Focus on the Family and Exodus

[Oni]

Two famous Ex-Gay ministries are coming to Abbott loop community church on September 13th. This I really don't care about. They can come and preach there is a way to become straight again, ignoring that all there founders have iether been cought as being gay, or went back to being gay, or have been cought playing with there members, There coming up does bother me. but not because they are coming up. But because of what the GLBTA community of Alaska is wanting to do. They want to protest them, and cause a scene.

Bloodly hell let people preach and teach religion how they want. Isn't that one of the things the GLBTA are fighting for. To teach there own believes and ideas with out prosecution. Ya, even I will say I don't agree with some of there teachings, but I don't through eggs in there face. I let them do it themselves.

What are your thoughts on it?

[scooter]

Civil protest is our right.  I see nothing wrong with having posters of all previous 'ex gays' that have preached the same crap then come to their senses to make a point.

[Eternimus]

Heh. Playing with their members. 

I'm a follower of Asatru. Let those people preach what they want. They aren't hurting people. Rather than causing a scene, the GBLTA community should leave them be. Everyone will believe what they will. That's how people are. Protesting and causing a scene gives the illusion the preaching is right and gays are actually afraid of it. See when people protest something, it most times implies some kind of harm. Protesting a sermon, that's only expressing someone's personal opinion, is foolish. We get the freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. Gays wants equal rights. Of course you have the right to civil protest. Just as they have the right to say what they want.

"We have the right to stifle your rights!"

How hypocritical. On both sides. Civil rights never cease to amuse.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

Look at the bright side: eventually all these religious nutballs will "see the light" like Jack Thompson did.  When that happens, they'll forget all about you pissant little LGBT "protesters" and break out their Super Mega Death Christ 2000 B.C. v4.0b™ to battle the real evil Satan's Hellspawn threat to wholesome American values: video games.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7niUsOSorY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7niUsOSorY</a>

Oh Jesus, I just watched that clip and realized they left off the whole reason I even included it in this post.  Wow...don't I have egg on my face.  Here's the rest:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqal4ubFG1I" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqal4ubFG1I</a>

Fuckeeeerrrsss!

[Oni]

Fricken love it dude.

But really. Why Protest unless there is something to protest. I don't see the GLBTA out there protesting Prevo or all the other nutty churches out there.

Now to be Fair Prevo Does a damn good job at what he does. Don't believe me. Look at the BIG fricken Church he has and the property value of it, not to mention him HUGE home given to him by his church, and all the Shinies that get donated to him. He knows how to move people and get there money. But I don't see any one picketing his church, even though every year next to the mormons they are the highest donators of money to anti gay sh**?

Let people preach and say what they want. Why make a big deal out of it. I mean Alaska survived and went by with out even notice when the GOD HATES FAGS church came up here. In fact most of alaska laughed at them. Now granted that church is hated by everybody for various reasons. There is a common cause for everybody to unite on and distroy. At least it's a humorious one.

[scooter]

Heh. Playing with their members. 

I'm a follower of Asatru. Let those people preach what they want. They aren't hurting people.

Sorry, but that's bs.  It's child abuse.  Dragging your kids to a 'if you suck d*ck you burn in hell' preaching session will scar them for life if they happen to be gay. 

I know, I grew up baptist, at church every Sunday Morning, Sunday Night, Tuesday Night bible study, Wed night church...  Most of the time it was hell-fire & brimstone, burning forever for doing something wrong.  Stealing, sure... killing, sure... being gay... F*CK YOU!!! 

I am what I am, it took me until I was 35 to come out.  Luckly for me, I never got married, never had kids, and so I don't have the relegious right pointing a finger at me that I broke up a family and ruined a kids life, but they still say I'm going to hell...

Maybe if they would stop and look at the facts... that some people are just gay, there would be fewer forced marriages that are later ruined.

[Eternimus]

But that's their way of parenting, Scooter. Parents want their kids to grow up a certain way. All parents do. I know, I have 3 kids myself. By your logic:

• Every single parent that forces their kid to go to church is abusive.
  
  
• Every parent that tries to instill their moral values in their offspring is abusive.
  
