A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute asked 1,017 Americans their view on religion and homosexuality, between Oct. 14 and 17, in the wake of a highly publicized rash of suicides by gay people. The poll revealed that most Americans believe churches contribute to gay suicides. Churches, the poll said, communicate "a lot" of negative perceptions of gay and lesbian people. Do you agree with the poll's conclusions? And what grade would you give your church in its handling of the "issue of homosexuality"? Could your church or the church overall be doing a better job at handling the "issue of homosexuality"?
I don't know whether the poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute about the connection between negative attitudes in some Christian churches and the recent spate of suicides by gay and lesbian people is accurate or not. And while I have talked with a number of gay and lesbian people who felt deeply wounded by the condemnations they received from some Christian ministers and congregants, it is not my intention to throw stones at those from other religions. I can only speak from the perspective of my own tradition, Unitarian Universalism.
