ABSTRACT
Gay and Lesbian Spiritual Issues: A Personal Reflection An unusual intersection occurs between religion and sexuality. Throughout history, religious institutions have consistently taken positions on the appropriate expressions of sexuality. Over generations, many of those stances have been retracted as religious leaders developed new understandings about scripture and human behavior. However, today one of the most entrenched issues continues to be the morality of homosexuality. Each year Christian denominations deliberate the complex issues inherent in coming to understand gay and lesbian sexuality more fully. Although the pace of change seems terribly slow to most gay and lesbian persons, the fact of the debate indicates that it is simply a matter of time until gay men and lesbians find themselves welcomed fully into religious practice. In the interim, the domains of religion and spirituality continue to be sources of emotional distress for many sexual minorities. The purpose of this chapter is to take a look at some of the issues that gay men and lesbians ordinarily face as they embrace or reject religious institutions.
