Queering Religious Texts: An Exploration of British Non-heterosexual Christians’ and Muslims’ Strategy of Constructing Sexuality-affirming Hermeneutics

Andrew K.T Yip

doi:10.1177/0038038505049000

Abstract

Religious authority figures often use religious texts as the primary basis for censuring homosexuality. In recent years, however, non-heterosexual Christians and Muslims have begun to contest the discursively produced boundary of sexual morality. Drawing upon two research projects on non-heterosexual Christians and Muslims, this article explores the three approaches embedded in this strategy. While acknowledging that homosexuality is indeed portrayed negatively in some parts of religious texts, the participants critique traditional hermeneutics by highlighting its inaccuracy and socio-cultural specificity, and arguing for a contextualized and culturally relevant interpretation. They also critique the credibility of institutional interpretive authority by highlighting its inadequacy and ideology, and relocating authentic interpretive authority to personal experience. Finally, they recast religious texts to construct resources for their spiritual nourishment. This strategy generally reflects the contemporary western religious landscape that prioritizes the authority of the self over that of religious institution.

Highlights

The editors of Sociology are delighted to be able to introduce an innovation in the journal: an Editorial Foreword that we hope will provide an overview of the articles, debates and research notes contained in each issue
Chambers and Thompson consider the process of increasing public involvement on the part of various faith groups in Wales: increasing secularization, they argue, has been accompanied by a concern on the part of religious groups to involve themselves with social issues
The Sociology Volume 39 s Number 1 s February 2005 process of devolution has led to a more ‘inclusive’ form of politics, in which faith groups are enabled to engage in state processes

Summary

Introduction

The editors of Sociology are delighted to be able to introduce an innovation in the journal: an Editorial Foreword that we hope will provide an overview of the articles, debates and research notes contained in each issue. The three articles on religion in contemporary Britain all provide, from different perspectives, analyses of the significance of religious belief and affiliation (or the lack of such belief and affiliation).

Results

Conclusion