Gay Census: Religion on SameSame.com.au

The results are in from the Gay Census. So far we’ve looked at gay marriage, sex and drugs, and gay parenting. This week we’re taking a long, hard look at religion. It’s not surprising, given religion’s history of gay persecution, that we’re a little wary of the whole thing. They always told us it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, but is the Bible about to change?

If you thought religion an unlikely pastime for gays and lesbians, you would be correct. The majority of respondents (59% of gay men and 61% of gay women) to the Australian Gay and Lesbian Census indicated they are not a member of any organised religion.

Of those who responded that they were members of a religion, the Census found that 28% of gay men and 22% of lesbians are Christian, a figure much lower than that of the general population. The 2006 Australian Census found that 58% of the general population aged 15 to 44 are Christian.

Anthony Venn-Brown, author of A Life of Unlearning and convenor of Freedom 2 b[e] (a network of gay Christians from Pentecostal and Evangelical backgrounds) who attends the Hillsong church at Waterloo says, “Having a majority of non-religious gays and lesbians is reflective of our secular society in Australia.” His statement is supported by findings that show the vast majority of those who indicated that they are religious are lapsed or non-practicing, with 52% indicating they never attend service or prayer.

One explanation for the lower percentage of Christians amongst the gay community, when compared to the general population, is that many Christians who come out as gay often repudiate their spirituality because of a conflict between their spirituality and their sexuality.

Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby, a practicing Christian, explains this general sentiment by saying, “It is hardly surprising that so many gay people give religion away. With few exceptions, religion, and religious people, are hostile to gays. Even the Dalai Lama has made unfriendly statements. When I tackled him on them, he said: ‘I know. In America many of my supporters are gay. But the problem is the old scriptures’.”

However, Kirby notes the change happening within Christian churches. “In the Christian context, the languages are Greek or Hebrew and the further we study these histories and scriptures the further we learn about the historical and cultural context or particular phrases,” says Kirby. “Just as Christians, Jews and Muslims have to read afresh the Genesis passages that say the world was created in seven days, in the light of Darwin’s discoveries about evolution, so religions have to re-read passages antagonistic to gays in the light of the knowledge we now have from Alfred Kinsey, Evelyn Hooker and modern science. People do not deliberately choose their sexual orientation to be difficult or defiant. It is just part of the variety of nature. If it exists, it has a purpose in nature and evolution. Eventually all the religions will come around to this, but a lot of violence, stigma and cruelty will be done in the meantime,” Kirby says.

Venn-Brown agrees with Justice Kirby’s on the interpretation of scriptures. Venn-Brown says, “There are only six passages that can be assumed to speak about same-sex behaviour, but when they are looked at in their historical and cultural context and in their original languages, then one discovers that they are actually talking about temple prostitution, idolatry, exploitative relationships (pederasty) and rape. They are not talking about same-sex orientation as we know it today.”

Venn-Brown also notes, “The word ‘homosexual’ did not appear in any English translation of the bible until 1946 at 1 Corinthians 6:9” (Revised standard version).

David Barrow, a 23-year-old queer activist who is also Christian and is currently the President of the National Union of Students believes that generational change is also a contributing factor. “There is a progressive shift in theology in line with generational change that coincides with attitudes towards climate change, women, gays and international poverty,” says Barrow.

This change in the understanding of theology seems to be happening even in the most unlikely of churches – the Pentecostal church, to which Mr Venn-Brown is a member.

In responding to my shock at the acceptance by the Hillsong Church of homosexual members, Venn-Brown says, “We often focus on the Christian extremists. For example, the Westboro Baptist Church in the south of the US. (Westboro Baptist Church own the website Godhatesfags.com.) We should focus on the changes happening in the Christian movement. The Westboro Baptist church is an incestuous cult of about 100 members. They are not representative of Christianity.”

While he recognises the damage done by religion, Justice Kirby is optimistic about a future where it’s a little more gay friendly. “My partner, Johan, rejects religion. I stick with my Christian beliefs because the fundamental message of Jesus is love and reconciliation. Eventually, Christian leaders will remember this. The churches will give a great big apology to gay people. I hope I live to see it,” says Kirby.

Mr Venn-Brown believes that, “the debate within Christianity is done and dusted. It is only a matter of time before [homosexuality] is not going to be a problem.”

Interestingly, Census data reveals that 12% of respondents experienced conflict between their sexuality and their religion, which is less than those who chose Christianity as their religion. Most respondents indicated that they don’t have conflict between their sexuality and their religion, or if a conflict does exist, they don’t care about it.

Venn-Brown acknowledged the assumptions in the gay community about the conflict between Christianity and homosexuality, but says that this scepticism and antagonism towards Christianity is changing. “What is happening now [within the gay community] is similar to what happened in the early 70s. The gay rights movement was birthed and people began coming out. Now, three decades later, with the shift in understanding about Christianity, many are coming out about their faith and spirituality also.” Venn-Brown calls this ‘the second coming out.’

Venn-Brown goes on to say that there is actually an increasing number of gay members of the church. “Gay people of faith and religion are an emerging group within the gay community. Walk into any gay bookstore and you can see how much impact they are having,” says Venn-Brown. An author himself, Venn-Brown recalls, “It’s not long ago that you would never find a single book on being gay and Christian, only books about how poorly the church has treated homosexual people over the centuries. Now in all gay bookstores there are entire sections of gay Christian books. Including stories, such as mine, theology and observations of the gay Christian movement. An even further development, is the recent appearance of several books on being gay and Moslem.”

David Barrow would be an example of emerging members of the gay community who are also proudly Christian. He says he didn’t feel any pressure to be one or the other, but says, “Many of my friends responded to my Christianity with suspicion, derision, concern and condescension. However, they have learned to accept my sexuality and my Christian identity, which are both important to me.”

Looking at its popularity amongst the generations, it seems that spirituality is mainly practiced by older generations. The Australian Gay and Lesbian Census found that older gay men and women are more likely to be religious.

The Australian Gay and Lesbian Census also found that more gay men and women belong to alternative or eastern religions (Hindu, Buddhism, Wicca/Paganism) than the general population.

So maybe the future of homosexuality and religion is as Michael Kirby said, less about blame and sin and more about love and respect.