The following comes from a June 19 story on the Exodus website.
Exodus International, the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality announced tonight that it’s closing its doors after three-plus decades of ministry. The Board of Directors reached a decision after a year of dialogue and prayer about the organization’s place in a changing culture.
“We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change – and they want to be heard,” said Tony Moore, board member of Exodus. The message came less than a day after Exodus released a statement apologizing (www.exodusinternational.org/apology) to the gay community for years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole.
“Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we’ve ceased to be a living, breathing organism,” said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus. “For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.”
Chambers continued: “From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered.”
For these reasons, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to close Exodus International and begin a separate ministry. “This is a new season of ministry, to a new generation,” said Chambers. “Our goals are to reduce fear (reducefear.org), and come alongside churches to become safe, welcoming, and mutually transforming communities.”
To read original statement, click here.
Why even have an article on this…this is stupid. If this organization gave up on God’s natural law…they are truly not followers of Christ!
Abeca, RE-READ the section on JUDGING others!!
And you would not have written that, TEM, if you had not already judged Abeca’s post. You need to take your own advice.
Jesus welcomed everyone, but on His terms, not theirs.
Our mind is called the “seat of judgment.” We are called to judge ACTIONS and same sex activity is seriously immoral, so immoral the Bible calls it a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. You do not show love for others by embracing and encouraging their sinful behavior. Being same-sex attracted doesn’t absolve a person from the ten commandments and there are two that forbid lust. And Anne is spot on. Physician, heal thyself.
TEM read Mary Ann’s comments
TEM,
YOU SHOULD READ THAT SECTION AND WITHOUT ROSE COLORED GLASSES. I HAVE READ IT MANY, MANY TIMES!
May God have mercy on your compromised soul and the souls of your family that you have drug into the gutter with you.
PLease don’t write on this Site praising Bishops and priest that we know from your often stated positions you really don’t respect AT ALL!
May God have mercy on your soul and those of your family that you have dragged down with you!
Kenneth M. Fisher
As usual a Protestant group succumbs to outside pressures. I believe that Courage the Catholic equivalent still holds open the possibly of restoring people but their focus to the saving of souls from sin .
Protestants-always changing their minds and developing elastic morals.
Once a group of people separate from God’s Church, it is all down hill from there. Protestants were the first among Christians to allow the use of birth control. That helped societies to eventually allow abortion. I see them eventually accepting homosexual marriage across the board.
Why can’t we accept, for once, that there is such a thing as science. We have known for years that restoration psychology is junk science. It ranks right up there with the christian pastors who say there is no such thing as global warming, aids, etc.. The truth is that people are born gay or straight, and some not sure what they are. That has nothing to do with religion or faith. The catholic church does not teach that being gay is evil. It does say that it is disordered, but not evil. It also says that we must love the gay person and treat them with respect. It does not say that gay sex is acceptable, but it also says that heterosexual sex outside of marriage is evil. Why is this even an issue?
REFRESHING BOB, HOWEVER, THESE FAR RIGHT WING FOLKS SHOULD AVAIL THEMSELVES OF HAIR SHIRTS AND A COURSE IN PSYCHO-SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT!! Bob, I must admit that these folks bring constant laughter to my life, may the LORD in HIS MERCY BRING THEM ALL TO LIFE EVERLASTING, NOW!!!
No, not far right, just normal, TEM.
That was a hateful statement in the guise of prayer. How shameful!! Is this the fruit of your labor?
Because, Bob, they are asking us to give our approval to their so-called “marriages”, which would be an approval of sodomy and all the other unhealthy and injurious sexual activities in which some of them engage, which involves the ingestion of feces quite often, and that we cannot do. Yes, some heterosexuals engage in those activities also, but that is why we now have an epidemic of STD’s which we never had before. So called marriages between two men or two women are not going to stop it. In Canada they are forcing or trying to force churches to rent halls for so-called homosexual marriages. If they would leave us alone, we, quite simply, would leave them alone, but they won’t. Some of them just keep pushing the envelope til we get angry and push back. By the way, there has always been “global warming” down through the ages, even before we started to use fossil fuel. Here in my part of California, we are having a cold spell in June, We have even had to use our heater, and I do not live in Northern California either. We do have to conserve, but my family have always been taught to do that. And some politicians have spent more jet fuel going around saying the sky is falling than most of us ‘peasants” have. If they want to “conserve” why don’t they start with themselves.
