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Rift Forms in Movement as Belief in Gay ‘Cure’ Is Renounced
For more than three decades, Exodus International has been the leading force in the so-called ex-gay movement, which holds that homosexuals can be “cured” through Christian prayer and psychotherapy.
Exodus leaders claimed its network of ministries had helped tens of thousands rid themselves of unwanted homosexual urges. The notion that homosexuality is not inborn but a choice was seized on by conservative Christian groups who oppose legal protections for gay men and lesbians and same-sex marriage.
But the ex-gay movement has been convulsed as the leader of Exodus, in a series of public statements and a speech to the group’s annual meeting last week, renounced some of the movement’s core beliefs. Alan Chambers, 40, the president, declared that there was no cure for homosexuality and that “reparative therapy” offered false hopes to gays and could even be harmful. His statements have led to charges of heresy and a growing schism within the network.
“For the last 37 years, Exodus has been a bright light, arguably the brightest one for those with same-sex attraction seeking an authentically Christian hope,” said Andrew Comiskey, founder and director of Desert Stream Ministries, based in Kansas City, Mo., one of 11 ministries that defected. His group left Exodus in May, Mr. Comiskey said in an e-mail, “due to leader Alan Chambers’s appeasement of practicing homosexuals who claim to be Christian” as well as his questioning of the reality of “sexual orientation change.”
In a phone interview Thursday from Orlando, Fla., where Exodus has its headquarters, Mr. Chambers amplified on the views that have stirred so much controversy. He said that virtually every “ex-gay” he has ever met still harbors homosexual cravings, himself included. Mr. Chambers, who left the gay life to marry and have two children, said that gay Christians like himself faced a lifelong spiritual struggle to avoid sin and should not be afraid to admit it.
He said Exodus could no longer condone reparative therapy, which blames homosexuality on emotional scars in childhood and claims to reshape the psyche. And in a theological departure that has caused the sharpest reaction from conservative pastors, Mr. Chambers said he believed that those who persist in homosexual behavior could still be saved by Christ and go to heaven.
Only a few years ago, Mr. Chambers was featured in advertisements along with his wife, Leslie, saying, “Change is possible.” But now, he said in the interview, “Exodus needs to move beyond that slogan.”
“I believe that any sexual expression outside of heterosexual, monogamous marriage is sinful according to the Bible,” Mr. Chambers emphasized. “But we’ve been asking people with same-sex attractions to overcome something in a way that we don’t ask of anyone else,” he said, noting that Christians with other sins, whether heterosexual lust, pornography, pride or gluttony, do not receive the same blanket condemnations.
Mr. Chambers’s comments come at a time of widening acceptance of homosexuality and denunciation of reparative therapy by professional societies that say it is based on faulty science and potentially harmful.
A bill to outlaw “conversion therapy” for minors has passed the California Senate and is now before the State Assembly. Earlier this year, a prominent psychiatrist, Dr. Robert L. Spitzer, apologized for publishing what he now calls an invalid study, which said many patients had largely or totally switched their sexual orientation.
Defenders of the therapy say that it can bring deep changes in sexual orientation and that the attacks are politically motivated.
David H. Pickup, a therapist in Glendale, Calif., who specializes in the treatment, said restricting it would harm people who are unhappy with their homosexuality by “making them feel that no change is possible at all.”
Mr. Pickup, an officer of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, composed of like-minded therapists, said reparative therapy had achieved profound changes for thousands of people, including himself. The therapy, he said, had helped him confront emotional wounds and “my homosexual feelings began to dissipate and attractions for women grew.”
Some in the ex-gay world are more scathing about Mr. Chambers.
“I think Mr. Chambers is tired of his own personal struggles, so he’s making excuses for them by making sweeping generalizations about others,” said Gregg Quinlan, a conservative lobbyist in New Jersey and president of a support group called Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays.
Exodus International, with a budget of $1.5 million provided by donors and member churches, is on a stable footing, Mr. Chambers said. He said the shifts in theology had the support of the Exodus board and had been welcomed by many of the 150 churches that are members in North America, which increasingly have homosexuals in their congregations. More opposition has come from affiliated ministries specifically devoted to sex-related therapies, with 11 quitting Exodus so far while about 70 remain.
In another sign of change, the vice chairman of the Exodus board, Dennis Jernigan, was forced to resign in June after he supported anti-sodomy laws in Jamaica. The board pledged to fight efforts anywhere to criminalize sexual acts between consenting adults.
Robert Gagnon, an associate professor at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of books on homosexuality and the Bible, last week issued a public call for Mr. Chambers to resign. “My greatest concern has to do with Alan’s repeated assurances to homosexually active ‘gay Christians’ that they will be with him in heaven,” he said in an e-mail.
