A crumbling empire

Daniel Wilcox

January 30th, 2012

A few weeks ago Ex-Gay Watch reported Exodus is in a dire financial crisis.  But there are other pressures on the exgay movement; the voices of survivors coming forward to speak out about abuses and harms experienced, and are joining together to form support communities for ex-gay survivors.

Now via The Village Voice:

But now the flow of information has become virtually impossible to control, and as a result, the empire shows signs of crumbling. With the aid of the Internet, those inside and outside the organizations that make up the [church organization] can easily find and communicate with each other, and realize that there are others who share their views and concerns. Records of past abuses in the form of documents and personal testimony are but a few short clicks away using a search engine. Virtual communities online have sprung up and flourished, and real-life actions have been recorded and displayed online for all to see, producing new conditions of mutual knowledge about what has been going on in past years, and what’s going on now.

Except this quote isn’t about Exodus, it’s about the Church of Scientology.

In 2009 I penned a two part series comparing the “unrealistic life changes” promised by both groups.  Now it appears both movements are being brought down by their own survivors.

Tony P

January 30th, 2012

Now if only we could bring down the Catholic church! But I think they’re doing a good enough job of it from the inside to be honest. Their credibility is shot to hell.

Michael Bussee

January 30th, 2012

Alan Chambers has denied that Exodus is in any sort of financial crisis, but something is definitely going on behind the scenes.

The “Reparative Therapy” boat is taking on water and sinking fast. Even NARTH is backtracking on it’s claims of “change”, citing lack of funds to prove its claims.

http://wthrockmorton.com/2012/01/29/narth-issues-statement-on-sexual-orientation-change/

David Roberts

January 30th, 2012

Alan Chambers has denied that Exodus is in any sort of financial crisis, but something is definitely going on behind the scenes.

He has to deny it publicly, however he spent the next day after our post went up desperately querying people to determine our source.  You don’t do that if the information is incorrect.

Jim Hlavac

January 31st, 2012

Well, nothing says “crumbling empire” like selling a service which no one wants to buy. Oh, sure, the heteros want us to flock by the millions to these reparative centers and yet none of us seem to want to go — a few hundred out of millions is not economical. These centers, NARTH, Exodus, Jonah, Bachmann, etc, etc, fund themselves nearly 95% through heteros who want us to change. And then condemn us for not wanting to change. Yet, still, when one sells a service no one to whom the service is directed wants to buy, yes, that’s a recipe for financial trouble. Now it’s up to heteros to see the economic handwriting on the wall, which they seem to be doing, which is why the funding is drying up. They have no customers, oh well.

JohnAGJ

January 31st, 2012

TonyP: Not gonna happen. The Church has weathered far worse scandals than the present. I say that not in defense of the Church but merely observing its history. If it can survive the scandal of the Great Western Schism, Inquisition, its role in the Crusades and numerous others (Google “Cadaver Synod” for example), it can do likewise with this. Expect a “development” of their doctrine and attitudes a couple of hundred years from now.

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