Heteronormativity

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Very detailed and informative, KBerg.

Although, now I must ask the question, if they see something that's wrong with it or would shatter their illusion, wouldn't they start questioning its legitimacy and find a more plausible philosophy?

Some do. It's rare in the more extreme cases, but it's been known to happen. More so to those who fall to the more hateful rhetoric when young it seems than those who've lived decades in such mindset. Sometimes you'll hear stories for instance of a skinhead who's realized how wrong he was as he got older, it's not a common story though I've heard of a few. But it shows that it can happen. I've had friends who's parents were very religious, once they found out their children were gay it was difficult to them. In time though they realized that (in their case) they loved their kids so much they couldn't reconcile the idea their church held of homosexuality as a sin with their children being gay. Something had to give and in those cases, the love of the kids won. It doesn't always end that way, I also know of someone who got beat up to point of needing hospitalization and then thrown out on the street.

I know of some who've felt guilt at doubting their holy books when they didn't make sense, that's how strong their need for it to be absolutely correct was. To them it wasn't a question of logic, that two contradicting directives from a book that's supposed to be absolute truth had to mean one of them was wrong - and if one was wrong then absolute truth could no longer apply to the book. It was a matter of them not having enough faith to just know which parts their church knew was God's absolute immutable truth and which was not. They felt they'd failed both their religious community and their god by noticing something like that. So the reaction wasn't to question further, it was to atone for this failing by doing better on accepting what their priest or religious organization told them - to get back into the good graces of god and god's community (through the guidance of their priest/church).

In at least one case it was a matter of being raised to that religion, being taught that the priest knew about God, he didn't and that even children should feel guilt and shame at all the sin in them - even when concerning heterosexual feelings. Of course, that shame at failing to live up to the bible didn't exactly stick once he grew up, that guy is now a die-hard atheist who likes men. I should probably add that that's a factor, social pressure, if everyone in your community or church feels a certain way, and feels so very strongly that they may even feel believing differently makes someone outright evil - it becomes a lot more difficult and scary to question those values. In my friend's case he only came out after he'd moved out and lived in another country for a few years. Of course there are also people who question and find something else such as my friends' parents who moved away from the more extreme churches. It's just not a universal reaction, it's just as likely that a person goes in the opposite direction if their faith is challenged.

why? blame religious nut jobs