Tradition's Edge: Interactions Between Religious Tradition and Sexual Freedom

This chapter considers the topic of same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy from the perspective of several religious traditions. The chapter focuses on the internal legal and theological struggles faced as these religions considered doctrinal and spiritual change to longstanding practices. Four religious traditions are explored: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; The Episcopalian Church; Japanese Zen Buddhism; and the Roman Catholic Church. Three of these four traditions have recognized and accepted same-sex marriage and ordination of gay clergy, but the processes through which they developed those responses, and their theological approaches, have been quite different. The fourth tradition, the Roman Catholic Church, had a different response than the other three traditions and this will be explored as well.