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More Churches Accepting of Homosexuals, New Survey Finds

Increasing numbers of churches in recent years are welcoming gays and lesbians and are allowing them to hold leadership positions. A survey headed by researchers at Duke University and the University of Chicago, as part of the National Congregations Study, found that between 2006 and 2012, the number of congregations allowing openly homosexual couples to become members grew by 11 percent (from 37 percent to 48 percent). The number of churches allowing gay or lesbian members to assume lay leadership positions also increased from 18 percent in 2006 to 26 percent in 2012.

According to data from the Pew Research Center, the percentage of adults in the United States who say that society should accept homosexuality has grown from 51 percent in 2006 to 62 percent in 2014, and acceptance of same-sex marriage among the public has grown from 35 percent to 50 percent. More than 90 percent of the LGBT community in the U.S. agrees that the nation has become increasingly more accepting of them during the past decade. But nearly 30 percent of LGBT adults surveyed say they have felt unwelcome in a place of worship, and 80 percent named the Catholic Church as unfriendly toward gays and lesbians.