ERIC Number: EJ758236
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 19
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0882-4843
EISSN: N/A
"It's the Word of God": Students' Resistance to Questioning and Overcoming Heterosexism
Deeb-Sossa, Natalia; Kane, Heather
Feminist Teacher: A Journal of the Practices, Theories, and Scholarship of Feminist Teaching, v17 n2 p151-169 2007
At the core of many people's homophobia is their understanding of the position God had toward homosexuals. Fundamental to their homophobia is their use of religious rhetoric that justifies it. According to many conservative Christians who label homosexuality as sinful, homophobia is "praised by the Lord." Such use of religion naturalizes and legitimizes the systematic oppression of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered and queer-identified (LGBTQ) people. Only after students realize that LGBTQ-identified people are oppressed and that such use of "the Word of God" supports a system that reproduces heterosexism, they may become critical about this religious rhetoric. In this article, the authors explore how students use religious rhetorics in their resistance to lessons about homophobia and heterosexism. Like the common homophobic religious rhetoric, students invoke particular passages and interpretations of the Bible when examining and discussing heterosexism. In doing so, they rely on several key theological concepts: Biblical literalism, Biblical inerrancy, sinful behavior, and compassion for the sinner, but not the sin. The authors discuss the problems associated with each of these concepts. They also address several of the religious rhetorical strategies used by students, explore their connections to the oppression of LGBTQ individuals, and delineate some strategies teachers can employ in responding to these rhetorics. (Contains 15 notes.)
Descriptors: Rhetoric, Altruism, Religious Education, Homosexuality, Biblical Literature, Undergraduate Students, Sexual Orientation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A