I agree with you, Ann as it relates to marriage. I don’t support gay marriage in any way. But, I do respect the idea that some people are SSA and deserve, as the church teaches, our love and affection as human beings. If they want to commit the sin of sex outside of marriage, that is another story. It is no different, however, than two heterosexual people having sin outside of marriage. I’m sure you would agree!
Catholic Answers has many resources to answer religious and moral questions. Please consider this post.
Aug 2, ’04, 12:23 pm
Jim Blackburn
Catholic Answers Apologist
Re: Gay Gene
——————————————————————————–
According to the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) “There is no evidence that shows that homosexuality is simply “genetic.” And none of the research claims there is”.
But even if such a gene existed, acting out on homosexual desires caused by the gene would still be immoral. The Catechism explains, “This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial” (CCC 2358). And, “Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved” (CCC 2357).
For more information see “Is There a Gay Gene”? at catholic.com, Ask an Apologist.
——————————————————————————–
Last edited by Jim Blackburn; Aug 2, ’04 at 12:42 pm.
My brother and Sisters in Jesus thru Mary Immaculate,
You can quote scripture and private revelations to these people until you are blue in the face. THEY WON’T LISTEN BECAUSE THEY ARE BLINDED BY THEIR MANY MANY SINS AGAINST NATURE AND NATURE’S GOD! I am totally convinced that even if Our Lord or His Mother appeared to them to tell them they are wrong, they would tell even Them to shove off as did their master in Hell!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
While preempting parents’ authority to make therapeutic decisions—even bad ones—for their children may seem like extreme government intrusion, freedom of speech is hardly an adequate defense for selling what amounts to magic beans to vulnerable patients and their families. And since gay conversion therapy is a commercial service being sold by licensed professionals, a State has a legal right to regulate its practice if it deems it is harmful or misleading to consumers.
Yet all is not lost for NARTH and its cohorts. In 2008 a Texas court ruled that a 17-year old girl who suffered a traumatic exorcism ritual at the hands of members of her Pentecostal church was not entitled to recompense based on U.S. Supreme Court precedent that says injuries that are solely psychological and occur within the confines of a religious practice cannot be compensated.
If groups like NARTH wish to continue what they are doing without government interference, let them remove gay-conversion therapy from the realm of science and put it where it belongs, under the banner of religion, right next to exorcism.
Bob One, we can agree on one thing at times there is “global warming” and at times there is “global cooling”. Science as well as history and anthropology has proven this one beyond a doubt. Yep the great ice age ended with the advent of global warming. You can also study civilizations over the history of the world which either thrived for certain periods of time or ceased to exist depending on whether or not an areas climate had changed to either a too cool one or a too hot one, or too much rainfall or too little. An example of this is occurring here in the USA where the citrus growing zones are steadily declining to the most southern parts of our country do to falling temperatures.
I am not sure however, that any of this proves that science is always right. Science is a tool and sometimes it measures things accurately and sometimes it doesn’t. For example, Ultrasound is a scientific tool which allows one to see inside the womb. Yet how many times has a doctor used this tool to tell a mother that beyond a shadow of a doubt her child has a disability and yet the child is born perfectly healthy? Sure often times the tool or interpreter gets it right but often times it and they get it quiet wrong.
I would not put so much faith into science nor it’s single minded interpreters if I were you. To do so leads one to a pretty cold, mechanistic view of life.
