Just like racism and sexism, homophobia is just as important and part of our culture and is a type of discrimination that, unfortunately, will remain a problem throughout my generation and many more generations to come. Religion and the idea of ​​homosexuality tend to be offensive to many religious people, especially Christians. One of the “golden rules” set forth in the Bible is to treat others as you would like to be treated; Yet many Christians consistently mistreat homosexuals. Homosexuality within Christianity has many aspects and many problems arise from it. For decades, homosexuals have been seen as worshipers of evil, and along with this discrimination, many have been labeled as vulgar, stubborn and mean. “Even though some regions of the United States have made progress in securing gay rights, Bible Belt states are lagging behind. » (Barton, 70 years old). There are those who believe that it is a sin in the eyes of God and according to the Bible, and there are those who understand that God and the Bible are not specific to gays. The link between religion and homosexuality may differ between religions. On this point, many religious groups are negative toward homosexuality, and there are many different types of actions they can take toward homosexual behavior. In many Christian families that have a homosexual individual in the family, most choose to keep it a secret so as not to be rejected by family, friends, and neighbors (Barton, 87). However, on this point, many religions consider two people of the same sexual orientation to be a positive thing and many religious people may even bless and support homosexuals. Although there are "several Christian groups that openly support lesbians and gays." ..... middle of article ......= 4GVN: Compulsory Christianity and Homosexuality in the Bible Belt Panopticon. " Feminist Trainings 23.1 (2011): 70-93. MUSE Project. Web. June 1, 2014. . Melendez, Michael P. and Michael C. LaSala “Who Oppresses Who? Homosexuality, Christianity, and Social Work." Social Work 51.4 (2006 ): 371-377. Academic Search Premier. Web. June 1, 2014. O'Brien, Jodi. “A sociology of religion and homosexuality.” A sociology of religion and homosexuality. Contemporary sociology, 2005. Web. June 1, 2014. Sullivan-Blum, Constance R. “The Natural Order of Creation”: Naturalizing Discourses in the Christian Same-Sex Marriage Debate. JSTOR. Canadian Society of Anthropology, 2006. Web. June 1, 2014.Zahniser, James and Lisa Cagle. “Homosexuality: towards an enlightened and compassionate response. » EBSCO host. Christian Scholar Review, April 2007. Web. June 1 2014.