Survey of Reddit’s Christian Community on Homosexuality

Question 1

1. What best describes your opinion on the propriety of homosexual intimacy?

• It is always sinful and/or immoral.
• Like with heterosexual intimacy, there are contexts in which it is — and contexts in which it is not — sinful and/or immoral.
• There is no context in which consensual sexual intimacy is ever sinful or immoral.

Criticisms:

• Many wanted more granular options as to the things that could make it immoral. For example, a person might believe adultery is immoral but promiscuity is not.

Question 2

2. What best describes your attitude about non-active (that is, not having sex) homosexuals in the church?

• Non-active homosexuals should not be welcome in the church at all.
• Non-active homosexuals should not hold any office of authority.
• There should not be any sort of special prohibition given to non-active homosexuals.

Criticisms:

• Later, question #4 has both “any offices of authority” and “some offices of authority,” but that isn’t broken-out here.
• Also, a person might answer the second option while believing the issue is (a) can’t marry, plus (b) lack of married qualification. This person might want a specific option for them.
• Finally, “welcome in the church” is ambiguous; it could mean welcome in service, or welcome for membership.

• Active homosexuals should not be welcome in the church at all.
• Active homosexuals should be welcome in the church, but must be actively urged to stop their homosexual intimacy.
• Active homosexuals should be welcome in the church without any special risk of indictment.

Criticisms:

• Many wanted more granularity on “actively urged.”
• Also, “welcome in the church” is ambiguous; it could mean welcome in service, or welcome for membership.

Question 4

4. What best describes your attitude about active (that is, having sex) homosexuals seeking offices of authority in the church?

• As I said above, active homosexuals should not be welcome in the church at all.
• Active homosexuals should be welcome in the church, but should not be able to pursue any office of authority.
• Active homosexuals should be welcome in the church, and should be able to seek some offices of authority, but not others.
• There should not be any sort of special prohibition given to active homosexuals in the church.

Criticisms:

• Many wanted more granularity on “offices of authority.”
• Also, “welcome in the church” is ambiguous; it could mean welcome in service, or welcome for membership.
• Finally, “welcome in the church” is ambiguous; it could mean welcome in service, or welcome for membership.

Question 5

5. Do you think popular acceptance of gay marriage will affect society negatively?

• Who knows?
• I think it will improve society, actually.
• Probably not.
• Maybe just a tiny bit.
• I think it will affect it negatively somewhat.
• I think it will have a major negative impact on society.
• I think it will ruin society.

Criticisms:

• Some wanted an option for “the government should not recognize any marriage.”
• Some wanted the “certainty” on an orthogonal gradient.
• Some wanted to clarify the negative impact as being a product of sin in general.
• Some wanted more granularity on the “improve” end.
• Some inferred unintended overtones from the use of the word “Actually,” when it was meant simply to unload the question; it should have been reworded.

Question 6

6. Do you think that the negative attention given — by the church in general — to active (that is, having sex) homosexuality is warranted?

• No; active homosexuality is never sinful or immoral, so it should not receive negative attention at all.
• No; there are many bigger fish to fry.
• Yes; it has received its fair warrant of attention.
• Yes, but it should be even more of a focus.

Criticisms:

• The second option should have been worded in such a way that active homosexuality not be presumed to be a “fish to fry” at all.

Question 7

7. Do you think that being homosexual (that is, the orientation or preference) is a choice?

• No, or mostly no. Formative factors (whatever they might be) most likely dictate a person’s sexual orientation to a nearly-irresistible degree.
• Yes, or mostly yes. A person can elect to sexually prefer those of the opposite sex, even if it takes some effort.

Criticisms:

• The explication was too bifurcating. This question assuredly deserved more granularity, especially because many believed that it is a choice for some, and not for others.

Question 8

8. Of the following two attributes typically given to God, which do you most try to emulate in your life?

• His merciful love.
• His discerning justice.
• I try to emulate both equally.
• I don’t believe God has these attributes.
• I don’t believe in God.

Criticisms:

• Some disputed the notion that mercy and justice cannot be expressed simultaneously, which is a notion I held as survey author.

Question 9

9. What country are you from?

• 87 Skipped
• 2072 USA
• 190 Canada
• 102 Australia
• 100 UK
• 23 New Zealand
• 15 Netherlands
• 11 Germany
• 11 Sweden
• 9 Ireland
• 6 Denmark, Philippines, Singapore
• 5 India, Indonesia
• 4 Brazil, Norway, Poland
• 3 Czech Republic, France, Russia
• 2 Finland, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa, South Korea, Zimbabwe
• 1 Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Ghana, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia

Question 10

10. Which of the following best describes the cohort to which you most belong?

• Catholics
• Orthodox
• Mainline Protestants (an American term that lumps together “older” denominations like Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, etc.)
• Evangelicals
• Charismatics
• Mormons
• Christians that cannot be considered part of the above 6 cohorts
• Religious or spiritual people, but non-Christian
• Non-religious and non-spiritual people

Interesting Cross-Referenced Responses

Percentage “Country, >4 responses” against “Morality/immorality of gay intimacy.”

Percentage “Country, >4 responses” against “Social effect of gay marriage acceptance, clamped to ‘Unknown/Neutral/Improve’ vs. ‘Bad.'”

Percentage “Emulating God’s attributes” against “Negative social effect of gay marriage acceptance.”

Percentage “Countries, top 8 + skipped” against “Subscriptive cohort.”

Percentage “Countries, top 4,” against “Subscriptive cohort.”

Percentage “Subscriptive cohort” against “Countries, top 4,” inverted.

Percentage “Emulating God’s attributes” against “Homosexuality chosen?”

Percentage “Homosexuality chosen?” against “Response to inactive homosexuals in church.”

Percentage “Subscriptive cohort” against “Emulating God’s attributes.”

Percentage “Subscriptive cohort” against “Homosexuality chosen?”

Percentage “Subscriptive cohort” against “Morality of gay intimacy.”

Percentage “Morality of gay intimacy” against “Effect of acceptance of gay marriage on society, ‘bad effects’ clamped.”

Percentage “Subscriptive cohort” against “Church response to active homosexuals.”