User:Fireplace/draft3

In the United States, Christian beliefs profoundly influence public debates on social issues, including LGB rights and acceptance, and such beliefs have long been used to perpetuate the idea that being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is subordinate or inferior to being heterosexual.[check cites from text] The view of family values adopted by various Christian groups usually excludes LGB families, and most would also deny the sacrament of marriage to LGB couples. Some Christian groups do not allow their clergy to minister to openly LGB parishioners or deny LGB people the ability to become members of the clergy or take on leadership positions.

As a result of this atmosphere, many LGB people "feel unwelcome or marginalized in their religious communities. Many stop attending worship services.  Others leave their current religious community and become involved with other faith traditions that are more affirming of GLBT people, such as Reconstructionist Judaism, Unity, the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalists, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, or the Unity Fellowship Church Movement.  Still others reject corporate religion altogether." LGBT-affirmative religious services are available in many communities, especially large urban areas. Even within the major religious denominations, faith-based LGBT-affirmative advocacy groups exist: Dignity (Catholic), Integrity (Episcopalian), More Light (Presbyterian), Affirmation (Mormon and United Methodist), Friends for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (Quaker), Seven Day Adventist Kinship International (Seventh Day Adventist), and Evangelicals Concerned (Evangelicals).

Researchers have described several ways that LGB people try to resolve conflicts between their sexual orientation identities and religious identities: First, they might reject their religious identities entirely, often having experienced religion per se as oppressive and shaming with respect to their sexual orientation identity. Second, they might reject their sexual orientation identity and try to adopt a heterosexual identity, perhaps through religious or secular conversion therapy. "From a clinical practice perspective, there is concern with the self-rejection inherent in this category, since self-rejection can place clients at clinical risk for depression, substance abuse, and suicide." Third, they might compartmentalize their sexual orientation identity separately from their religious identity, especially in places of public worship. This is comparable to the third stage of the Cass Identity Model, wherein LGB people are open about their sexuality within a trusted circle, and closeted outside of it. Fourth, they might integrate their identities by adopting religious beliefs and becoming involved with religious communities that affirm and support LGB people.