quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

I was watching CNN with my mother today and they talked about the Haggard story concerning a concept known as "spiritual restoration" which is like a spiritual rehabilitation that can take years. Basically they have a process where the person submits to God, admits they did wrong, and then they humble themselves.

This is a process that the Christian Evangelical Reverend Ted Haggard is going through to make up for his "sin" of homosexuality.


Does anyone believe that a religion can cure someone of being homosexual? I do not think that it is a flaw in someone to be gay personally, the real "sin" is lying about being gay and hurting people because you hate yourself and cannot embrace who you are... which perhaps these myths that homosexuality can be prayed away are harmful because it fosters the belief that homosexuality is a choice, which from all I have read it just isn't

Here is a link to what I am talking about
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20061108-1836-haggard-whatsnext.html

quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

Put him through whatever "fixing" they want, as soon as a Brad Pitt look-a-like goes by, brother Haggard's nipples will harden. And that's okay.

quote:

ORIGINAL: LaTigresse

...I think Halle Berry, Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman are steaming hot...

quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx

I do not know any gays who want to be "cured"
thompson

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyEllen

Lets look at Christianity concerning homosexuality;

1) Their male priests wear what can only be described as dresses. Crossdressing is of course not associated with homosexuality per se, although the church suggests it is part of that same axis of evil.
2) The Bible speaks often of the "iron rod of the Lord". This can be inferred to refer to an erect penis - what to make then of their male priests who desire this iron rod to rule over them?
3) The church and Bible are heavily misogynistic, devaluing and demonising women throughout. What does this say about the males who are attracted to lead the church I wonder?

It would therefore seem that the church is run by crossdressing submissive gay men who reject women as they dont need them for their particular worship of the iron rod of the Lord. To prevent the discovery of this in the past, they blamed everyone else for these things to place attention on some other person or people. This worked until the media age, and now they are being discovered and forced to adapt. I believe its called hypocrisy.

Another good reason to abandon the church and follow Jesus, I'd say.

E

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sinergy

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyEllen

Lets look at Christianity concerning homosexuality;

1) Their male priests wear what can only be described as dresses. Crossdressing is of course not associated with homosexuality per se, although the church suggests it is part of that same axis of evil.
2) The Bible speaks often of the "iron rod of the Lord". This can be inferred to refer to an erect penis - what to make then of their male priests who desire this iron rod to rule over them?
3) The church and Bible are heavily misogynistic, devaluing and demonising women throughout. What does this say about the males who are attracted to lead the church I wonder?

It would therefore seem that the church is run by crossdressing submissive gay men who reject women as they dont need them for their particular worship of the iron rod of the Lord. To prevent the discovery of this in the past, they blamed everyone else for these things to place attention on some other person or people. This worked until the media age, and now they are being discovered and forced to adapt. I believe its called hypocrisy.

Another good reason to abandon the church and follow Jesus, I'd say.

E

Kinda says it all in Psalm 23:6

"His rod and his staff, they comfort me"

Or Exodus 4:20

"And Moses took the staff of God in his hand"

Exodus 4:4

"He put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a Rod in his hand"

I am probably wrong.

Sinergy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sinergy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

Put him through whatever "fixing" they want, as soon as a Brad Pitt look-a-like goes by, brother Haggard's nipples will harden. And that's okay.

I imagine if they chemically or surgically castrate him, he will lose any sexual interest whatsoever.

If I was his minister, I might suggest he volunteer for it to "get right with God."

Just me and I know I am wrong, but there you go.

Sinergy

p.s. And I agree with juliaoceania, the problem I have with him is not that he is gay, which I tend to seriously doubt is a "lifestyle choice."  The problem I have with him is that his sermons touched thousands, and in them he railed against the evil of homosexuality.  In my opinion, people look to their spiritual leaders for guidance and comfort.  His words would not comfort somebody who had inner moral conflicts, nor would they serve as a guiding light out of the darkness.

p.p.s.  I suggest they put him and Rush Limbaugh in the same cabin at Spiwituaw Wehabiwitation Camp.

quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx

In my reading of the bible I have noticed that Jesus spent his entire public life hanging out with his 12 fishing buddies and a hooker.
thompson

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

As justheather stated, on one hand everyone's lifepath is personal, and I certainly should not judge people for trying to make their life better in some way, even though I do not understand it.. it just seems harmful that some religions create an environment where a person can only be self loathing to the point of leading a double life and all the risks this entails for their  wife and other family.

quote:

My brother and I had a heated debate about this a couple of days ago, he is a staunch christian conservative.. he tried to tell me that Haggard would be accepted although his sin would not be. In other words he would have to disavow his sexuality to be a part of the flock at my brother's church. We just could not understand the position of the other. My brother will even say that he thinks gay people are born this way, and cannot help it, but that is no excuse. He has several gay friends too that he thinks a lot of their character, so it is not like he is hateful about it.. he just thinks that if they loved god enough they would go without sex and loving relationship...

"Most pastors I know do not have satisfying, free, sexual conversations and liberties with their wives. At the risk of being even more widely despised than I currently am, I will lean over the plate and take one for the team on this. It is not uncommon to meet pastors’ wives who really let themselves go; they sometimes feel that because their husband is a pastor, he is therefore trapped into fidelity, which gives them cause for laziness. A wife who lets herself go and is not sexually available to her husband in the ways that the Song of Songs is so frank about is not responsible for her husband’s sin, but she may not be helping him either."

quote:

ORIGINAL: HollyS

Because as we all know, it makes perfect sense for a man to have sex with another man because he's turned off by his boring ugly wife, and not because he's gay.

quote:

ORIGINAL: mnottertail

Well, come to think of it, I may not be a pushover but I can be had......