Belen Sassone/Staff Writer
In multiple churches, young people struggling to understand their sexualities feel alienated.
Religious texts, doctrines, and practices teach them love and acceptance, but when the topic of homosexuality comes to the forefront, it’s a completely different story.
If someone comes out, they are often forced to feel as if something is wrong with them. They may even be coerced into therapy sessions with a priest in hopes of reversing something that can’t be changed.
These therapies result in depression, self-hatred, and even suicide. Despite this, however, those who support conversion therapy think being gay is worse than being happy.
Here in Florida, a ban for conversion therapies has been proposed in numerous counties.
However, organizations like the Christian Family Coalition urge their supporters to sign a petition claiming that, “Miami-Dade County wants to ban parents, pastors and everyone else, from counseling minors who have been raped and/or sexually abused and have unwanted homosexual urges and sexual identity disorder.”
The ban that was proposed in Miami-Dade County actually mentions nothing about rape or sexual abuse. The Bible also says lying is a sin, but they chose to overlook the Bible’s teachings for their own convenience.
When businesses refuse service to paying customers because they disagree with their way of life, they cite religion as an excuse. When a Catholic school teacher was fired for whom she chose to marry, it was because she “broke her contract.”
However, I think people use religion as a way to shield their own discomfort. I believe in God too, but I don’t think He loves me any less because of who i’m attracted to. You don’t have to disagree with homosexuality to be a good Christian, or Catholic, or Mormon.
I don’t have the formula for being the perfect person of faith, and frankly, I don’t think anyone on Earth does either. Loudly preaching your beliefs and demanding people to change who they are isn’t going to make this fact any less true.
You can’t actively try to prevent the LGBTQ community from living regular lives and then become upset that your views “aren’t being respected.” It just doesn’t work that way.
At the end of the day, I don’t care what religion anyone belongs to. No one is attacking Christians for being Christians. They are choosing to victimize themselves when they’re the ones who had a problem in the first place.
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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.
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