Albert Mohler disavows secular reorientation therapy – and what that means

Timothy Kincaid

October 6th, 2015

MohlerDr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is a fierce opponent of marriage equality or other social acceptance of gay people into civil life on an equal standing. But he is also a thoughtful opponent and has, over the years that we have been watching him, made concessions that some of his fellows were less willing to make.

As early as 2007, Mohler was able to reflect that there may be some biological basis for sexual orientation. In any case, he recognized that sexuality was not merely a behavior nor a chosen attribute which could be rejected.

In response, Mohler happily pondered a future with biological manipulation so as to “avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin”. He did not explain what other sinful temptations should be biologically avoided or whether this conflicts with free will theology.

While recognizing that orientation was, in fact, a real matter, Mohler has never been one to believe that one should live a life consistent with the way that God made you. Rather, he believed that whatever mediatory step could ‘cure’ the homosexual should be sought.

But times have changed. And, as is the case with many churches today, the Southern Baptists are shifting from railing against The Godless Homosexuals and instead trying to find ways to include them in the flock. In fact, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is hosting a conference titled Homosexuality: Compassion, Care and Counsel for Struggling People.

Part of Mohler’s shift involves recognizing some realities. (AP)

The Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said so-called conversion or reparative therapy doesn’t carry the redemptive power of prayer.

“In the case of many people struggling with this particular sin, we do not believe that some kind of superficial answer whereby they can turn a switch from being attracted to persons of the same sex to being attracted to persons of the opposite sex,” Mohler told reporters at the start of a three-day conference on homosexuality and how to offer pastoral care to gays, hosted by the Louisville seminary.

“By God’s grace, that might happen over time as a sign of God’s work within the life of that individual. But … for many, many people struggling with these patterns of sin, it will be a lifelong battle,” Mohler said.

This is a rather important statement.

First, this is a recognition of the world around him. Mohler is now accepting that sexual orientation is, for nearly everyone, a fixed attribute.

Of course there is the God-talk. Through God all things are possible. If we have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. God can divinely change one’s orientation just as easily as He can change their skin color, their sex, or their height.

But He just doesn’t seem to have any inclination towards doing so. And the recognition of this fact is of extreme importance to youth growing up in conservative Christian culture.

While being told that you will likely always “struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions” and should pray for strength to resist them is hardly the ideal emotional place for a young boy or girl, it is far preferable to being told that there’s something wrong with you and you need to go to the doctor. Or that you are willfully rejecting God and choosing sin. Or don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

But this welcome shift makes the theology of Mohler’s position much more complicated.

When the Southern Baptists were preaching against The Homosexuals who were out there living a homosexual lifestyle, it was pretty easy. Just repent of those sins, change your ways, marry a nice young Christian woman and live as God wants you to live. And the fact that no one was doing this was not a threat to doctrine so much as a confirmation of just how hedonistic and debased The Homosexuals were.

But now that Mohler accepts orientation as a descriptive of one’s innate attractions, and now that the church wants to reach out to homosexual people (and recognizing that they are likely to stay same-sex attracted even if they are in the church) what do you do with sin? In fact, how do you define sin?

Heath Lambert, executive director of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, said the conference, expected to draw about 2,000 people, would showcase how “uniquely biblical” counseling can lead to repentance. He said the organization opposes reparative therapy.

“We believe that repentant faith is the means of change,” Lambert said.

The conference’s goal, he said, is to give counselors “a growing love and care for people who struggle with sexual sin, homosexual sin. We want people to have a growing wisdom about how to come alongside them and walk with them through a process of care.”

I suspect that Lambert and Mohler think that they know what they mean. They are going to invite in The Homosexuals and show them love and prayer and work with them until the homosexuals just realize how pathetic and sinful they are. Just have repentant faith about homosexual sin and they’ll offer care.