  
• Every parent that makes their kids go to school and learn when they don't want to is abusive.

You have to understand, I was raised Christian. And I had church 3-5 times a week, prayed like 10 times a day, went to vacation bible school, participated in the bible bowl quiz game that churches get awards for, only was allowed to hang out with other Christians, no certain music, books, movies or even video games. I got suspended from school for praying aloud during lunch. But I did it anyway, the next time I was at school. I was do devout, the first time I heard my mom say my uncle Thomas was evil, I chased his ass around for 2 years with a bible and crucifix trying to exorcise him. These comments aren't coming from someone with no religious background. The end result is the same.

It isn't abuse. It's not even close.

Anyone who believes being taken to church is abuse was never really abused.

Church is a place, where one group of pompous assholes preach their beliefs to another group of pompous assholes. That's all it is. Oh yes and you compare clothes. That too. There are plenty of places where God says you can't do this, that, whatever. And he loves you. But you're going to Hell. Sorry. He loves you, but not enough to save you from having your testicles roasted. That's retarded. And any child with an IQ can see that the book is flawed. When I was younger I questioned the bible after the fifth time I read it COVER TO COVER. I can still to this day spit out about a thousand different scriptures at any given time.

I asked "Why the bible said slavery is ok, but pork and shellfish is not. And why do we have to give burnt offerings."

The pastor told me ~We use the Old Testament as a reference, but do not follow it. We use the new testament because of Jesus' words.~

"But Jesus said we have to keep to the commandments. Why would we only listen to that small part?"

~Because Jesus said to.~

"But God said we aren't allowed to add to or take from the bible. His word is perfect. And anyone that tries to change it will be punished. Jesus is only the son. And he says ignore all the stuff but the 10 commandments? Aren't we suppose to listen to the father?"

Obviously at this point the pastor got nervous. I was only 12 years old.

All it takes is a smidgen of logic and some time with the bible to understand that the religion changes to suit their needs in that particular era. Kids who are gay think it's a crime most times anyhow. Then they grow up and realize it's not so bad. Telling kids what you believe, and what your church believes, is nothing even close to abuse. I was abused, by my father and many others in my life.

Let me see....

Sit and listen to a story about how my way of life may condemn me to hell...?

Or have my drunken father put cigarettes out in my face, break beer bottles across my mouth if I argue, get my ribs cracked with a bat because he thought I got into the cookie jar, and get kicked down the stairs because I didn't clean my room...?

Stick my ass in the front row.

[scooter]

But that's their way of parenting, Scooter. Parents want their kids to grow up a certain way. All parents do. I know, I have 3 kids myself. By your logic:

• Every single parent that forces their kid to go to church is abusive.
  
  

That assumes that all kids that are forced to go to church by their parents are gay, and the parents are taking their kids to intollerent churches.  Not all kids are gay, and not all churches gay bash...  So, you can certainly take your child to church and it not be abusive.

Let's say I'm blind and I adopt a black kid and take him to my KKK ralleys, I make him wear his cape and hood everytime so nobody around knows he is black and he gets a full dose of F*CKING N_GGERS preaching every week...  That's about how it felt growning up for me... 

Making a gay kid listen to 'fags burn in hell' on a weekly basis is child abuse, not knowing that your child is gay and you are doing that to him is not an excuse.

PS:  I don't go to KKK ralleys...

[Zev The Dog]

What better way to protest than to ignore? They're not going away, and our involvement only strengthens their resolve.

I've met Prevo on more than one occasion: he seems to be a very amiable personal man yet I just can't get over his stance on homosexuality and how immoral it was. Christianity is a religion of dichotomy: preach love and hellfire in the same breath.

In dealing with a childish taunt, in one ear and out the other.

sounds more ideal than practical I know but...

[scooter]

What better way to protest than to ignore? They're not going away, and our involvement only strengthens their resolve.

That's just not what history teaches us... in the 50's Preachers like Prevo (Jerry Falwell for one) were as hatefull in preaching the seperation of black and white people as they are about gays now.  God created the races while they were trying to build the tower of babble and we were defying him by bringing the races back together.

