The study by Hinman & Lacefield (2020) titled “An exploration of spirituality and sexuality in men who identified as gay and were raised in a conservative Christian faith” analyzed the religion-sexuality link. Specifically, the authors aimed to assess the impact of such training on homosexual men. The main finding of the study was that gay men raised in Conservative and religious households were subject to discrimination and marginalization. Another relevant finding of the study was that the Church had a negative view of sex-related topics and considered LGBTQ people as having problems with their sexuality. Moreover, the participants mentioned that they experienced an attack from both their family and the Church due to their sexual orientation. The method used in the research was an in-depth interview with seven homosexual men raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At the same time, the participants still expressed their connection to the belief despite discrimination. Thus, the main idea of the study is that homosexual men, although subject to a considerable stigma in a religious, namely, Christian, environment, continue to explore their spiritual origin,
The topic of the study is extremely relevant since the lives of LGBTQ people in traditionally conservative communities must be studied closely by researchers. The relevance of such studies stems from the necessity to provide greater support for those who experience conflicts between their sexual and religious identities (Rosenborough, 2006). The implications of the study are important for the counseling profession because they can enhance the practice and theoretical knowledge of psychologists and similar professionals. The authors managed to explain the study well and introduced clear methods and findings. The study could be easily repeated with other homosexual men, and there are no holes in the research.
Reference
Hinman, B., & Lacefield, C. (2020). An exploration of spirituality and sexuality in men who identify as gay and were raised in a conservative Christian faith. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 29(2), 1–20. Web.