ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Health → Mind & Brain

If a gay Mormon man marries a woman, divorce is likely, study finds

While this study may seem hilariously obvious at first, it was actually necessary. When Mormon religion meets homosexuality, the results are often so mind blowing and saddening that you just need studies like this to explain how things really are. In a society which believes that homosexuality is something treatable just like alcoholism, you need a study to tell people that if a gay man marries a woman, divorce is very likely.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
January 14, 2015
in Mind & Brain, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

While this study may seem hilariously obvious at first, it was actually necessary. When Mormon religion meets homosexuality, the results are often so mind blowing and saddening that you just need studies like this to explain how things really are. In a society which believes that homosexuality is something treatable just like alcoholism, you need a study to tell people that if a gay man marries a woman, divorce is very likely.

Even though same sex marriages are legal in most US states and in many countries throughout the world, that’s not the case for Ohio. Most of the 6.1 million mormons living in the US (most of which are in Ohio) couldn’t even imagine same sex marriages. In fact, many preachers claim that if you’re a homosexual and you marry a woman, god will take away your “temptation”. Even though there are LGBT members in the mormon community, they are allowed to remain there only if they abstain from homosexual relations and obey the law of chastity.

Image via Salon.

While there are no official numbers, Gary Watts, former president of Family Fellowship, estimates that only 10 percent of homosexuals stay in the church. The thing is, most mormons still want to be a part of the church – even if they’re gay. So they’re willing to even try marrying someone from the different sex, even if that’s not their orientation. Now, a new study on 1,612 self-selected LGBT/same-sex attracted Mormons and former Mormons found that this clearly doesn’t work – if you are a homosexual man and you marry a woman, your homosexuality isn’t going to disappear like a charm.

John Dehlin, a doctoral student at Utah State University, and Bill Bradshaw, a retired Brigham Young University professor, with help from Renee Galliher, also of USU, solicited responses via various websites, thus creating the largest study ever conducted on homosexual mormons. Here are the study’s main findings:

  • Between 51 and 69 percent of mixed-orientation Mormon marriages end in divorce, well above the roughly 25 percent.
  • 80 percent of respondents have actively tried to change their sexual orientation
  • 53 percent rejected their religious identity
  • 42 percent were currently single, while 35 percent were in committed same-sex relationships, and 16 percent were married in a heterosexual relationship.

The study was conducted on people from 48 states (45 percent in Utah) and 22 countries; 75 percent were male, 22 percent female; 91 percent were white; 7 percent were excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 25 percent had resigned, 36 percent were inactive, 29 percent were active, and 3 percent had been disfellowshipped. Quite some striking numbers, and all of them really show one thing: homosexuality and being a mormon don’t really go well together. Most people try to reject either the former or the latter.

Not only did most marriages end in divorce, but many experienced what they call a triple blame: “first for being gay, then for having ruined the lives of their spouses and children by … marry[ing] in the service of trying to ‘overcome’ their homosexuality, and then finally for having failed in the marriage and ‘given up”, says Kendall Wilcox, who has collected more than 300 narratives from LGBT Mormons and their families.

The study also concluded that mormon gays were much more likely to become involved in “personal righteousness” efforts — prayer, fasting, church activity, temple worship etc, in an effort to “rid themselves of the gayness”. Sadly, some even tried the discredited “reparative theory”, which attempts to turn a gay man straight. The American Psychiatric Association has condemned such practices and has stated that  “Ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals’ sexual orientation.”

RelatedPosts

Study: Pakistan’s public school textbooks portray non-Muslim citizens as “religiously inferior, scheming and intolerant”
Private foundation awards after-life research grant worth $5 million
Pakistan airline sacrificed a goat in its airport to get rid of bad luck
Religious people are worse at math, biology, and physics than non-religious people

Still, the situation doesn’t seem like it will likely change in the near future. I truly hope that mormon religion will find a way to encompass homosexuality and not directly or indirectly destroy the lives of innocent men and women who can’t choose their sexual orientation. Depression and even suicide often accompany this situation.

 

 

 

Tags: homosexualitymormonreligion

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Animals

Same-Sex Behavior Is Surprisingly Common in Animals — Humans Are No Exception

byMihai Andrei
4 weeks ago
News

Religious people aren’t more generous than atheists — but there’s a catch

byTibi Puiu
5 months ago
A robot attached to wires.
Anthropology

Researchers tried out AI preachers — and it didn’t go so well

byRupendra Brahambhatt
2 years ago
Biology

What’s the evolutionary explanation for homosexuality? Ironically, genes that help people make more babies may be involved

byTibi Puiu
4 years ago

Recent news

AI and Brain Scans Reveal Why You Struggle to Recognize Faces of People of Other Races

May 13, 2025

Mysterious Stone Circles on Remote Scottish Island May Have Been Home to Humans Before Stonehenge Existed

May 12, 2025

People Spend $12,000 to Tattoo Their Eyes and Change Their Color but the Risks Are Still Unknown

May 12, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.