Exodus International Apologizes and Shuts Down

For those unaware, Exodus International was the largest ex-gay Christian ministry, which promoted "reparative therapies" meant to make gay people straight.

Exodus International's president apologized and said, "For quite some time we've been imprisoned in a worldview that's neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical."

(Story here)

Interesting, always thought the concept was unsound. Looks like they have realized that as well

I don't think they were wrong, homosexuality CAN be cured but it is extremely damaging mentally and even then it is not a "true" cure as it just damages the mind.

You could mentally condition someone to think of pain whenever they have a homosexual thought by associative memory and you could reward them when a straight thought occurs.

Needless to say homosexuality is not an illness but instead an emotional outlook

Reading this comment and your comments on homosexuality in the other thread made me a little sad, Metsu.

Exodus International admitted that what they were doing was wrong, and the president has stated very clearly that he doesn't believe homosexuality is something that can be cured. And what if it could somehow? Do you think I'd want to cured? Do you want to be cured of your heterosexuality?

Being gay is part of my biology, it's part of my life, it's part of who I am. My family and friends are all accepting of my sexuality. It is not an "emotional outlook" or a "life style". I spent most of my childhood fighting against it, believing I was defective (mainly due to my religious upbringing). Eventually, I came to understand that there is nothing defective about my sexuality.

I respect you and your thoughts and opinions, Metsu, though I was a bit surprised by your comments on this topic.

i was so glad to see this bigoted homophobe come to his senses. tho im not homosexual, his 'ministry' always struck me as slightly evil.

phobias, especially hateful ones like his, are not okay with me. he was doing a great disservice to his professed religion with his 'work'. at least he apologized, tho, i guess that says something.

edit: also slight schadenfreude.

IF one thinks being gay is a choice I challenge them to choose to be gay for even five minutes. Choose to look at men and feel that attractive, lustful stirring in the same way that a hetero would when he looks at a female that has attracted him. One would find that they can't "will" attraction into being. Your born that way.

For those unaware, Exodus International was the largest ex-gay Christian ministry, which promoted "reparative therapies" meant to make gay people straight.

FINALLY! My ex-girlfriend was sent there by her parents when she was 16. It jacked her up for many many many years. What they did to people in the gay community was no less than torture.


Metsu said

I don't think they were wrong, homosexuality CAN be cured but it is extremely damaging mentally and even then it is not a "true" cure as it just damages the mind.

Hmmm...no. To say that you can cure something implies that there is a disease or illness that needs to be cured. Homosexuality is in no way shape or form a disease. It is this kind of narrow mindedness that breeds ignorance and hatred towards an entire group of people. I respect all people and all opinions as being valid, but I must say that the implications of your statement are very disappointing.

Wow, I'd never heard of that ministry before. Though, it's nice to hear they're apologizing.

I always have to wonder how someone who's supposed to follow the golden rule and Jesus's example can treat others so poorly.

meganrtaylor wrote: I respect all people and all opinions as being valid...

slight derailment: i absolutely do not. just to use an obvious example, if you came up to me with the obvious intent of starting a fight and called my mother a whore, or something to that effect, you would almost certainly begin one. if you spouted off some creationist nonsense to my child, your opinion would be strongly discouraged. and so forth.

disrespectful people and opinions do not automatically have my respect. why should they? respect is earned, not given.

edit: and no, i dont mean that person would get automatically knocked out. there is more than one way to win a fight.

Before I say this, no offense to anybody, and I'm not looking for an argument. I personally have a "conservative" view of homosexuality, not rooted in religion or cultural norms, but in life experience and empirical evidence. I've seen where homosexuality has been damaging to people, no not as a result of discrimination, "homophobia," self hatred, or guilt, but the act itself. I've seen enough in my life that this is my view ("opinion," if you must), and this is what I am sticking to. On the other hand, I'm glad this organization shut down. The avenue they were taking was unethical. I'm opposed to homosexuality, I guess you could say, but I'm equally opposed to people like this making it worse.