How does religion effect Jay & Paul’s sexuality & way of living

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Title
Date
The Impact of Religion on Jay and Paul’s Sexuality and Way of Living
Outline:
Thesis: A sense of personal identity and social inclusion influence one’s level of self-actualization, but some religious beliefs work against the achievement.
Topic Sentences:
A: Religious beliefs affect an individual’s sense of identity, which negatively impacts their self-actualization. In the story, Jay and Paul strive to identify as gay men due to the negative image the sexual orientation from the Christianity perception.
B. Fundamentalist Christian beliefs can lead to social isolation, which is a barrier to self-actualization. People are social beings and they need each other to actualize their dreams. However, religious beliefs can drive some people to social isolation due to the conviction that they are sinners.
Relevant Quotations:
A: In the novel, Jay explains his fear of relocating to African countries as a gay man. He is aware that same-sex relationships are not tolerated in the region. He cites cases where gay men have been murdered in the region, because they are considered less human. He states, “to be gay is to be subhuman” (Thomas 76).
B. Paul flees home and alienates himself from his family. He yearns for acceptance, but his mother constantly reminds him of the damnation of sexual immorality. He resorts to rap music and poetry, stating, “…brothers who sin together bond better” (Thomas 110).
C. Jay realizes the extent of his loneliness during his mothers’ illness. He needs his brother, but he cannot find him and has to be with his mother alone. He says, “...I check my cellphone…nothing, no message from Paul…” (Thomas 3). The message indicates his frustration at the realization of how lonely his life had been. He realizes that he has to accept his sexuality, as Paul did.
D. Jay narrates about the harsh conditions that they experienced after relocating to Montreal from the Caribbean. He states, “…the traumatic experience of the ice storm … left us in awe of winter’s destructive power (Thomas 160)”. The sentence can be viewed as a metaphorical way that Thomas used to show the frustration that the brothers experienced after emigrating. They could have been hopeful that they would finally express their sexuality in Montreal, but religion was still a constraint.
E. Devoid of religiosity, people can relate with each other harmoniously. In the novel, Grama, the brothers’ grandmother was a Christian, yet she did not allow her beliefs to get into the way of nurturing Jay and Paul. “I catch myself biting the nail of my right thumb, a habit Grama had tried in vain to break (Thomas 293).”
Essay
Religious teachings provide guidance on morality, which influences people’s their behavior. In Christianity, for example, the Ten Commandments highlight the acceptable behaviors that individuals should embrace. Biblical teachings also explain the dire consequences of defying the commandments. Although religion helps one develop their moral character, religiosity can have devastating effects on people’s lives. In his novel No Safeguards, Nigel Thomas explains how fundamentalist Christian credence negatively influenced Jay and Paul’s lives. Since childhood, the two brothers were aware of their sexuality, but they could not identify as gay because of their religious beliefs. In Christian faith, same-sex relationships are intolerable and individuals who engage in homosexuality are considered sinners. Jay and Paul’s parents were staunch Christians and they instilled the fear of damnation in the boys. Therefore, even though Jay and Paul were aware of their sexuality, they could not identify as gay publicly. This led to their loss of personal sense of belonging, which negatively impacted their self-actualization. One would imagine that religion would serve as a symbol of unity in families because love is among the major Biblical te...