Aaron Casper doesn’t think of himself as a member of the Mormon church anymore. He stopped attending services after it became clear to him that the church expected him to choose between his faith and his homosexuality, he said.
Casper, a Eugene resident, was one of several students and community members who took part in a discussion on religion and spirituality held Monday in the EMU Rogue Room.
Sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Educational and Support Services Program, the discussion was the first of several events scheduled this week to recognize National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.
LGBT director Chicora Martin said she sees many students who are dealing with issues of religion and spirituality because the faith they were brought up in does not accept their sexuality.
Some religious groups have used interpretations of the Bible as a way to justify denouncing homosexuality, she said.
“Interpretation, in a sense, is the ammunition of ignorance,” she said.
Janet Cromwell, a clergywoman for the Wesley Foundation Campus Ministry, led the discussion. She said literal interpretations do not take into account the fact that the Bible was written by many authors in many different styles.
Biblical passages which appear to condemn homosexuality should be examined critically and not always taken literally, she said. Often, she said, looking at the historical context of the text can help explain why the authors wrote what they did.
For example, passages taken from the text of Paul condemn homosexuality as inappropriate, she said.
But many biblical scholars believe Paul was referring to the sexual exploitation of young boys by married men, she said. Those non-consensual relationships were very different from modern concepts of homosexuality, she said.
“To take it literally does damage to what the original authors meant to say,” she said.
Casper decided to leave the Mormon church behind, but he said spirituality is still an important part of his life.
He said he believes church leaders are reluctant to accept homosexuality because they are afraid of what may happen if they do.
“For fear of disrupting the community that they’ve created, they’ve decided that perhaps this is an energy they don’t want to include,” he said.