Spirituality
Abraham Maslow did not recognize a need for spirituality. Subsequent psychologists have.
Spirituality provides answer in the face of uncertainty, supplies comfort in times of need and inspires hope for a better future.
Spirituality deals with the spiritual, which is that which lies beyond the individual and their environment.
Spirituality should not be confused with religion, particularly with any specific religion. While most religions profess a monopoly on the spiritual, in reality, spirituality is any system of belief which allows for the consideration of a world beyond our immediate environment and the implications thereof.
God as a Construct
Some psychologists see God is a construct for society’s acceptance and rejection of its mores. In this construct, God loves the saints and punishes the sinners. This simplistic construct of God is what has caused many gay people to abandon religion as traditional religious dogma has been antithetical to gay people. This, in turn, has caused them to reject the existence of God. If one were to view God in a much broader light than simply as one who rewards and punishes, it may be possible for gay people to broaden their believes in the spiritual realm.
There is no way to prove using the scientific method that there is or is not a God, at least, not yet. Because of this you can believe what you want but conclude nothing.
It is possible if there is a deity that someday we might be able to encounter such a deity in a manner which does not rely on the faith of others but on human experiences subject to the scientific method.
Jesus
Some question the divinity of Jesus. It is much harder to question the divinity of his message. If the whole world adhered to his basic message, there would be world peace.
In the Sermon on the Mound, Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment—to love God above all else or to love your neighbor as yourself? (The Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus.) Modern Bibles translate the answer saying that the two commandments are like each other. In reality, Jesus used a very popular first-century technique called Gezera Shava What Jesus said was that the two commandments are one in the same: to love God above all things is to love your neighbor as yourself. This is not just good theology, it is good science. Brain imaging shows that we receive as much internal reward when we help others as much as if we were helping ourselves.
Jesus’ Brand
If Jesus were a corporation and he had a brand, he would be pissed as hell about how his brand has been sullied. In Jesus’ name, Christians have conducted unholy wars against Muslims, tortured and murdered Jews, justified slavery, subjugated women and marginalized gay people. All of these violate Jesus singular message that if you want to love God above all things, you must love your neighbor as yourself.
Sin
Sin is a concept which has run its time. This is not to say that people shouldn’t be responsible for their behavior. Responsibility should be based on the natural consequences of one’s actions rather than on religious precepts. From a psychological viewpoint, the concept of sin is inefficient. We know that people respond much more favorably and with less anxiety to positive reinforcement.
Sin focuses on the negative and instills fear. It teaches that people can be bad (unless they are redeemed). This is completely at odds with the notion that all people have worth. If God loves everyone, there must be some intrinsic good in all people. It’s a choice whether you want to focus on the evil or goodness of human beings.
Personal responsibility requires that when you interfere in the fulfillment of the needs of others (what people of religion would call sin) that you admit your mistake, take responsibility for it, apologize for it, make amends and promise never to do it again.
Homosexuality
What does all of this have to do with homosexuality? The Golden Rule makes sense whether one is religious or just spiritual. Gay people and straight people alike are capable of following this rule. Spirituality offers the opportunity to focus on the goodness of human beings to the exclusion of sin and allows for a gay person to take responsibility for his or her actions without resort to religion. Because much of religion is focused on the traditional role of sin, religion often adheres to a negative view of human beings, which from a psychological viewpoint is less effective in achieving optimal behavior for each individual.