Is It a Sin?: The Therapeutic Turn and Changing Views on Homosexuality in the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1952-1984

Views on marriage, sexuality, and gender changed remarkably in Western culture during the twentieth century. It has been argued that this change is, in part, the result of a therapeutic turn, which means that, after the Second World War, different psychological and therapeutic ideas, ideals, and tec...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Ratinen, Teemu (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Springer Science Business Media B. V. [2017]
Dans: Pastoral psychology
Année: 2017, Volume: 66, Numéro: 5, Pages: 641-656
Classifications IxTheo:KAJ Époque contemporaine
KBE Scandinavie
KDD Église protestante
NCF Éthique sexuelle
RG Aide spirituelle; pastorale
ZD Psychologie
Sujets non-standardisés:B Family counseling
B Homosexuality
B Evangelical Lutheran Church
B Finland
B Same-sex marriage
B Therapeutic turn
B Homosexuality Religious aspects Evangelical churches
Accès en ligne: Volltext (doi)
Description
Résumé:Views on marriage, sexuality, and gender changed remarkably in Western culture during the twentieth century. It has been argued that this change is, in part, the result of a therapeutic turn, which means that, after the Second World War, different psychological and therapeutic ideas, ideals, and techniques have increased in prevalence within culture as a whole, religion included. This article examines how the rise of different psychotherapeutic discourses changed the view on homosexuality in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and how this cultural shift constructed religious and sexual subjectivity. The material for the analysis consists of memoranda, handbooks, articles, official statements, and reports of the Church and of the Family Affairs Committee of the Church. A close reading of the material shows that the therapeutic turn of the Finnish Church resulted from a turn to a psychoanalytical understanding of the human psyche. Within the new paradigm, homosexuality is seen as an identity and a trait of personality rather than a sin or a sickness, as it had been understood earlier. Instead of protecting society from homosexuality, the Church aims at accepting and supporting homosexual individuals.
ISSN:1573-6679
Contient:Enthalten in: Pastoral psychology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s11089-017-0778-9