LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I've been reading about an organization called Love In Action, which is a Christian brain-washing 'camp' devoted to making gay Christian kids straight. Parents send their kids to this place, hoping to straighten out their gay children. Instead, it radically scars them.

One young man, Zach, made the potentially fatal error of coming out as gay to his Christian parents. Their solution- putting him into this program. His blog documents the horrors of what is happening to him. He is not allowed to blog- he somehow has managed to get these messages to friends of his, who do it for him.

Daily Kos, Ex-gay watch, Janus Online and many other places in the blogosphere are paying attention and shining light on this very nasty practice of the Christocrats.

Another site, "Anything But Straight documents the continual failure of "Love In Action" and other Christian-run 'ex-gay' ministries to change gay people into 'straight' people. They refuse to believe or acknowledge that homosexuality is something one is born with, and people cannot 'convert' to gay- or convert from gay to straight. All they see is what the bible has said about it, which gives them carte blanche to essentially- especially in the case of "Love In Action" (ironic name...)- destroy their own youngsters. If this isn't child abuse, I don't know what is.

I really feel for young Zach. He bemoans his inability to wait two years- which is practically forever for a sixteen year old- to tell his parents about his homosexuality, and he is paying the price for it. If you are a praying person, I believe that Zach, and people like him- young people who have been literally thrown away by their hateful 'god loving' parents- need all the prayers, energy, and if possible, real help you can give them.

They're doing this to their own children folks. Consider what would happen if these people actually gained real power- and had the ability to do that to you and your own children.

Here's a particularly chilling passage from "Love In Action":

"I would rather you commit suicide than have you leave Love In Action wanting to return to the gay lifestyle. In a physical death you could still have a spiritual resurrection; whereas, returning to homosexuality you are yielding yourself to a spiritual death from which there is no recovery." --The Final Indoctrination from John Smid, Director, Love In Action (LIA), San Rafael's "ex-gay" clan.

In other words, they would rather see gay people dead. Think about that.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Most people believe that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is about homosexuality, and God punishing people for having homosexual sex (or just plain sex, period). Even the word 'sodomy' comes from certain sexual practices thought to have originated in that doomed city.

Well, guess what- here's the verse about why God condemned this place. And sex isn't even mentioned.

"She and her suburbs had pride, an excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not help or encourage the poor or needy. They were arrogant and this was abominable in God's eyes."

Gee, that sounds like some megachurches and certain congregations in this day and age. God busted them for being like the 'prosperity Gospel' and 'Landover Baptist'-types are today: prideful and arrogant. I don't find much about Biblegod to be likeable, but on this point, I can agree with him.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ellid)

"This American Life" in Western Massachusetts is currently broadcasting the church/state episode.