It’s been an ongoing, controversial topic about homosexuality in the church.

I know that when kids grow up in the church and their family or the people around them are big on religion, it could be a bit harder for them to be open about themselves to them. 

Their acceptance is a hit or miss, they either support you or they don’t. Even if they do support you, there’s more than likely no avoiding the passive aggressive, snarky remarks. Whether it be intentional or not. There are many reasons why kids who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community tend to steer away from Christianity or any other religion they were raised on.

One reason can be because of the trauma it has caused them over the years. Sadly, it is common for families to uses different methods of “getting rid of the gay.” A dangerous method that is well known is conversion therapy,

They tend to do this to get them back to what they consider normal. A report from UCLA Williams Institute says that. “20,000 LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) will receive conversion therapy from a licensed health care professional before they reach the age of 18 in the 41 states that currently do not ban the practice.” This definitely causes trauma to them so they’ll get the chance to get away as soon as they can.

Another reason why they steer away is because of how it could be used against them.

Kids could get gaslit from the people around them by using religion and their beliefs so that they can fit into their image. 

Sometimes, the other views and opinions can get to them and they want to be seen as a “good” person. Since, the thought of them not being acceptable is getting put in their head, it can create confusion with the relationship they have with their religion.

A report from CAP says that the second-highest-ranking Mormon leader, Boyd K. Packer, states that same-sex attraction is “impure and unnatural.” He also claims that it can be cured but is “against God’s law and nature.”

This is an example of how sometimes people will use their beliefs to manipulate others who are different from them to their advantage.

Lastly, they probably just never actually believed in anything.

The concept of religion could be confusing to some people. They could be unsure about how it works or just flat out not convinced.

Either way, kids should be accepted for who they are. Especially, since religion teaches people about acceptance.