develop sensitivity to diversity, the Unitarian Universalist Association   offers several resources. I suggest the UUA’s Racial Justice and Multi-Cultural Ministries webpage as well as the resources found on the UUA’s Immigration Justice  webpage. Another very accessible resource is Patrick Cheng’s Rainbow Theology, a book that discusses the intersection of sexuality, race, ethnicity and religion.  Cheng writes in a accessible and easy to comprehend way and his book offers suggested discussion questions that would be useful with church study groups.  Rainbow Theology is also well documented so that Cheng’s primer can be useful for those interested in going into these subjects in more depth.

The Search for Community

LGBTQ individuals, like all people, are members of a number of different communities including family, church, ethnic or racial group, and the LGBTQ community. Conservative religious communities  frequently exile or marginalize queer persons of faith. Social scientists have used a variety of research strategies, including interviews and auto-ethnographies, to document the struggle of LGBTQ people as they search for community and most particularly religious community. These qualitative studies allow us to explore the intimate personal and emotional side of the negative ways that religiously-based prejudice has had on queer individuals historically and the harm that religion has too often inflicted upon queer persons of faith.

 Queer folks often look to the religious community in which they were raised when first searching for a spiritual home. If these communities are conservative or fundamentalist, queer folks generally find themselves marginalized and rejected. Their core sexual identity and their most intimate relationships are characterized as sinful and worthy of eternal punishment. Queer folks who are seeking a spiritual home can either ‘stay and fight’ in their original religious communities, or look elsewhere. Many religions offer more accepting and justice seeking environments where queer individuals can find religion, acceptance of who they are as individuals, and respect and support for their non-hetero-normative relationships. Healthy lives require both a healthy spiritual dimension and a healthy sexual dimension.

Religion that is nurturing and supportive is an important aspect of an individual's life. But religion can also be a source of alienation that is destructive to human growth and at times lead to aggression and violence against queer individuals or to self-destructive behavior. Progressive religious communities around the world have an opportunity to become welcoming and nurturing communities for everyone, regardless of race, ethnic background, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, or gender expression. This type of community is a healthy religious community that highlights the best that religion can offer the human body and spirit. This is the type of community that will grow and flourish during the twenty-first century, as we become an ever more diverse global community, one that demands respect and equality for all individuals.

LGBTQ folks, like everyone else, live in community.  Our communities---ethnic, queer, religious, socioeconomic, religious—are where we play out our self-identity, where we find comfort and relaxation from the stresses and strains of everyday life, and where we make meaning and understand our place in all of creation.  Our values, our concerns, what we embrace and what we reject, all are the products of our life in community.  When queer individuals are exiled from religious communities, when we are stigmatized as sinful or depraved, we not only lose community but we lose an important environment for understanding ourselves and the meanings of our lives. 

For some Unitarian Universalist resources that can  assist queer folks in finding a welcoming and nurturing religious home, I suggest looking at the website of Interweave, the national UU LGBTQ organization.  Many congregations sponsor local chapters. The Welcoming Church Program which works to help UU congregations become supportive and safe religious homes is useful both the LGBTQ individuals as well as allies looking to open their church community to everyone. The UUA website also offers an “LGBTQ  Welcome and Equality” resource page. There is also the “LGBTQ Ministries” page which readers may find of use.

 

Religious Responses to the Bullying of Queer Youth

LGBTQ youth are very often the target of attack by bullies. Many times, bullying behavior is influenced by conservative religious invective against LGBTQ individuals which uses religion and  scripture to justify castigating queer youth. At times this leads to violence. Religious condemnation of LGBT folks as sinful, as ‘abominations,’ as enemies of Christianity reinforces bullying behavior. In addition to the use of legal and social remedies to stop bullying, particularly the bullying of queer youth, individuals who profess a progressive religious attitude need to forcefully  argue on religious grounds against those who justify bullying on the basis of religious and ideological animus. For several decades religious scholars and activists have worked to open up the sacred scriptures, to demonstrate the inaccurate scriptural condemnation of homosexuality, and to look to the scriptures for a more positive message for queer people of faith

Another way in which individuals who are religiously conservative assist bullies is by arguing for broad ‘religious exemptions’ that would protect individuals who bully from legislation that is meant to curtail this violent behavior. Under such laws, bullies who root their behavior in religious condemnation of homosexuals could ultimately be protected from prosecution. In the US there has been a broad legislative strategy by conservative religious groups including some Roman Catholics and Evangelical Christians, to broadly expand legal religious exemptions that normally only protect churches and clearly religious institutions to a wide array of institutions, private individuals, and even for-profit corporations whose owners claim a special religious exemption. Here also, progressive religious individuals need to stress the appropriate level of separation of church and state and resist the expansion of these exemptions, particularly in the case of the bullying of LGBTQ youth. In addition, they need to criticize religious behavior and teachings that lead to devaluing the worth of individuals and at times physical violence.

