"What are we so afraid of?" : A study of views on homosexuality in the General Synod's debates during the years 1988-1997

During the last decades, the Church of Sweden has undergone a radical change in relation to homosexuality. This work aims to examine part of this process by focusing on how the General Synod of the Church of Sweden has discussed homosexuality during the 1990s. The overall purpose of this study is to examine the views on homosexuality that are visible in the debates of the General Synod of the Church of Sweden between 1988 and 1997, as well as how these views have changed during this period. To attain this, the study is based on two questions: “Which theses and arguments for and against the inclusion of homosexuals are expressed in the debates and motions of the General Synod during the period?” and “Which normative systems are formed and expressed in the debates? How are these upheld and challenged?” The material of the study consists of protocols, motions, and reports from the General Synod. There are four years during the period, which include one or more motions concerning homosexuality: 1988, 1994, 1995, and 1997. The method used to process the material is an argument analysis. To deepen the analysis, this study uses the theories of Judith Butler and Quentin Skinner. None of the proposals from the motions passed in the General Synod during the period. All the debates, except the ones in 1995, ended in the General Synod deciding to wait further before making a definitive decision concerning homosexuality. Instead, the Synod decides to either order an inquiry, delegate responsibility, or await further information. The study concludes that the debates form a normative system where homosexuals are accepted, although this acceptance is highly conditioned. The debates also show multiple views of homosexuality, including views that degrade or alienate homosexuals, as well as views that depict homosexuals as equals. The latter category increases throughout the period.