Are Churches Partly to Blame for Bullying — and Suicides?

October 26, 2011. 4:59 pm • Section: Trans Talk
Posted by: Jillian Page

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2011/10/26/are-churches-partly-to-blame-for-bullying-and-suicides/

How much are religious institutions to blame for the bullying of LGBT people, and for the suicides of some of them? An article I was reading today on a site called The Cord discusses the issue, and I would have to agree with the writer to some extent at least: Discrimination by some religious organizations is partially to blame. As writer James Formosa says in the piece called LGBT suicides raise questions about churches stances on homosexuality:

"The fact of the matter is anti-LGBTQ bullying has become so incredibly harmful, at least in part, due to religious institutions and the words of their leaders, who have become complicit in the promotion of discrimination."

No doubt about it in my view.

I would have to say yes. Any religious affiliation that uses scriptures to back up their bigoted ideology is def to blame. They are not the issue but they certainly play a part on it.

Thankfully, more and more churches and religious arenas are beginning to see and open their eyes to this mess. It was the way with slavery, then women's right to vote, then equality with people of color.

sadly, if religion did not exist, humanity would have found another conduit to use when committing horrible atrocities.

In a secular society, oil, it seems, replaced religion as an excuse for war. Other things have been substituted in as well.

I would have to agree alot.  I mean my grandpa
is a pastor of a church.  One of the things I learned
from that was how many people at a church just
enjoy to backstab each other.  If they find somthing
about you its going to spread quick.

But then again doesnt the bible partialy play a role.
I know there are some versus which are just bad
translations such as "Thy Shalt Not Suffer A Witch
To Live" which the correct translation was "Thy Shalt
Not Suffer A Poisoner To Live".

I do not know much about catholics but here is a
couple quotes from christianity. . .

"Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable"

"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have
done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be
on their own heads."

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor
adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor
the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom
of God."

But people have been know to take religion to far from what they read
or hear so it could partialy be a cause at a church imo. . .

I have to say yes and no at the same time.

religion may give the offenders a bogus excuse to internally justify their hate, but if organized religion didn't exist, they would probably find another reason to hate anyways, since the desire to hate stems from desire to feel superior over another person or group.