Apart from the religious beliefs themselves that’s the wildest claim I’ve ever heard any christian make.

Also bravo

Repentance,quite another

And atonement? Well, that is in a Class all by itself,and its abseNce renders the frst two meaningless.

Judeo-Christianity is for many, psychologically genetic, and the drift away from eons of manipulation is not an easy feat. For that I applaud him. As a strong gay male in my sexuality, I can’t tell you the amount of energy I had to use to completely rewire my entire take on my own inner bewildered “Christian”, mainly from the attack exacted by those like John that soothed and coddled such deeply ingrained sexual insanity ruled by “God”. For that I am truly thankful. It eventually gave me a perspective I had never had to entertain, and a new life in reality that I never would have encountered without this horrifying push. I never questioned being gay or tried to change any part of my expression, that was set in stone. But the endless sexually abusive attack on my core self by false religious teachings hurt deeply, caused acute depression, and was entirely devastating. It made me rethink my entire take on God Jesus and the entire religious “model”. It took me harshly to task watching religious structures massively bury people in emotional graves who did not think within this hypnotic sexual fantasy replacing rational thought with evil intent to confuse and derail. This is the definition of “God’s soldiers” set to destroy anything in it’s path regardless of rational thought and human fallout. These are the Dark Ages resurrected. I deduced this is the way of the “good Christian soldier”.

I personally would like to see John Smid publicly denounce the use of the word “Change” regarding sexual orientation. Change is not applicable in the crude form intended. The word “Change” used in the advertising of Ex-gay programs is manipulative dismissive coercive and false. It is the first attractive hook used to seduce and coerce mentally weak gays and bisexuals, into rabid self doubt depression and sometimes suicide. I would like to see his public forum move onto national news programs, and start a world wide discussion so badly needed at this horrible helm of a ship filled with religious sexual irresponsibility. I would also like to see this media blitz followed by a book, though to put off immediate media forums for a book deal would not bode well. I feel his curtain call, is now. I would also like to hear him speak that some biblical teachings are flat out wrong and never should have been exacted as “truth”. For Catholics, it used to be a “sin” to eat meat on Friday. That is no longer the “belief” and this is where all “God Speak” about homosexuality in the Bible needs to land. I would also like to hear him publicly recommend that the word “change” be used for changing ones personal belief that we are somehow defective for being gay or bisexual, and use “change” through i.e. therapy, religion etc, to accept rather than reject the sexual self. I’d like to see him take that negative connotation of the word “change” and make it positive. I would also like to see him drive home, that sexuality is NOT a “choice”.

I believe John’s honesty work has just begun. I feel his negative drama has leached into the bowels of humanity and produced a sexual emotional cancer that he must now attempt to remove, with his entire being, with his entire life, for the rest of his natural born days. I feel this to be a worthy “sentence” for sexual bludgeoning, of which all, including himself, will gain greatly. I believe he owes this via fierce public disclosure, by becoming an international public beacon of light for a world sexually gone wrong. Falling short of this possibility would be but a travesty. He has a chance now to call sexuality into the the true light it holds, a beautiful loving creation and nothing less. I feel such forward movement into the bright lights of pubic domain, will further if not complete, his personal redemption.

I support you in this John Smid. It all boils down to love. Help the world love itself more John. Speak your truth, and don’t hold back. Anything short of this could only serve to haunt you. We don’t need your partial voice. We need your full voice.

Tag.

Your it.

“So, while I do not hold to a belief that homosexual relationships are blessed by God, neither are the many things in my own life that aren’t blessed by Him.”

Everything I’m seeing so far (and, admittedly, I don’t have the stomach to read it all) seems like he’s still splitting hairs with “love the sinner, hate the sin”…

But NOW trying to do it in personal relationship with the very people he has spent decades abusing? And using it as an avenue to self-promote his forthcoming book?

That all seems REALLY dangerous to me.

These are big changes for Smid, perhaps part of an on-going evolution in his beliefs, perhaps first steps before many, but after years of devising and practicing psychological torture to the many men and women who suffered under his treatments and theories, he should not be just given a free pass and a full, cheerful welcome into LGBT spaces and particularly “gay Christian” spaces inhabited by many people directly harmed by ex-gay treatment. Thoughtfulness for the victims needs to be considered.

It is a complicated and delicate matter when a former abuser admits wrong and seeks to rebuild relationship.

John Smid and his staff are responsible for the pain and suffering of hundreds if not thousands of people. For over two decades he has spoken passionately in public, in the media, at conferences and churches, spreading harmful and inaccurate teaching that has set parents against children and fueled the self-hatred of LGBT people.

As a former client, I understand that John Smid provided me with weapons to go to war against my sexuality and personality. His program was abusive, cruel, and damaging to me and others. People have suffered and still suffer and have needed to spend time and money seeking recovery from the treatment Love in Action inflicted upon us. Many of us went to John Smid and LIA seeking help. We ended up harmed. Some were even forced against their will to endure these treatments.

John Smid, like all of us, needs community, and it is likely that his former friends and colleagues in the ex-gay world and conservative anti-gay church will want nothing to do with him. But his entry into the LGBT world is complicated for some ex-gay survivors.

And while his statement is yet another brick to fall off the crumbling ex-gay edifice, I believe he needs to do much more to demonstrate his regret and new found understanding. It is proper justice for John Smid to acknowledge what many of us already discovered for ourselves. It is proper justice for John Smid to begin to set the record straight. It is proper justice for John Smid to seriously and deeply consider the harm he has caused. And before people forgive John Smid and welcome him into the fold on the behalf of all of us, I believe it is essential to ask critical questions and expect much much more from someone who has done much much harm.

What will that much much more look like? How can John, if he is willing, begin to make amends for his destructive actions?

Years ago, my son, Tony, called me from college and excitedly told me, “Mom, I think I figured out why little gay boys are so fucking smart!” I asked him, “Really? Why?”, and he said, “I think it’s because they have to learn to think with both sides of their brains!” Made sense then…still does. Most of the gay people I’ve met have been extraordinary.

I’m so glad Tony understands his being gay is a positive thing and that anyone who doesn’t get that is not worthy of his attention.

Some years later, Tony asked me one time if, in all the years I’ve known he is gay, I’d ever thought that if I could just push a button and make him straight, I would. I told him, “Of course not. I would push the button that would make the rest of the world understand what a remarkable and perfect person you are.”

Take away the gay and you change something fundamental about who a person is. I would not change a single thing about him; Tony really is perfect. There are a lot of other GLBT people out there who are trying to be straight and killing a precious part of themselves to try to please a bunch of myopic fools.