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<p>This article examines how queer individuals in Norway navigate tensions between their sexual or gender identities and the expectations of nonaccepting religious environments. Based on ten in-depth interviews analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, the study shows how participants’ religious lifeworlds—shaped by the norms and messages within their faith communities—created deep moral conflict, shame, and fear of divine punishment. These experiences became embodied, often resulting in somatic reactions, internalized stigma, and long-term challenges related to sexuality and intimacy. Many participants encountered explicit or implicit attempts at conversion, which reinforced heteronormative orientations and restricted their imagined life trajectories. The findings demonstrate how religious moral worlds become lived and felt through the body, and how reorientation requires a profound renegotiation of both spiritual meaning and embodied memory. The article contributes valuable insights for professionals in healthcare, counselling, and social work by highlighting the specific challenges faced by queer individuals with religious backgrounds and the need for trauma-informed, faith-aware support.</p>

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“Do You Really Want to Give Up an Eternity in Heaven for a Moment of Carnal Desire?”—Queer Norwegians’ Experiences of Nonaccepting Religious Environments

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月16日

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  • Maria Bye,
  • Tor-Ivar Karlsen,
  • Charlotta Carlström

摘要

This article examines how queer individuals in Norway navigate tensions between their sexual or gender identities and the expectations of nonaccepting religious environments. Based on ten in-depth interviews analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, the study shows how participants’ religious lifeworlds—shaped by the norms and messages within their faith communities—created deep moral conflict, shame, and fear of divine punishment. These experiences became embodied, often resulting in somatic reactions, internalized stigma, and long-term challenges related to sexuality and intimacy. Many participants encountered explicit or implicit attempts at conversion, which reinforced heteronormative orientations and restricted their imagined life trajectories. The findings demonstrate how religious moral worlds become lived and felt through the body, and how reorientation requires a profound renegotiation of both spiritual meaning and embodied memory. The article contributes valuable insights for professionals in healthcare, counselling, and social work by highlighting the specific challenges faced by queer individuals with religious backgrounds and the need for trauma-informed, faith-aware support.