Gay rights advocates said they were encouraged by Mr. Chambers’s recent turn but remained wary of Exodus, which they feel has caused enormous harm.
“Exodus International played the key role in planting the message that people can go from gay to straight through religion and therapy,” said Wayne Besen, director of Truth Wins Out, a group that refutes what it considers misinformation about gays and lesbians. “And the notion that one can change is the centerpiece of the religious right’s argument for denying us rights.”
Many of the local ministries in Exodus continue to attack gays and lesbians, said David Roberts, editor of the Web site Ex-Gay Watch, and they often have close ties with reparative therapists. He speculated that Mr. Chambers was trying to steer the group in a moderate direction because “they were becoming pariahs” in a society that is more accepting of gay people.
Mr. Chambers said he was simply trying to restore Exodus to its original purpose when it was founded in 1976: providing spiritual support for Christians who are struggling with homosexual attraction.
He said that he was happy in his marriage, with a “love and devotion much deeper than anything I experienced in gay life,” but that he knew this was not feasible for everyone. Many Christians with homosexual urges may have to strive for lives of celibacy.
But those who fail should not be severely judged, he said, adding, “We all struggle or fall in some way.”
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/07/us/a-leaders-renunciation-of-ex-gay-tenets-causes-a-schism.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=us
Sometimes you think about progression in the development of our society and then you read this. However I don't want to judge about anyone's belief, just hope for the responsible people behind these kinds of organisations that they realize sometime what harm and pain they cause over some human beings.
(edit: this is no "bash religion" thread, please keep that in mind and respect the different views)
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I didn't realize this was news to anyone. This has been fairly high profile for a while (so much so that its so well known that it isn't covered anymore).
Far right Christians will do anything.
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Your name...oh the irony.
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It seemed interesting at first, actually "repairing" people back to a straight orientation, at least from a scientific viewpoint... ...then I read further and see "Christian.." and I stopped reading there.
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On July 07 2012 23:26 Shai wrote: I didn't realize this was news to anyone. This has been fairly high profile for a while (so much so that its so well known that it isn't covered anymore).
Far right Christians will do anything.
Extremists in general will do anything. It's pretty disgusting anyway but these idiots shouldn't get to much attention.
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....homosexuals can be “cured” through Christian prayer and psychotherapy....
Didn't read further, should I ?
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On July 07 2012 23:29 Bleak wrote: It seemed interesting at first, actually "repairing" people back to a straight orientation, at least from a scientific viewpoint... ...then I read further and see "Christian.." and I stopped reading there.
Same here, extremist christians are crazy. Let's just hope these kinds of practices disappear soon.
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On July 07 2012 23:31 zezamer wrote: ....homosexuals can be “cured” through Christian prayer and psychotherapy....
Didn't read further, should I ?
If you want a good laugh go ahead.
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On July 07 2012 23:31 zezamer wrote: ....homosexuals can be “cured” through Christian prayer and psychotherapy....
Didn't read further, should I ?
Don't bother.
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That was interesting. I have to wonder how many of the "ex-gays" that consider the supposed treatment to have worked simply have an orientation evolution during the time they were in such repairs, which made it seem like the therapy actually did something.
Such an interesting thought, to hide ones natural self for their own beliefs. Sounds like a very sad inner conflict to have.
I don't foresee this thread ending anywhere but the whole "gays aren't people" or "religion is evil" arguments, though :/
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United States5162 Posts
I love how everyone starts hating on something when apparently a large majority of the group(~70 ministries vs 11)is trying to change for the better. They're no longer going to try and cure 'gay', just help gay Christians who are trying to resolve being gay and being Christian.
Mr. Chambers said he was simply trying to restore Exodus to its original purpose when it was founded in 1976: providing spiritual support for Christians who are struggling with homosexual attraction.
Some of you guys might want to read shit and think for a second rather than jumping on hate bandwagon - it reminds me of certain extremist ideologies.
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On July 07 2012 23:37 Myles wrote:I love how everyone starts hating on something when apparently a large majority of the group(~70 ministries vs 11)is trying to change for the better. They're no longer going to try and cure 'gay', just help gay Christians who are trying to resolve being gay and being Christian. Show nested quote +Mr. Chambers said he was simply trying to restore Exodus to its original purpose when it was founded in 1976: providing spiritual support for Christians who are struggling with homosexual attraction. Some of you guys might want to read shit and think for a second rather than jumping on hate bandwagon - it reminds me of certain extremist ideologies.
Yep, this is a step in the right direction.
I really think the bible needs amending. Would the US constitution work without amendments?