That’s not going to happen. It just isn’t. To the extent that gay people want to join a church, there is a loud chorus of those who will not only allow you in the door but will march for your civil rights and celebrate your marriage. The Southern Baptist Church is not going to hit the top ten list for gay converts.

But while The Homosexuals are not going to trot down to the Southern Baptist church to be saved, this change in outlook will have a tremendous impact on youth growing up in the church. And on the church itself.

Because while this conference celebrates repentant faith, it doesn’t answer the key question: What the hell is homosexual sin?

That used to be easy. It was the Homosexual Lifestyle (which never needed definition). You’re gay and that is sinning. But if we are to welcome gays into the church and if we recognize that it’s a “lifelong struggle”, then being gay can’t stay a sin.

So what is this homosexual sin, exactly?

From a church perspective, we can define sexual sin – or at least for heterosexuals. Lusting privately, acting on that lust through porn or even engaging in fornication or adultery. And while everything on that list is officially off limits, it’s really only fornication, adultery, or a disruptive addiction to porn that ever rises to the level of getting attention.

Fourteen year old Johnnie masturbating to online porn is sin. But, well, let’s be real. Every fourteen year old Johnnie in the church is masturbating and everyone knows it. It’s certainly not something that is going to start a culture war or receive special attention from the pulpit.

But what if Johnnie is masturbating to gay porn. Is that different?

Theologically, that’s a toughie. Yes, all sin is the same in God’s eyes, but not all sin is the same in the eyes of the church. And if you’re Albert Mohler’s age and have spent decades fighting the homosexual agenda, you aren’t likely to see the two as the same. If Johnnie isn’t struggling against these horrible temptations and completely miserable, he’s sinning. And masturbating only encourages more of this temptation. To SIN!!!

But Johnnie, and his friends, are not likely to see his sin any different from a straight boy’s sin. If masterbating is wrong for one, why is it extra-wrong for the other? After all, you said orientation isn’t chosen. So why is one worse than the other?

And what’s more, the younger generation of Baptists are likely to call out their elders on the disparity. Without the presumption that gay people are inherently bad, it’s hard to make much of a case.

And if attractions are biologically based – ie. how God made you – then attractions in their own right cannot be sin. If being attracted to the Disney starlet and putting her poster on your wall is acceptable to Baptist parents, how can they find it wrong when it’s the latest boy band? Can little Susie find Nick Jonas cute, but not little Johnnie?

And is dating sin? Good Christian dating with no kissing, much less anything approaching second base?

Once The Homosexual is no longer the sinner out there but welcome in the church, pat answers can’t go unchallenged. And presumptions seem less convincing when you’re no longer in an echo chamber. If the Big Sex Sin is sex outside marriage for straight kids, then why have special rules on gay kids? That’s not welcoming. That’s not pastoral care.

For a while the Baptists will declare homosexual temptations lead to sin and should be avoided. And that heterosexual dating is in line with God’s plan but that gay dating leads to sin and is itself sinful. But how can one repent for being tempted – that isn’t Christian doctrine? And “dating” is hard to define in the mind of teenagers.

Mohler and the Baptists are going to find it increasingly difficult to draw a line with any consistency. Once you love people and let them in the door, all your inconsistencies tend to be glaring.

I suspect it will eventually come down to, “Just like we tell the straight kids, you can’t have sex before marriage. Ever. Period. Except you can never get married.”

And that’s when it will all fall apart. Because that logic is so arbitrary and cruel that it cannot withstand the inspection of Christian compassion. Once you accept someone’s humanity, once they are no longer the hedonist living some lifestyle, then they become real. And that is when the Baptists will find that the teachings of the Presbyterians and the Methodists down the street have some merit and will decide that same-sex marriage can reflect God. It will be some time, but this is the eventual conclusion.

Now, I’m happy that the Southern Baptists are moving towards more inclusion. But I think it will mean something very different from what they are expecting. And it will be amusing to watch.

