A Nietzschean Perspective on Church Affiliation and Self-Esteem Among Same-Sex-Attracted Members of the Mormon Church

Abstract

The conflict between self-identity and religious doctrine is underinvestigated in lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons. This article examines the association between religious affiliation and self-esteem in a sample of 150 same-sex-attracted current and former members of the Mormon Church and proposes a Nietzschean perspective for clinical social work in this population. Cross-sectional data were collected through a Web-based 18-item survey composed of the Mormon Affiliation Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Analysis methods included univariate analysis using a Dunnett C post hoc test and Pearson correlation. We found a slightly positive association between ceasing church affiliation and improved self-esteem. Recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Nietzsche
• oppression
• self-esteem
• sexual orientation
• religion
• lesbian
• gay
• bisexual

Notes

¹Religious fundamentalism refers to the belief that “there is only one set of religious teachings that clearly contain the fundamental … essential truth about humanity and deity” (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992, p. 118).