Years of protest against seperate fountains, schools, etc and *poof*, ok, not perfect, still lots of racists out there but it's better because of protest.

Falwell later said he changed his views on segregation "early in his ministry," and attributed his words to the era in which he grew up.

If a preachers views (which I thought was supposed to be brought to them by God???) can change why their views on this one?

Also, they are going away, church attendance is going down and gay tolerence is going up, soon it will only be the true freeks that gay bash from the pulpit.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

I just realized that the video clip I posted left off the entire reason I posted it for.  Additional video clip added, scroll up to view.

Actually, I'm surprised I didn't get flamed for my satire.  Surprising, that.

[Oni]

PS:  I don't go to KKK ralleys...

I just realized that the video clip I posted left off the entire reason I posted it for.  Additional video clip added, scroll up to view.

Actually, I'm surprised I didn't get flamed for my satire.  Surprising, that.

Shhh I wont tell your secrets

Wow...I hate to say this but that damn green book that TM made me read after I made (what I call) my second contact with him seems so true atm.

For those of you who do know that book and treat it as the bible ... I slap you.

[Oni]

Ok seriously. Is anybody planing on protesting this, or know some one who is, and why?

[Kritter]

http://www.bentalaska.com/
 

Challenging the Ex-Gay Lies: How Will We Respond to the Conference?

The controversial evangelical groups Focus on the Family and Exodus International are targeting Anchorage for their next Ex-Gay Conference on September 13. Their "ministry" is teaching gays and lesbians how to 'pray away the gay.' They use harmful and ineffective therapies on young adults struggling with same-sex attractions, and convince religious parents that their gay kids can become heterosexual and be saved.

The conference is also designed to show religious conservatives how to oppose LGBT civil rights without sounding like haters, and to swamp the local media with fake science and outright lies that support a homophobic political agenda. Read more about the conference sessions and goals.

So, how will Alaska's LGBT communities and allies respond: ignore them? protest? hold counter-events?

Here is a list of recent actions taken by other communities, ideas from organizations that challenge the ex-gay myths, and suggestions for connecting our actions with larger events that are happening at the same time:

(See the list and respond)
http://www.bentalaska.com/2008/08/challenging-ex-gay-lies-how-will-we.html

[bsara]

'We Will Stop Focus on the Family's Destructive Lies Wherever They Are Spread,' Says TWO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Aug. 11, 2008

Contact: Wayne Besen
Phone: 917-691-5118
E-Mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org
Web: www.TruthWinsOut.org

NEW YORK – Truth Wins Out (TWO) announced today that its founder, Wayne Besen, would appear in Anchorage to oppose Focus on the Family's notorious "ex-gay" Love Won Out road show on Sept. 13. Besen is the author of "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the 'Ex-Gay' Myth." TWO shadows this anti-gay seminar across the nation to ensure that the public is armed with the facts and aware that Focus on the Family is deliberately disseminating misinformation about gay and lesbian people.

"We appear wherever Focus on the Family spreads lies and fear," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "Love Won Out distorts gay life and conflates stereotypes with science, while selling false hope to vulnerable people. We are looking forward to working with Alaskan advocacy groups to counter Focus on the Family's false and destructive messages." 

More details about Besen's trip will be forthcoming. The Love Won Out conference will take place on Sept. 13 at the Abbott Loop Community Church. Love Won Out is a quarterly symposium that preys on vulnerable and desperate parents upset because they have a gay child. John Paulk, an ex-gay leader who was on the cover of Newsweek, founded the program. Love Won Out suffered a major setback after Paulk was photographed inside a Washington, DC gay bar by Besen in 2000.

TWO will also be joining the Gay Liberation Network on Nov. 8 to protest the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago for inducting Focus on the Family leader James Dobson. If you live in Anchorage or Chicago, please contact TWO about getting further involved. 

In the past two years, at least seven researchers have accused Dobson of manipulating or cherry picking their results to back his anti-gay teachings. Letters and videos documenting the concerns of these respected professors can be viewed at RespectMyResearch.org. 

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. 

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