LJ

October 7th, 2015

Pastor Danny Cortez followed logic along those lines, and reached your inevitable conclusion. And the Southern Baptists kicked him and his church out of the denomination. Just saying… But I too hold out hope that things will shift in the SBC area before too many decades pass.

Also, for what little it’s worth, Denny Burk apparently teaches that people should repent of mere “same sex attraction,” never mind same-sex lust or *gasp* sex. I wonder if he’ll get the memo from his buddy Al…

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

“First, this is a recognition of the world around him. Mohler is now accepting that sexual orientation is, for nearly everyone, a fixed attribute.”.

I think you mischaracterize his position. Further in the article he suggests that he thinks prayer can cure some, but not all gays.

Nathaniel

October 7th, 2015

I think LJ is headed in the right direction: the “eventual conclusion” needs to go one step further. Individuals and churches will become more accepting, but will leave the SBC in the process. Individuals will be lured to more accepting churches and denominations, while churches that become affirming will leave the SBC by force or by choice. The result will be a shrinking and aging denomination, dying off both literally and figuratively. Within our lifetimes, we may see the denomination founded on defending slavery finally die for its sins.

Nathaniel

October 7th, 2015

Priya, hence the qualifier “nearly.” I believe there are people who are able to set aside whatever same-sex attractions they have to live a heterosexual life, hence finding a “cure.” There may even be people who have been so messed up by abuse that they don’t understand their own sexualities, and are thus “cured” of same-sex attractions by finally receiving the therapy they need. These are, of course, rare cases, and applying the word “cure” to these situations may be a stretch. The question isn’t how you would define these people and their “cures,” but how Mohler would. You can’t dispute that these cases can exist (we even have evidence for some). Mohler, meanwhile, is accepting the fact that these cases are a tiny minority of LGB people, and unrealistic expectation for most. The real good news here isn’t the percentage of LGB people Mohler thinks can be “cured”, but that he accepts at least some LGB people cannot be changed by any means, that he accepts the inherent nature of human orientations. And even that isn’t the good news; the REAL good news is that this acceptance creates theological and moral inconsistencies that will eventually bring down the SBC(‘s rejection of LGB people and their marriages).

Ben in Oakland

October 7th, 2015

I have a lot of thoughts about this.

Timothy, I like what you had to say about this. On the whole, I think you are right. But I also suspect that you are far too close to the evangelical Christian world to be entirely objective about it. you could argue that I am too far away to be objective. Possibly true, but I really don’t think so.

What Mohler has done is recognize reality. Absolutely. But what he is trying to do is maintain relevance, remain a part of the conversation, and most important of all, retain dominion over both the lives of gay people AND the discussion about homosexuality.

As the evangelicals have noted more and more, the culture is leaving them behind upon the subject of gay people and their place in society. This interferes with their cash flow, obviously. But worse, it removes one of the pillars supporting their whole house of cards. Because if the society realizes that they were wrong on this oh-so-goddam-central subject of homosexuality, what other teachings of the church are going to be question and discarded?

And if it is discarded, what happens to their power, money, and dominion? And, as I have noted many times in the past, I am increasingly convinced that the bulk of our opposition in The Church lies not with those hetero people who read their bibles and conclude that homosexuality is a sin, but with the homo-hating-homos that infest society in general and conservative religion in particular, and who exercise their demons under the guise of exorcising mine.

Here are four postings I made on this subject over at Religion News Service.

Part 1:

So, one more time:

A group of so-called Christians get together and parade their ignorance and hubris on a subject they clearly know nothing about. Their own illogic continues to escape them.

1) A conference on treating homosexuality with not one accepting gay person present.

2) A conference on treating homosexuality with a call to prayer, because non-prayer methods DON’T WORK. But prayer works so well for everything!

3) The part you left out from Smilin’ Mohler’s speech: ““By God’s grace, (change to hetero) MIGHT (emphasis mine)happen over time as a sign of God’s work within the life of that individual. But … for many, many people struggling with these patterns of sin, it will be a lifelong battle.”

