This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Please check back later for the full article.
Significant topics addressed in the study of sexuality and religion in the United States from precolonial times to the early twenty-first century include menstruation, puberty, reproduction, contraception, miscegenation, chastity, sexual variance, sexual prohibitions, sexual identity, sexual performance, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues. Providing examples from a wide historical time frame and a broad religious spectrum and pointing to comparisons and distinctions among religious traditions regarding sexuality, sexual identity, and sexual practices show that ideas about sexuality in religious groups and contexts have changed over time. The majority of scholarship on religion and sexuality in the United States has been published since the 1990s and much (although not all) is focused on contemporary issues. Also of relevance are contemporary U.S. debates about sexuality and religion that have become part of the public discussion of religious freedom and civic values, as well as relevant court cases (for example, the Hobby Lobby case argued in front of the Supreme Court in March 2014) and public discussions.
Sexuality and religion: from the court of appeal to the social work classroom
