EDDY: If you are visiting your parents, you’re welcome to stop by. We’re in the phone book.

I know that these comments have nothing to do with this thread except that these are people whom I care about but have no other way to contact them at the moment.

Mary, I believe I stated that it was just my feelings. I know that not everyone feels they are unacceptable to a faith community. My years in Exodus (15 years ago) it was actually being said, that Homosexuality was a sin, you couldn’t be gay and Christian, you were in need of change. Seems not a lot has changed based upon what I hear Alan and other leaders saying. It’s ok tho, I always try to allow for others to be wrong…just as I dound out I was. (smile)

Peace and Joy on your journey.

Darlene

I don’t mean to frighten you but once again I’m in total agreement with you. 🙂

Your last paragraph here is profound – I hope we all can realize this when we disagree – thank you for your insight and knowledge and for sharing it.

Yeah, I find that on all matters of faith I question whether this is a truth God has given my heart, or just my upbringing. On many things I just say, “I’ll believe it because the result is good (ie. loving, giving, forgiveness, treating others right, etc.). If I’ve got it all wrong, I’ll just have to trust that God will see my heart”.

If ultimately there is no Trinity, or direction of the Holy Spirit, or even if the Redemption is just a hoax created 2000 years ago by a zealous cult, I trust that God will forgive my human frailty and misplaced trust in institutions. And if not, well then he’s not the God I worship.

Sometimes you just have to go with what you believe. The trick is realizing you could be wrong and not punishing others who disagree with you.

…yet we constantly hear from some people on this site that there is such solid evidence against the idea that anyone can change their orientation.

That simply isn’t true.

What you “hear from some people on this site” is that there is no solid evidence that orientation CAN change. We aren’t claiming proof that it can’t (and perhaps in some limited instances it can) but that we haven’t seen anything better to support the notiong than a study of telephone conversations based on testimony of those highly motivated to claim change.

Perhaps you want to see gay folks as irrational and nefarious, but please don’t put words in our mouths to do so.

It reminds me of years ago when the gay activists wanted us all to believe that 10% of the population was gay and yet study after study indicated it was actually somewhere between 2-5%. Seems that was wishful thinking on someones part or maybe it was a political ploy. Maybe!

Anon2, we’ve discussed this to the point of nausea. But one more time for the cheap seats (to quote Nathan Lane on Sex and the City):

The 10% quote came from Kinsey’s studies and was repeated (and believed) until better research came about. The CDC in 2005 came up with about 2.3% identified as gay and 1.8% bisexual with some “other” and some who didn’t answer. Interestingly only 90% indicated they were heterosexual (so Kinsey may not have been entirely wrong). Now you can believe it was all just a scheme or trick or whatever if you want, but it does get tiresome to hear when this has all been explained before – time and again.

And – I’m sorry for repeating this – but in the same vein, this doesn’t give organizations like Exodus the right to undermine equal rights for gay people either – IF its ok to be gay, its ok to have all the rights that others have, and that includes marriage.

Sometimes this just needs to be repeated frequently