Welcoming, but not Affirming

“Welcoming, but not affirming” 1: Examining LGBTQIA+ “Acceptance” within Modern Western & Middle Eastern Christianity Allison Brown Middle Eastern Religions Dr. Ward 9 October, 2020 Lecturer of Religious Studies, Mark Jennings, as a gay Christian, often finds himself as being caught in the crossfire of acceptance and reluctance in his native denomination of the Australian Pentecostal-Charismatic Church. He explains, “ ... most of the … pastors [took] a conservative approach to interpreting the Bible led them to be welcoming, but not affirming of LGBT people in their congregations. This means that LGBT people are welcome to attend, but 2 their sexuality cannot be “affirmed” by allowing them to volunteer or minist . er Ma ” rk isn’t alone in the world in being a member of the LGBTQI3A+ community who also live a devout life as a Christian, 40% of the community in Australia alone describes themselves as avid churchgoers and Christians. In order to construct an idea of what the future of queer acceptance looks like in Christianity, one must understand its current state in the Middle East and the United States. Beginning with the LGBTQIA+ community in the Middle East, it is important to note that even if Christian congregations accept and respect members of the community, that may certainly not be the case for other religions in the region and states. Same-sex “activity” is legal in: Bahrain, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan Iraq, Palestine (West Bank), and Turkey (with some variations between gay, lesbian, etc. “activity”). Male same-sex activity is illegal and punishment by imprisonment in Kuwait, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, and Syria. And is punishable by death in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE (and with some variations in Yemen or the Gaza Strip 4 aW ctit”h) these facts being between death and imprisonment depending on the “severity of the. acknowledged, one is already more conscious of the risk a member of the LGBTQIA+ community runs, regardless of their Christian communities, in these Middle Eastern Countries. That being acknowledged, the majority of Middle Eastern Christian do not regulate LGBTQIA+ “activity” as closely as some Muslim states but, are also not particularly inclusive of members of the queer community either. The largest Christian communities in the Middle East are: Eastern and Western-rite Catholic and the Greek Orth5,ow doith x other smaller churches 1 practicing as well. Within the Eastern Orthodox Church (although as a body is is autocephalous) there is a consensus that, “... lists homosexuality beside fornication, adultery, abortion and abusive sexual behavior as “immoral and inappropriate forms of behavior in and of themselves, and also because they attack the institution of marriage and the family … the Orthodox Church 6 believes that homosexual behavior is a si . nS”imilarly, the Eastern Orthodox Church does not perform or recognise same-sex marriage. This is the norm for the other major Middle Eastern Christian congregations as well. No clear and current counts of LGBTQIA+ community really exists in the region (for reasons to avoid persecution), especially those who follow a Christian faith. However, queer social life in Middle Eastern cities like Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia suggest a growing community and one that’s more accepting, “... prayer beads dangled from the rearview mirror … barbershops cater to gay men … ‘It’s a lot easier to be gay than straight here … as long as gays and lesbians maintain a public front of obeisance to Wahhabist norms, left to do what they want in private7.” Moving into a different region of the world, the United States, legislation regarding gay “activity” is non-existent at the federal and state level, and same-sex marriage has been legal since 2015 nationwid8e. Gay Christians are becoming increasingly common, with even religious 9 leaders and pastors identifying as members of the LGBTQIA+ commu .A nitsyof 2014, surveys conducted by Pew Research indicates “... almost all Christian groups [are] now more accepting of homosexuality”10. The following is their determined percentages of the religious population who believe homosexuality should be accepted in (2014) society: “Catholic (70%), Mainline Protestant (66%), Orthodox Christian (62%), Historically African American Protestants (51%), 1 Evangelical Protestants (36%), Later Day Saints (36%), Jehovah’s Witness 1(1 . 6O%ve )”rall, these nation-wide polled opinions on societal acceptance had increased exponentially since last surveyed in 2007 and presumably have progressed since 2014. However, these statistics cannot necessarily reflect the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community within the different Christian 2 sects in the United States. Queer-Christian experiences vary greatly based on denomination. One of the most accepting religious bodies is the United Methodist Church with some of the most protections and opportunities for its LGBTQIA+ members, “No discretion is allowed to ordain gay, lesbian, or bisexual clergy in same-gender relationships, or marry gay couples … no prohibition on the ordination of transgender clergy 12 …” . On the opposite end of the spectrum with thinly gilt support for the community, the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) acknowledges that same-sex attraction itself is nota sin, but being queer is, “The Church does not have a position on the causes of these susceptibilities or inclinations … … the experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is … even though individuals ” DS do not choose to have such attractions, they do choose how to respond t1o3. tT hh ee mL Church’s approach to homosexuality both takes the side of attempting to understand the emotions and experiences of questioning individuals but ultimately still views same-sex relations as a sin and same-sex marriage as unacceptable of devout members in a “respectable” Mormon congregation. In closing, how the LGBTQIA+ fits into the Christian religion on a global scale is everchanging and diverse based not only on region but also Christan denominations. However, both the Middle East and the United States, most especially over the past fifteen years, have seen a drastic increase in support, affirmation, and acceptance in Christian communities. This receival of the queer community for Christianity is yet another example of age-old religion adapting to today’s modern times in order to best meet the needs of believers and the changing world alike. 3