Ah Bob One can always be counted to support the sodomites while condemning Faithful Catholics. The “issue” Bob One is that the Church has been overrun with practicing sodomites in the Clergy who give a wink and nod to this kind of filth… Oh Lord how much longer until the corrupt generation of the 60’s and V2 is sent to the infernal regions
“Sodomite” is just another Catholic myth that the city of Sodom’s demise was due to homosexuals. Even the POPE knows that it was not about gays.
There is NO gay gene Bob and the homosexuals are lucky one has not been discovered or else they would be aborted into oblivion like Downs children, and don’t pretend otherwise.
If parents are willing to abort on gender or a CLEFT PALATE what chance would a homosexual”born THAT way”,have…?….nil and you know it.
I am not surprised that Bob One is a warmist, global warming fraud… it used to be called weather…..
There is absolutely no evidence, scientific or otherwise, to prove that people are “born gay or lesbian.” There is ample proof in psychological journals and books that this comes about through failure to develop a normal psycho-sexual life. Parents often try their best but they fail, and children who are molested or sodomized are more often at risk for same-sex attraction. Read Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons and others. These are kind, caring professionals who tell the Truth-something in short supply today. Dr. F. has been featured on “Women of Grace” and other programs on EWTN. God loves everyone-all are made in the image and likeness of God. Pray that all those who are confused and led to live lives of sin (all of us in one way or another) find our way back to the loving arms of Our Father. His love and grace are available to all-Catholic, Protestant, or atheist.
Heretics without truth to stand on.
Protestants have been officially sanctioning mortal sin for almost 100 years now.
ALL sin is mortal. “In the day you shall eat of it you shall surely die.” “The wages of sin is death.” God is perfect and cannot tolerate sin. Sin must be paid for with blood. The only blood that is able to pay off the sin-debt is the blood of the sinless Lamb of God.
How refreshing it would be to read that one of the homophobic bishops or — heaven help us — one of the regular doom-and-gloom commenters here about stories like the exit of Exodus were to emulate Alan Chambers with a nod to Christian charity. I’d love to be able to watch Jesus’s face or Mary’s face as one of them read an empathetic remark by Abeca or Anne T. about the goodness and value of LGBT children of God, and about the apologies owed to these beloved children of God by so many who call themselves good Catholics.
When you imply that St. Paul and the Apostle Jude, who wrote the book of Jude, by the way, are homophobic, you condemn yourself.
I truly cannot believe this; neither the article not some of the comments. Sodomy is GRAVE sin…one of only 4 crying out to Heaven…the only one for which God destroyed 2 cities! Or are we now denying the Bible? This isn’t fun and games…this is souls at stake…and to not speak the Truth, because it’s politically incorrect, is spiritual negligence to a depth I cannot begin to comprehend.
Susan, Alan Chambers apologized because he realized that he hadn’t been speaking the Truth. The light finally dawned for him, thanks be to God. And yes, engaging in name calling and demonizing people one dislikes is politically incorrect. Ignoring Jesus’ call to love one’s neighbor as oneself is spiritual negligence.
Mark, it is not loving one’s neighbor to affirm, condone, and celebrate their actions of mortal sin. That is actually hatred for one’s neighbor. Do you remember numerous times in the Gospel where Jesus says , “Your sins are forgiven, now, go and sin no more”? That last caveat is far too readily forgotten. The act of sodomy is grave sin…St. Paul is VERY clear on that, and it places one’s eternal soul in danger. The attraction is disordered (ie, against the order as God established) but not sinful in and of itsel; the act is mortal sin. That is in no way ‘name calling’ or ‘demonizing’ as you calumniously charge; that is truth, and my speaking it to you is an act of love.
Sorry, Susan, when people throw the words “sodomy” and “sodomite” in peoples’ faces I view it as a show of contempt, not an act of love. I didn’t have anything more to do with what happened in those two cities than you did. And neither of us knows the whole story of what happened there, we just know from what little bit was written down after being passed down in oral traditions for over a thousand years. I find it interesting that some seem to feel that their interpretation of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a more important part of the Bible than the loving words of Christ in the New Testament.