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You may not believe this but there are plenty of Christian men who actually want to live their faith and have homosexual attractions. How would you feel if you had random urges to kill people, you think it is wrong but you can't stop these urges, you may consider therapy or something. These guys want to change the urges they are getting because they believe those feelings are wrong. As long as it the individual in question's choice, I don't see anything wrong with these services.
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On July 07 2012 23:41 hzflank wrote:Show nested quote +On July 07 2012 23:37 Myles wrote:I love how everyone starts hating on something when apparently a large majority of the group(~70 ministries vs 11)is trying to change for the better. They're no longer going to try and cure 'gay', just help gay Christians who are trying to resolve being gay and being Christian. Mr. Chambers said he was simply trying to restore Exodus to its original purpose when it was founded in 1976: providing spiritual support for Christians who are struggling with homosexual attraction. Some of you guys might want to read shit and think for a second rather than jumping on hate bandwagon - it reminds me of certain extremist ideologies. Yep, this is a step in the right direction. I really think the bible needs amending. Would the US constitution work without amendments?
I'm quite sure it would. Most people just wouldn't like it
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On July 07 2012 23:42 Luepert1 wrote: You may not believe this but there are plenty of Christian men who actually want to live their faith and have homosexual attractions. How would you feel if you had random urges to kill people, you think it is wrong but you can't stop these urges, you may consider therapy or something. These guys want to change the urges they are getting because they believe those feelings are wrong. As long as it the individual in question's choice, I don't see anything wrong with these services. Holy comparison batman! buttsecks and murder!
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On July 07 2012 23:45 ShadeR wrote:Show nested quote +On July 07 2012 23:42 Luepert1 wrote: You may not believe this but there are plenty of Christian men who actually want to live their faith and have homosexual attractions. How would you feel if you had random urges to kill people, you think it is wrong but you can't stop these urges, you may consider therapy or something. These guys want to change the urges they are getting because they believe those feelings are wrong. As long as it the individual in question's choice, I don't see anything wrong with these services. Holy comparison batman! buttsecks and murder!
The comparison may sound silly, but it is true.
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On July 07 2012 23:37 Myles wrote:I love how everyone starts hating on something when apparently a large majority of the group(~70 ministries vs 11)is trying to change for the better. They're no longer going to try and cure 'gay', just help gay Christians who are trying to resolve being gay and being Christian. Show nested quote +Mr. Chambers said he was simply trying to restore Exodus to its original purpose when it was founded in 1976: providing spiritual support for Christians who are struggling with homosexual attraction. Some of you guys might want to read shit and think for a second rather than jumping on hate bandwagon - it reminds me of certain extremist ideologies.
Yes you are right, some things need their time. My mind was more focused on the people that are actually doing these "therapies" (or minors who are forced to).
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Oh hi op it's you again. I don't have much sympathy for republicans either. But do you really want to keep creating what are essentially "look at their double morale"-threads when their is a dedicated US general election thread?
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On July 07 2012 23:45 ShadeR wrote:Show nested quote +On July 07 2012 23:42 Luepert1 wrote: You may not believe this but there are plenty of Christian men who actually want to live their faith and have homosexual attractions. How would you feel if you had random urges to kill people, you think it is wrong but you can't stop these urges, you may consider therapy or something. These guys want to change the urges they are getting because they believe those feelings are wrong. As long as it the individual in question's choice, I don't see anything wrong with these services. Holy comparison batman! buttsecks and murder!
I'll try to make another comparison. Suppose you are gay, you have been gay all your life, you are married to another of the same sex. Then later, you start being attracted to people of the opposite sex. You are probably very confused. You don't want to cheat on your spouse and don't know what to do. Maybe counselling can reassure you of yourself? Oh wait, there's a big hate group on counseling for people who try to switch attractions. Gee, that sucks.
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On July 07 2012 23:50 autoexec wrote:Show nested quote +On July 07 2012 23:45 ShadeR wrote:On July 07 2012 23:42 Luepert1 wrote: You may not believe this but there are plenty of Christian men who actually want to live their faith and have homosexual attractions. How would you feel if you had random urges to kill people, you think it is wrong but you can't stop these urges, you may consider therapy or something. These guys want to change the urges they are getting because they believe those feelings are wrong. As long as it the individual in question's choice, I don't see anything wrong with these services. Holy comparison batman! buttsecks and murder! The comparison may sound silly, but it is true.
I dont think its good to compare a natural drive, like sexual behavior or hunger with a criminal behavior. If we think in the same categories, an analogy would be: if you eat food x, your behavior is bad because you don't comply with norm y. So some humans might become conditioned and think that their behavior is wrong and they require help.
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