In other words, PRAYER DOESN’T WORK EITHER.

In other other words: we’re losing the battle in the public mind, and we don’t want to continue to look like ignorant, prejudiced yahoos. so Double down on the love message.

And don’t interrupt our income stream.

What a tool.

Part 2:

More on Smilin’ Al’s Clueless Proclamation to the Clueless:

“”Christians have sinned against the gay community by “ignoring their presence among us, by remaining silent …” I’ve been in this fight for 44 years. When the hell have they ever ignored us or remained silent? And of course, does he mention the decades/centuries/millenia of lies, slander, and reviling engaged in my him and his sanctimonious ilk?

2000 Babtists making there way to St. Louis to obsess/pray/titillate over the alleged sex lives of people they know nothing about.

I guess there are just not enough starving children in the world. Peace has broken out in the middle East and Africa. Heteros have reduced the divorce, adultery, and illegitimacy rates to .001%. Antisemitism has finally disappeared. Environmental destruction is feeding and housing more people than ever. No more drug addiction.

what a tool. But there is still money in antigay bigotry.

Part 3:

Goshawmighty, I’m on a tear today.

“Obedience for the Christian is either marriage between a man and a woman or a lifetime of celibacy, he said, pointing to 2,000 years of Christian teaching.”

Practice what you preach, Al. Walk a mile in a gay person’s shoes. Don’t have sex with the wife for FIVE YEARS– you know a deep loving non sexual friendship with the wife for FIVE YEARS. No pornography, either.

Reconvene in five years. If you and your fellow travelers are sincere about being better Pastors, then you all should have experience friendship as a replacement for sexual romance in your own lives. See if the Bible alone can sustain you.

Here’s a shorter version of Smilin’ Al’s speech;

Don’t waste your money on psychoquackery. It doesn’t work.

Give it to us instead!

Part 4:

Someone else wrote this at RNS: “And for those who cite examples of Christian hypocrisy, please realize that just because we’ve been proven to fail at our Biblical moral ideals, it doesn’t mean we should abandon them.”

What a great way to change the subject. No, it doesn’t mean you should abandon them. what it means is that you should start living up to them yourselves before you start telling other people to live by them. You know? Like Jesus said? And I “All of us And stop trying to use the coercive power of the state and the law to make sure that the lives of people who don’t share your religious beliefs are made as difficult, unpleasant, expensive, and dangerous as possible. And perhaps stop telling lies about people whom you don’t know and know nothing about to further your political, social, and religious agendas. I have yet to see any evidence that God has confided in and busybody, moralizing Christian about the state of relationship between god and anyone else on the planet.

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

Nathaniel, I dispute that such cases exist, there is no evidence to support such a claim.

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

And I don’t agree that Mohler’s position is that orientations is fixed for “nearly” all gays. It is more accurate to say that his position is that a large percentage of gays can be cured through prayer.

Eric Payne

October 7th, 2015

Priya,

Then Mohler is ignoring all the empirical evidence — most especially the testimonies of… oh, let’s pull a couple of names out of a hat… Alan Chambers or John Paulik or Brad Allen or Yvette Cantu Schneider or… well, you get the idea.

Eric Payne

October 7th, 2015

Ben in Oakland,

Nicely put. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Hear, hear!

Timothy Kincaid

October 7th, 2015

I don’t see Mohler saying that “a large percentage of gays can be cured through prayer”.

Instead I see him saying “that might happen over time as a sign of God’s work within the life of that individual. But … for many, many people struggling with these patterns of sin, it will be a lifelong battle”.

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

Eric, I agree Mohler is ignoring all the evidence.

Timothy as Mohler spoke in generalizations it is not surprising that we see his position differently. I know most of the people posting at Joe.My.God see it my way.

But I don’t want to be completely negative, I also think this is a substantial positive change in position for him and hope that things will progress as you’ve suggested.