Mark, if you are not practicing sodomy, and you say you don’t, you are not a sodomite. There is an old saying, “If the shoe fits wear it, if it does not don’t worry about it”. Do I worry when someone uses the term adultress, “No”, because I do not committ adultery.Yes, it might be a little politer to say “she committed adultery or cheated on her husband”, but now days people do not want anyone every to say that because they do not think it’s “nice”. Well being too polite has gotten us an epidemic as STD”s, broken homes and dead babies for one thing. That is not “nice” either. There was a time and is in some places still where things and practices were and are actually called what they really were and are. Have you even read a newspaper where the person was said to have been raped and sodomized. Get a grip, Mark. The American culture has become so super sensitive that we use nothing but euphemisms such as “choice” for “killing a child in the womb”, “alternate lifestyle” for “living with someone outside of marriage — in other words fornicating” and on and on. No one dare tell anyone else something is wrong, unless it is about tolerance or racism. I loved one older priest when he said to me after I told him some in the family was living together outside of marriage, “Oh, you mean they are living in sin.” I laughed and said to myself, “I like THAT man. He does not pull any punches. He says what it is, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it.”
By the way, I was merely getting advice from that priest and did not mention any names.
Anne T, people use the term “sodomite” to refer to gay people. If someone is straight and they are doing those things they don’t get called “sodomite” as people don’t usually grill straight people about their sexual practices. I think it is a dehumanizing term but then again, that is the point. It is a label for people who are gay or perceived to be gay. I think people who are perceived to be gay are more bullied or discriminated against than gay people who don’t appear gay and just play along at times so as not to get mistreated. This is an important reason why it is good that the Boy Scouts ended their ban on “gay scouts”. People are being more open now as bullying and discrimination of gay folks is frowned upon by 90%+ of people these days.
And yes, engaging in name calling and demonizing people one dislikes is politically incorrect” I am proudly politically incorrect PA I reject gays and everything that they stand for…….you and your crowd PA will not control what I do or how I think…..PA since your crowd has legalized immorality, virtue will soon be criminalized
Thank you for this interesting article. I read Alan Chamber’s apology. I quote, “I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents.” He apologized for not speaking up when some called people “sodomites” and worse. I must give him credit for telling the truth here and apologizing for advancing false theories that perhaps he once believed in but now he realizes are false. So he is apologizing for lying even though at the time he didn’t realize it. Most people today now understand that sexual orientation is not something that can be changed in people. Another important statement he made was “The days of feeling shame over being human in that way are long over.” People need to understand that people, especially young people, should not be made to feel shame for who they are. A person’s sexual orientation is not something that they choose. He also said, “I am sorry that so many have interpreted religious rejection by Christians as God’s rejection.” There is a great difference here.
Mark from PA, I read the apology to. Everyone should. This man is gay. He apparently went through the conversion therapy, got married to a woman, had kids and just went into denial about his attraction to other men. The thing that jumped out at me: in interviewing people who went through their therapy he heard stories of sexual misconduct. I think this story has only begun.
Hey, Bob One, or whatever, PROVE that restorative psychology is “junk science;” btw, I think it’s really known as ‘restorative therapy,’ and I met the founder of it once a long time ago when he was just getting the concept off the ground (can’t remeber his name). He had his first office then somewhere on Ventura Blvd. in the San Fernando Valley. But again, I would really welcome unassailable evidence you might have that “restorative therapy” is in fact “junk science.” Now your post done @ 8:04 a.m. today offers NONE. Just a lot of the usual claptrap from the gay reich that people shouldn’t be “mean” to homos, etc., along with the usual disclaimer that just because one suffers from S.S.A., they’re not “evil.” Hello, Bob, are you absolutely SURE of that? The average ACTIVE homo has sodomy and the other usual practices engaged in, over their lifetime, THOUSAND OF TIMES WITH THOUSANDS OF PARTNERS.. Twisted psychsexual and perverted sex acts, you’re saying, DON’T HAVE VERY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FROM PERSPECTIVES OF HEALTH, SPIRITUALITY OR EMOTION? REALLY?? (of course I’m talking about those who constantly GIVE IN to their S.S.A. affliction.) You’ve GOT to be kidding us, Bob. I think it’s common knowledge, once again, btw, that those with S.S.A. give in to it FAR MORE than they don’t. Just common sense. Now there’s just too much misinformation to your post that I’d never be given the space to reply to, so, in closing, let me just say that it (homosexuality) IS an issue because, even though approximately 2% of the U.S. population are that way, the gaymafia lobby acts as if its 20 or 30 % of the population that way, which makes me respond: LOL! In your dreams, buddy. And try to get a hetero life; apply to Courage, see if it works out for you. GOD BLESS, MARKRITE
Why would I apply to Courage? None of my comments refered to sodomy. If people who have SSA are not participating in sex outside of marriage, they are to be loved and treated with respect. That is in the CCC. NARTH has been discredited by every reputable psychological group in the world. They are fakes too! Read the reports of the AMA and other scientific groups.
