I'm sure that's another of your United Church of Christ publications - a church that condones behavior like yours - and calls it Christian.

Pathetic.

Reparative therapy, which is any therapy aimed at changing the sexual orientation of a patient, has come under much criticism in recent years. There is no solid evidence that it works, and many psychologists believe it may be harmful, particularly to young people. The American Psychiatric Association's official position statement on the issue states "In the last four decades, "reparative" therapists have not produced any rigorous scientific research to substantiate their claims of cure. Until there is such research available, APA recommends that ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals' sexual orientation, keeping in mind the medical dictum to first, do no harm."
Groups that reject the idea of reparative therapy include The National Association of Social Workers, The American Psychological Association, The American Psychiatric Association, The American Counseling Association, and The American Academy of Pediatrics.

Exodus International's first scandal occurred in 1979 when Michael Bussee (one of the five co-founding members who had helped organize the 1976 conference that led to Exodus' inception) left the group to be with Gary Cooper, a volunteer at the local Exodus ministry where they both worked, who was also volunteering for the first Exodus conference. Later they held a life commitment ceremony. Their story is one of the focuses of the documentary One Nation Under God (1993), directed by Teodoro Maniaci and Francine Rzeznik.

Exodus claims to have helped hundreds of thousands of ex-gay men and lesbians, however the claim hasn't been certified by an independent audit. To date, Exodus has also declined to release any information on what the estimate is based upon, or how the program success rate is measured.

Exodus International’s most recent and damaging scandal involved John Paulk who became the public face for the organization in its 1998 marketing push to promote its programs. Paulk became active in Focus on the Family and was also the elected chairman of the board of Exodus International North America. A former prostitute and drag queen, Paulk and his wife Anne (nee Edward), a self-described "former lesbian," enjoyed high profile publicity for their work with Exodus and as examples of "ex-gays" from their program.

Also in 1998, Paulk’s personal life story (written with the help of Tony Marco) entitled Not Afraid to Change was published by Winepress Publishing. In the book, Paulk told of his "gay origins" while a student at Ohio State University, his career as a prostitute and his habit of lying, all of which he claims were eliminated when he "gave his life to Christ." The book enjoyed success with Christian readers and leaders who held the book as a testament to the "power of Christ" in helping turn around lives.

On September 19, 2000 while on a speaking tour, Paulk was identified drinking and flirting at Mr. P's, a Washington DC gay bar, giving his name as "John Clint", one he had used in his days as a hustler in Ohio. A patron recognized him and contacted Wayne Besen, an employee of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay political action organization. When Besen arrived at the bar forty minutes later and confronted "John Clint", he denied that he was in fact John Paulk. Upon exiting the bar, Paulk's picture was taken as documentation that he had been in the bar. When confronted by Besen about the incident and the photographs, Paulk admitted being in the bar, but stated that he didn’t know it was a gay bar and had simply stopped in for a moment to use the restroom. However, eyewitnesses reported that Paulk stayed for more than an hour, flirted with other men, and when questioned about his sexuality, said he was gay (see Besen's book [i]Anything But Straight\/I]).

Paulk was called back to Focus on the Family headquarters and was questioned by Dr. James Dobson. At first Paulk reportedly evaded a direct answer about the incident; however he later confessed that he had been in the bar for the purpose of flirting. Paulk was placed on probation, and was chaperoned on future speaking engagements to ensure that he had "support" in the event that he needed it. Dobson also removed Paulk from the Board Chair position of Exodus International. He remained on the board under probationary status only and was not allowed to attend meetings or vote. An Exodus press release soon after was openly critical of him:
John's actions represent a serious lapse in sound judgment. His decision to enter a gay establishment for any reason opens him up to all kinds of speculation by both other Exodus leaders and also the gay community.
The incident received national headlines in newspapers and news magazines and raised questions about the program and its choice in leadership. Paulk eventually left his job at Focus on the Family.

Others may find some kind of comfort in the kind of therapy that is decried as dangerous and emotionally damaging by legitimate accredited professionals. Not me. It's no better than Nazi experimentations.

It's simple.

I'm going to CONTINUE to call to light your COMPLETELY HYPOCRITICAL BEHAVIOR. Enjoy it!

But your area pastors, and the Connecticut American Red Cross are not amused.

Really? Which one?

I just spoke with one of my ministers (we have two) this evening around 6 - he didn't say he was displeased with me...he called me to thank me for sticking around to help clean up the community room after coffee hour on Sunday.

I'm surprised he didn't say anything - he's quite open with me, as I am with him.

Now, exactly how is "calling to light" hypocritical behaviour (what that is, I have no idea) a simple explanation as to why you didn't know the author of the piece you responded to was a Baptist minister since it clearly stated it was?

Have you been hitting the roadhouse with alias?

I made my calls, and sent my letters, on Tuesday.

It's interesting to note how Alias responds with INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE talking about how they have "changed"...

Yet RESEARCH has shown that these "changes", if they ever occur, are ridiculously short-lived.

I quoted somebody who has been present THROUGHOUT the "ex-gay" scenario, talking about his experiences and what he has seen THROUGHOUT YEARS of his work in the field.

Just because a couple of people came out with a placebo affect for a few months doesn't negate the TREMENDOUS HARM that these efforts incur.

There is

Jefferson and Alias love getting into "My cock is bigger than yours" arguments, meaning they love to name call and accuse people of inferiority but it's really just a matter of opinion. The problem isn't that they hold the opinion, it's that they interpret it as fact.

And like the proverbial men without tape measures, it's just too close to call without concrete proof. I highly doubt we'll ever see any either way, so we'll just have to settle for opinions, and if we don't respect those of others, we're in for just as much fighting.

That's what I say about society. On this forum go ahead and give 'em hell.