Ben in Oakland

October 7th, 2015

That wasn’t supposed to happen– this getting posted.

Let me continue:

You know? Like Jesus said? And I quote:

“All of us may be sinners. Not all of us are throwing stones.”

And stop trying to use the coercive power of the state and the law to make sure that the lives of people who don’t share your religious beliefs are made as difficult, unpleasant, expensive, and dangerous as possible. And perhaps stop telling lies about people whom you don’t know and know nothing about to further your political, social, and religious agendas.

I have yet to see any evidence that God has confided in and busybody, moralizing Christian about the state of relationship between god and anyone else on the planet.

——————————-

Thus endeth my comments on RNS. Now back to the subject at hand.

What follows is something I wrote a few years ago. The subject was the corruption of the church, especially by the homo-hating-homos, and those heterosexuals who are so enamored of their prejudices that they will even attribute them to God. I’m going to alter it a bit to make it more relevant here. It’s a bit messy, because I don’t have the time to re-do it entirely. But I think it is still relevant, especially to the latest bull-hockey from Mohler.

————————

It’s amusing to read the comments here, with people lamenting the alleged infiltration of the Catholic Church by alleged homosexuals who, being evil as all homosexuals are, are destroying god’s vicarage on earth, causing it to sink into a swamp of corruption.

Do I have the story right? Anything left out? Oh, yes. the truth. And the part where god cares about the church and wants it to be pure? God cares so much so that the revelations just keep coming, as do the changes of doctrine, as do the changes of so-called “fact” for actual fact. The internal contradictions are of Mohler’s new “theology” are as obvious and painful as a train wreck.

This isn’t a morality tale about the dangers of homosexuality, but a tale about corruption — not from without, but within. It’s the corruption of lies, fear, shame, hatred, and projection. It’s the corruption of the closet, which twists, perverts, and destroys everything it touches. It’s the corruption of telling people that the finest part of themselves represents intrinsic, moral evil, while at the same time telling them that they are indeed born that way– intrinsically, morally disordered, with a tendency towards grave evil.

Simple psychology and sociology: you tell people that, they believe it, and if they really hate themselves, they live it.

That’s catholic Doctrine, not Mohler’s Baptist crap. But funny: as these two denominations that routinely denounce each other come to the subject of homosexuality, they so easily put aside all of their other disagreements in order to agree solidly about homosexuality. It’s almost as if the whole argument isn’t about theology at all.

Whatever good the church may do, it also has a great legacy of evil. It’s love of ostentation, power, and wealth while children starve. Its history of burning those unfortunate enough to be labeled heretic, protestant, Catholic, or witch while declaiming that god is love. Its centuries-old child molestation scandals for the Catholics, with pedophiles being shielded and protected. The Baptists haven’t been around for centuries, but they still have the scandals. 1900 years of official anti-Semitism, leading to the zaniness of a man with a funny mustache and the murder of millions. “God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew”, said Baptist F. Bailey Smith in 1977. Amazing how much they can agree with each other over the objects of prejudice.

Homosexually inclined men– they’re not gay and proud, but twisted with the self hatred inculcated in them by the church– join the church for different reasons. Catholic men join the priesthood not to find other such men, but to escape their sexuality altogether, the pressures of society and family, a self claimed prison where they will be safe– from themselves. The men who are pedophilia oriented do the same thing, for the same reasons.

I also believe that problem is self-hatred. Thus, homosexual men stay in the Baptist church because it confirms them messages of self-hatred. As “I’m Ok, You’re OK’ showed, people to that which is necessary to confirm their self images. “I hate myself for being gay. The Baptist church tells me I ought to hate my self, and not love myself enough to desire something better for my life.”

I’m certain that most priests, gay or straight, are good people, at peace with themselves and the celibacy requirements. But we’re not talking about them, but of men who loathe themselves, who have never dealt with their sexuality, except to try to repress it. It’s called coming out, and if you joined the church to escape yourself, you haven’t done it.

