Religion Religion impacts all aspects of life, shaping what people think and how they see the world. Rejection of homosexuality is often religiously based. In fact, previous research has shown that more religious individuals, defined as those who attend church more frequently and have a more devout sense of doctrinal commitment, are significantly less tolerant of gay men and lesbians (Beatty & Walter, 1984; Wilcox & Jelen, 1990). This evidence directly correlates with the hypothesis concerning religion in this study. Based on this data a hypothesis was formed; religion plays a key role in people’s susceptibility to homosexuality; individuals who identify closely with a religion or religiosity are least likely to accept homosexuality and its practices. When evaluating same-‐sex marriage, religious individuals conflict with those who advocate for it simply because they see marriage as the union of a man and woman. The phrase “devout sense of doctrinal commitment” is the separating factor in analysis of religion’s role in acceptance of homosexuality. Many individuals identify themselves with some type of religion, but the phrase “devout sense of doctrinal commitment” does not always define the vast amount of people that declare religion as a part of their life. Those who identify as well as faithfully practice the teachings and beliefs of specific religions are those who are less tolerant of homosexuality. In this study the independent variable, religion, is measured based upon one’s specific religion as well as identifying how religious the respondent is. The indicator for religion in this study is religiosity, how closely one follows the beliefs
1866: Rust College Journal of Student Research – Social Science
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