Religion and homosexuality Because different Christian denominations have diverse methods of interpreting the Bible , they develop belief systems that are poles apart. Some commentators view Christianity as two separate religions , one liberal and the other conservative. They are seen as sharing the Bible, a name, and little else.
Individual denominations hold different beliefs on many controversial social topics .
But perhaps the most passionately held belief, next only to a woman's access to abortion, is homosexuality. Whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry. Whether they should be accepted as church members. Whether they should be considered for ordination as clergy. Conservatives tend to value historical laws criminalizing homosexual behavior, and exclusionary rules against membership and ordination within the church.