Raynes, Katrina S
(2024)
For the love of God: a look at religious students’ beliefs on LGBTQ+ issues.
Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This thesis analyzes interviews conducted with 15 college students who self-identify as religious, specifically as members of what are known as Abrahamic traditions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Through analyzing participants’ responses to inquiries regarding issues such as his paper attempts to fill a gap in the field of religious and queer studies research by specifically focusing on young adults, a group that is chronically understudied when it comes to ethnographic or other research-based interviews. During the interviews, I asked participants a series of questions, delving into their religious practices, backgrounds, and beliefs alongside questions on political identity specifically focused on perceptions of LGBTQ+ people and issues.
The college students that participated in these interviews supported the notion that their religious identity, regardless of which religion the individual practiced did mold their attitude toward LGBTQ+ issues. Consistent themes included the value of community, non-judgment, respect, complexity in inter- and intra-faith dialogues, and what I have deemed the “I’m not an expert” dilemma. This paper will also take a look at the minority of participants who identify as politically Christian, as well as those who identify as both religious and queer, to understand how certain political or other identities impact young adult beliefs on religion and sexuality. Taken together, these interviews provide a compelling example of the complexity of thought that can be found in the vibrant religious communities on college campuses.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
22 April 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
2 April 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
22 April 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
17 April 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
84 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
David C. Frederick Honors College
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies |
| Degree: |
BPhil - Bachelor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Undergraduate Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
sexuality, religion, christianity, islam, judaism, interviews, young adults, gender identity, queer, LGBTQ+ issues |
| Additional Information: |
The preferred name of the author of this paper is Tri Raynes. |
| Date Deposited: |
22 Apr 2024 16:29 |
| Last Modified: |
22 Apr 2024 16:29 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46144 |
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