Waldman underscores the epidemic of anti-gay bullying.  He writes that a particular focus on anti-LGBT bullying is warranted because gays and lesbians are particularly susceptible to being bullied and the subject of violent attack merely because they are gay or lesbian. Ari Ezra Waldman, Tormented: Anti-Gay Bullying in Schools, 84 Temple Law Review 385 (2012). Weddle and New look at resistance to anti-bullying laws by conservative Christians who oppose such legislation that explicitly mentions queer individuals because they fear that  LGBTQ groups “are attempting to indoctrinate our children to embrace homosexual lifestyles; tolerate homosexual behavior; and celebrate homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender identity. Those Christians who, in a rational defense of traditional morals, oppose such efforts by gay zealots are unfairly painted as bigots” Daniel B. Weddle and Kathryn E. New, What Would Jesus Do: Answering Religious Conservatives Who Oppose Bullying Prevention Legislation, 37 New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement 325 (2011).

Sanders views fighting against anti-gay bullying as a theological issue.  He finds that there is a close link between religious based anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and bullying and violence against LGBTQ individuals.  Bullying is a violent strategy to aggressively enforce social hetero-normativity.  Sanders writes that for conservative religious groups: “political rallying on issues like same-sex marriage and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell serve to maintain some ground on the preservation of anti-gay cultural ideology, the intermittent reinforcement of violent attack is an even better tool to ensure the silence (and suicide) of LGBT people and their subjugation to the closet.”  Cody J. Sanders, Why Anti-Gay Bullying is a Theological Issue, Religion Dispatches, October 2, 2010 at http://www.relgiondispatches.org. Strategies to combat the bullying of LGBTQ individuals is an issue that all progressive religious communities need to focus their social justice efforts upon.

Some useful resources on the issue of LGBTQ bullying from the Unitarian Universalist Association include Standing on the Side of Love, whose blog contains a number of anti-bullying posts.  The UUA Tapestry of Faith Lifespan Curriculum also contains a link to Anti-Bullying Resources.  An excellent popular resource on the phenomena of bullying can be found in the book “Sticks and Stones” by Emily Bazelon (2013).

Religion and Queer Theory

Queer folks and religion. Although they are frequently at odds with one another, they clearly go together. Many LGBTQ individuals are looking for spiritual homes. At times this is within the religious communities in which they were raised, while at other times, queer individuals look for a home in other religious communities, some that are millennia old, like Buddhism, others that are much more recent such as modern day paganism. And for many religious groups in the early twenty-first century, sexuality, and particular non-heterosexuality, is front and center in terms of religious ethical concerns. Many of the most conservative traditional religious groups reject LGBTQ folks out of hand or demand that they lead lives of celibacy. Fortunately, today there are many more progressive religious groups that are looking to incorporate queer individuals into their religious communities in ways that respect their religious beliefs while at the same time treat queer people of faith with dignity and respect.

The positive use of the term ‘queer’ is a recent trend. Folksin the 1940's, 50's, and 60's used it as a term of derision. Sexuality and gender is no longer tied to simplistic binary ways of thinking. Someone is either gay or straight. These categories, like the general category of ‘homosexual,’ did not exist until the nineteenth century. The French philosopher Michel Foucault describes the genealogy of the concept of homosexuality in his landmark first volume of his “History of Sexuality.” Sexuality today is not seen as completely or nearly completely biologically rooted. Rather, much of what we understand as sexual or gender oriented behavior is culturally constructed. While our notions about sexuality or gender may see these as natural phenomena that are ultimately  about biology, social scientists have shown that this is not the case. Social scientists have demonstrated that the way in which we perceive the world, as well as  behaviors or desires that we think of as natural, as biologically determined, are in actuality  the product of society and our social life. They are socially constructed.

Queer theory attempts to go beyond ‘liberation’ and ‘full rights’ and to decenter us and make us question the primacy of these concepts. Instead, queer, in the words of Ellis Hanson, marks off “a domain virtually synonymous with homosexuality and yet wonderfully suggestive of whole range of sexual possibilities…that challenge the familiar distinction between normal and pathological, straight and gay, masculine men and feminine women” (cited in A. Jagose: Queer Theory: An Introduction,  p. 99).

Looking at sexuality and gender as socially constructed helps us reject a rigid dichotomous thinking that divides everyone into male or female, gay or straight, and ultimately natural or unnatural and good or bad. Many young people today experience gender as much more fluid. They are almost intuitively aware of the constructed nature of gender and sex roles and they creatively play with these areas of life. They are not tied to the older conceptions. This in part helps us understand how young people in America are very open to same sex marriage and find discrimination against LGBTQ individuals as appalling and unacceptable. As these social changes touch our religious communities, they  need to rethink the ways in which they deal with queer individuals, a number of whom are members of their churches and congregations. The good news for LGBTQ folks is that the future looks full of potential. The potential for a normal life with a same sex partner without discrimination in either civil society or in the religious community is within reach. While there are still communities who use models that see queer folks as sinners and condemned by God, more and more faith communities are opening their eyes and their hearts and understanding that equality both in the secular world and in the religious community is a winning strategy for all of us as we move toward the middle of the second decade of the twenty-first century.
 

For more on Michel Foucault’s biography, click here. One Unitarian Universalist resource that may prove useful in exploring queer theory in a religious context is the Welcoming Congregation program. This is a voluntary program that congregations take part in so that they can “become more welcoming and inclusive of people with marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities” (UUA, Welcoming Congregation Program website). The UUA offers Queer 101 as well as Resources for Queer Youth.  Patrick Cheng provides an accessible survey of what queer theory is and the way that it relates to relgious questions in Radical Love.  The first few chapters of Radical Love orient someone who is new to queer theory and the book references many of the 'classics'  for those who want to explore queer theory and religion in more detail.