“NARTH has been discredited by every reputable psychological group in the world” according to whom Bob One, liberals????
Dr. Nicolosi has treated many “gays”…and assisted them in renouncing this disordered and perverse lifestyle. Many have been cured by the good Dr., who by the way is a very devout Catholic. Many don’t seek a cure, as many don’t want to be free of this vice…this revolting lifestyle is beyond disgusting, it is shameful, immoral and a grave sacrilege…
Bob 1 Actually the Church teaches that we are to loved and accepted even if we are participating in sex outside of marriage.
” Actually the Church teaches that we are to loved and accepted even if we are participating in sex outside of marriage.”… and it is the responsibility of the person engaging in the behavior to go to confession and repent their sins…C&H do you believe sex outside of marriage is a sin…????
Most of the time … yes.
The correct answer is all of the time.
markite,
His name is Dr. Robert Nicolosi, and he is a friend of mine. He probably has more Scientific Degrees than all of these crtitics on this Site put together. I haven’t seen or talk to him in a long time, but he is a friend. At one time he was actually Mahony’s Archdiocesan Psychologist, that is until Mahony sodomite friends got to Mahony with their lying complaints.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Exodus International is but the latest in a long row of dominoes to fall. The march to perdition continues unabated. Truly a sad and disappointing development.
If this sex-change thing they were running doesn’t work, maybe they should try something new.
Like helping people who are left-handed become right-handed?
Excuse me, Bob / One; once again, PROVE that NARTH has been discredited by every “reputable psychological group in the world.” What are the names of these groups and on what dates did this discrediting by these “reputable psychological groups” of NARTH take place? Of course, this is PURE FANTASY and WISHFUL THINKING on your part. Otherwise you’d give credible proof of what you say. You don’t have any so you bloviate. And it’s too bad that the gaythug org.’s in the U.S. don’t do what you say all people should do, which is, to treat with “love and respect” all those who disagree with the hate-filled invective against NARTH. Where’s the “love and respect” for those who belong to NARTH? Isn’t love supposed to be a two-way street? For me, all I’ve seen is the HATE generated by the gayfascist movement AGAINST Catholics and Evangelical Christians who’re basically only trying to remind our wayward homo brothers (& sisters) that their active gay lifestyle will lead them into a whole lot of hurt and maybe, in not refraining from promiscuous S.S.A. conduct, finally lead them into hell. Just remarking GOD BLESS ALL, MARKRITE
Dr. Robert Spitzer, who some consider to be the father of modern psychiatry, has recanted his 2003 study that supported the use of reparative therapy to “cure” homosexuality, the New York Times.
His apology came just weeks before the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report denouncing so-called conversion therapies for gays and lesbians. “Since homosexuality is not a disorder or a disease, it does not require a cure. There is no medical indication for changing sexual orientation,” said Pan-American Health Organization Director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago in the WHO study. “Practices known as ‘reparative therapy’ or ‘conversion therapy’ represent a serious threat to the health and well-being—even the lives—of affected people.”
