WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 24: Aaron M. Laxton, joined a few thousand activists and protesters in a march to the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2012. The overarching theme of the protests called for an end to AIDS. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

All signs point to the fact that, on the whole, the U.S. is moving toward a much more tolerant stance on same-sex marriage and LGBT issues, in general.

A recent survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) delineated the ways in which Americans' beliefs surrounding LGBT issues have shifted. Included in this was the fact that far fewer Americans today believe AIDS might be a punishment from God.

Believe it or not, in 1992, a whopping 36 percent of Americans believed AIDS might be God’s punishment for immoral sexual behavior. Only 57 percent strongly disagreed. In 2013, 14 percent of Americans believed AIDS might be punishment from God, while a full 81 percent actively disagreed with this notion.

Americans are also considerably more judgmental toward those living with HIV or AIDS in the U.S. than they are toward those living with HIV or AIDS in the developing world. Sixty-five percent of Americans believe those living with HIV or AIDS in the U.S. became infected due to irresponsible behavior, while only 41 percent say the same about those living with HIV or AIDS in the developing world.

Since the outbreak of AIDS in the early 1980s, some conservative religious groups have come forward to loudly blame so-called "immoral" lifestyles for the epidemic. In 1987, Reverend Jerry Falwell famously said, “God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah primarily because of the sin of homosexuality. Today He is again bringing judgment against this wicked practice through AIDS.”