We’re also talking about people who join the Baptists and buy into the whole anti-gay mess they serve up under the guise of holiness.

It’s bad enough, the damage these men do to themselves, the church, and their direct victims. But their indirect victims also suffer: the gay men who don’t hate themselves, who aren’t twisted and perverted by self loathing and shame, who don’t act out their frustrated sexuality on underage boys, or apparently like Cardinal O’Brien, hitting on other priests. And the priests who are good men, who aren’t perverts– it hurts them as well.

Gay men are damaged another way– blamed for the damage these self loathing closet cases do, blamed for the child molestation that horrifies us just as much as it does anyone else. And almost worse? Lumped in the same category as these perverts. “Oh, they’re homosexuals. That’s how they all are.”

No. We’re not. That’s just another story your telling yourselves to justify what you have done to us for centuries. We have the evil hypocrisy of the cardinal, railing against the sinfulness of happy, out gay men, while conducting his personal sex crusade from deep within the vestry. We have Roger Mahoney, incensed that people blame him for decades of abuse cover-up in Los Angeles, as of he were personally responsible. He’s the victim, or so he says. We have that Canadian archbishop, arrested and imprisoned for child porn, while wailing about marriage equality in Canada. We have the Belgian archbishop who saw nothing wrong, as he so charmingly put it, with “taking comfort with children.”

It isn’t homosexuality that has corrupted your church, but your church that has corrupted homosexual men, turning them in to homo-hating-homos. Child molesters find a safe haven there, both because of access to children, and people like Mahoney, who believe that a scandal in the church is of greater importance that the destruction of the innocence of children.

It isn’t homosexuality that has corrupted your church. It’s your church that has corrupted itself.

Paul Douglas

October 7th, 2015

You rock, Ben!

LJ

October 7th, 2015

Mohler may be saying with the best intentions he can muster that gay-to-straight “might happen over time as a sign of God’s work within the life of that individual” for a _small_ number of people, but I’ve spent enough of my life around SBC and SBC-like church folk to know that what this translates to in the pew for the more traditionally minded is “God can make anyone straight, and if it didn’t happen to you, it’s because you didn’t pray hard enough or want it badly enough.”

Ben in Oakland

October 7th, 2015

Thanks Paul. sorry for the messiness of it. but I don’t have the time to entirely re-write it. My husband has plans for me today, and wants me off the computer.

I hope my point was clear, even if the expression was a mess.

Mark F.

October 7th, 2015

I think the number of homosexuals cured by prayer is about the same as the number of double amputees who regrow both limbs after praying for that.

Apparently God never answers some prayers.

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

God cures people of cancer, but never cures amputees.

Regan DuCasse

October 7th, 2015

What infuriates me the most, is this high concentration on trying fix or cure gay people at all.
There are distinctions in human behaviors that are anti social, and can render a person very crippled and incapable of taking care of themselves, let alone function in ways they are independent and productive.

If anything needs a cure where certain behaviors are, are the disabling mental diseases like schizophrenia, bi polar disorder, paranoia and the variations on them.
Sociopaths are very devastating to life for most people and their numbers are one in 25.
Post partum depression psychosis in women, is also something that has the potential to be life threatening.

But do you see these religious communities investing their wealth and time into medications or networks of hospitals that can house and treat people with those level of mental illness?
Not just no.
But hell no.

Do you see the most vocal and politically powerful do it?
No.

But they keep asserting that productive, contributing, responsible gay people are going to destroy civilization as we know it.

Any one of us can pass someone on the street, or we’ve all known someone that’s dealt with addiction of some kind.
And still religious people can’t be bothered with the moral imperative to know the difference between anti social and pro social human behaviors.
Not even the anti social features of bigotry, prejudice and discrimination.

I say if you’re not going to do so, then you’re part of the problem.

