Why Chris Pratt’s Church Hurts Gay People.

Religious Trauma Syndrome is defined as the condition experienced by people who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion, and coping with the damages of indoctrination (source). It is a very common story of a LGBTQ person feeling victimized and traumatized by their religious institution. Churches have often been unwelcoming, and in some instances, hateful towards the LGBTQ community.

In a recent interview, Chris Pratt remarks about his affiliation with the megachurch Hillsong. This evangelical institution has a long history of being anti-LGBTQ and also have a wide reach among practicing Christians. This institution has done something that many other religious institutions have been unable to do, go mainstream. This blog is not to critique or call out any particular person that is affiliated with this church, but instead to highlight the systemic and institutional inequalities that exist with a church such as Hillsong and the influence they have on LGBTQ people.

Evangelical churches are known within the gay community as doing a lot of harm and causing a great deal of mental anguish. Many LGBTQ folks come to therapy to sort out their religious beliefs and their identity concerns. If a person belongs to this institution, I am not critiquing them personally. However, I do think that there must be an honest ongoing conversation around the damage that these institutions can cause. Churches have long since been a difficult contender for the LGBTQ community. Activating and triggering thoughts/feelings of shame, guilt, and struggle within LGBTQ people.

I do believe that religious institutions can be affirming and accepting of LGBTQ people, but I am quite skeptical of institutions who either gloss over the damage that churches and religious institutions have caused. In an effort to remain “mainstream” or “neutral,” these institutions represent something that many of the clients I serve struggle with. That “if my identity does not match up with what is required of me in the Bible, then I am broken and sinning.”

For some people in the LGBTQ community, the church is the centerpiece of their family life and how many of them were taught to ethically center themselves. Many of these LGBTQ people find themselves at odds with the teachings of their church. By the sheer fact that they are same-sex attracted or questioning their gender identity, they are lesser in the eyes of the church. I could write a book about the effects that church and religion have on LGBTQ people, as the effect is quite huge.

For some reason, we often struggle to name this issue. I don't intend to defend or highlight the discrepancies of religious doctrine and gender/sexual identity; that is better left to philosophers. Instead, I am required by the research and ethics of my profession to name the very real and measurable effects these institutions have on people. If we dismiss their influence over LGBTQ people, then we dismiss the anguish and shame of a very real lived experience.

Church plays a crucial role in some people's lives and in shaping who they are. This is a foundational role that is played in many LGBTQ people's lives. If we are to say that parents should recognize the importance of their influence over their children. Then so must we acknowledge the foundational and extraordinary impact a church may play on a person's development. Churches like Hillsong sweep the effects that they have on LGBTQ people under the rug. I think it is intellectually and philosophically irresponsible to deny or worse, ignore the effects that these institutions have on LGBTQ people.

Maybe I don't hold people like Chris Pratt or Justin Bieber (visible members of Hillsong) personally accountable for these issues, but I do think that we should talk about their affiliation with these institutions. It is often said that counselors and therapists should keep their political agenda outside of their clinical work, but I can't and I won't. I witness daily the effects that these institutions have on their congregation members. I recognize the deep scars that exist within LGBTQ people caused by the shame and guilt these institutions instill and I have to say something about it.

So what do we do about it? There are extraordinary examples of religious institutions naming very specifically the inequities that exist between the church and LGBTQ people. Look to these institutions for guidance. Open and affirming congregations name the uncomfortable experience that exists for LGBTQ people and the church. They recognized the responsibility that they have and the extraordinary influence that they maintain in people's lives.

How is this remotely a counseling issue? Well, it affects the development of LGBTQ people. It causes shame, guilt, depression, and anxiety to name a few. These are square within the sites of a counselors responsibility to address. If we don't name these problematic issues then, how will we ever begin to have a dialogue about their profound effects? Therapists are no longer staying quiet and naming issues within the therapy room. We are taking to the street and naming the very real inequities and systemic issues that exist for our clients. It's a model of prevention instead of intervention.

If you are struggling with religious trauma, and need support contact me at counselingwithnate.com.