Pray away the gay has always been a lie. NARTH is is no different than EXODUS.
They both have done nothing but ruin countless lives for nothing, so the homophobes can justify their bigotry and shameful conduct towards their fellow human beings.
You are correct here, Anonymous, it is good that we have another person, Alan Chambers, finally admitting to the truth. Oh, Markrite, “our wayward homo brothers”! What about the wayward people that hate gay people and get some kind of satisfaction is name calling, putting people down and discriminating against people, all while using religion as a front to act in unChristian ways towards their “homo brothers”?
PA with your so called victimization of gays is such a fantasy,,,when gay priest are destroying the Church from within and you think they are all victims when they are nothing but satanic agents
Well, it’s just too bad that you haven’t consulted the FBI hate crimes statistics. After you do, then we can talk victimization. OK?
No not OK YFC, as far as I am concerned sodomites have it coming to them. When you declare war on nature, nature will declare war on you….Now that this corrupt society has legalized immorality how long before it outlaws virtue, and will you support the arrest of those who vocally disagree (ie preach in the pulpit) against the gay death style. Those of us who utterly reject what your kind stands for will soon be persecuted and I can’t wait for the showdown…
It’s DISCRMINATION, and it’s unconstitutional.
That’s your opinion Anony
That is a fact. You must have not bothered reading the article.
“homophobe” another made up word invented bu the homo-sex left to use against those who do not accept sodomy as a lifestyle… I throw it back in their faces
I read that a gay priest dating site is run right out of the Vatican. What’s up with that? You can’t pray away the gay anymore than you can the straight.
The filth goes straight to the top only direct confrontation will solve this problem and I gladly volunteer
How come the Vatican does not send all homosexual clergy to NARTH for conversion therapy? They don’t bother, because it does not work. Why would a gay lobby exist at the Vatican when NARTH could pray away the gay? There should be no gay clergy poblem in the Catholic Church if NARTH and its leader could convert gays to be straight. NARTH is nothing but a scam and fraud.
Prayer requires action also. The practice of homosexuals and lesbians is like any other vice, the deeper it is ingrained (the longer practiced), the harder it is to root out. I suspect many such people just picked up the habit from experimenting when children or were molested and just did not stop, so it is deeply ingrained. Our brains are affected by what we do also, flashbacks, etc., whether of the homosexual or heterosexual variety.
Ann T, I’m sorry to say, you are so very wrong. Being born a homosexual is not a practice, habit, or a vice. Homosexuals are born the same way everyone else has. They were not taught to be homosexuals anymore than you were. It is not against the law to be a homosexual in this country. They are fighting for equal rights under the law of of this land. The Constitution of the United States. Your religious belief on this matter does not trump the Constitution.
Homophobia is observable in critical and hostile behavior such as discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual orientations that are non-heterosexual. According to the 2010 Hate Crimes Statistics released by the FBI National Press Office, 19.3 percent of hate crimes across the United States “were motivated by a sexual orientation bias.” Moreover, in a Southern Poverty Law Center 2010 Intelligence Report extrapolating data from fourteen years (1995–2008), which had complete data available at the time, of the FBI’s national hate crime statistics found that LGBT people were “far more likely than any other minority group in the United States to be victimized by violent hate crime.:
What a bunch of nonsense. Do you realize that some of those so crimes are LGBT on LGBT crimes. How many of those crimes are about one homosexual killing or raping another? The two lesbians down the street from our house use to fight all the time. You are kidding no one. By the way, molestation of the under aged is a “hate” crime if there ever was one. Why isn’t that classified as a “hate” crime. It should be.
Ann T, the rape of children is not a hate crime. What is the Catholic answer and history on the rights of the child? They are still covering up clergy child abuse across the world. It would further the cause for abused children if the statute of limitations was removed. The Catholic Church has done everything in it’s power to stop that from ever happening in this, and other countries. The Church should focus more on the rights of the child and less on no equal rights for the homosexual.
The cancer spreads now unabated, soon the host will die.