Ben in oakland

October 7th, 2015

As always, regain, you nailed it exactly.

Nathaniel

October 7th, 2015

Pryia, I am merely hypothesizing about people who have been abused. But there are plenty of famous cases of men who were most likely on the gay side of bisexual and who abandoned the “gay lifestyle” to marry a woman. I will grant that most of these men ultimately reverted, but some, like Alan Chambers, remain committed to their opposite sex partners; there is no disputing that these men (and a few women, as well: Paulk’s wife, the woman who kidnapped her daughter with another woman and ran off to S.A., etc) exist.

What is debatable is the nature of what happened to them. I’m not saying they were “cured,” and there is no evidence that they actually changed orientations (indeed, the anecdotes, even from Chambers, is that orientation didn’t change at all). The problem is that we don’t know these people. We don’t know what was in their minds before or now, outside of what they claim. So, while we question their claims, people like Mohler hold them up as examples of what is possible with enough effort and prayer. They are the “some,” the “few,” the “small number.” But we are also dealing with a theology that emphasizes “the faithful remnant,” idolizing them through apocalyptic lenses. So, a few saved through blood, sweat, tears, and prayer is sufficiently satisfying.

But my own musings, as well as LJ’s last comment make me wonder if this is really a change at all, or just another way to reframe the old debate: gay people can change if they want to, most just don’t want to. If the latter, than is it really going to make a difference on the ground? Ultimately this might be moot anyway. Change is coming to society; it is becoming more accepting. The SBC will be left behind, even if it tries to keep up.

LJ

October 7th, 2015

“God cures people of cancer, but never cures amputees.”

It’s funny how God’s healing ability correlates so strongly with the human body’s ability to repair itself, usually in conjunction with medical treatment.

Ben in oakland

October 7th, 2015

Nathaniel, I think it is as simple as….

We think there is something wrong with you. You need to change. And if you can’t change, then you should accept our dominion over your life.

And they count on people who hate themselves enough to buy that complete strangers– or not so strangers– should have dominion.

Regan DuCasse

October 7th, 2015

LJ….there are times when it’s possible to witness amputees, or people with paralysis…to incredible feats of athleticism, in sports, or dance.
Sometimes with or without, or a minimum of supportive devices.
Instead of seeing people in these situations as completely crippled, there are dedicated inventors, doctors, therapists and choreographers who see more. Who see potential in the human body to exceed it’s limitations as if there weren’t any.

The healing, is in the accomplishment and taking a different path in order to do it.
In religious communities it’s like there is only ONE way to think, ONE way to believe, ONE path to take…or a very few kind of people that deserve to exist, in not just a world of immense diversity (even among rocks), but what’s unique about human beings, is the ability to ADAPT, to extend and exceed beyond just the immediate natural boundaries.
That’s why there isn’t brutality against the mentally ill, but commitment to keep working on medications and therapies.
Even then, complete isolation isn’t healthy for most people.

There are great benefits in not believing a person is possessed by demons or evil, but the different path, found the better direction to take as well.
Sometimes, it seems quite clear, that the kinds of religious people we hear and see, and the things they say…like Mohler, or Mike Huckabee…is revealing a moral cowardice and fear they aren’t the inheritors of everything they were led to believe they are.

Eagle

October 10th, 2015

One thing I want to say is the following. It can be tempting to include the SBC in one big tent. It’s not…Al Mohler leads the Neo-Calvinist wing of the SBC. The Neo-Cal wing is more fundamentalist in many ways. Mohler has given support to CJ Mahaney who was allegedly involved in covering up child sex abuse in Sovereign Grace. He is close to individuals like Mark Dever of Capital Hill Baptist who have also been controversial in his own way. I am wondering if this is just PR policy instead of a change of heart. Many Neo-Calvinists have been railing against gay marriage and homosexuality. The true test is to see what happens, and if the topic comes up at Together 4 The Gospel, or another venue.

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What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.