The Fatal Cost Of The "Ex-Gay" Movement (Shame on Donnie McClurkin and his ilk)

[Bluebear]

from Joe.My.God:

The young man who last Sunday shot and killed two people at a youth ministry training center, then killed two more and himself at Colorado's New Life Church (Ted Haggard's former home), was a cast out from the youth ministry, probably because he failed their attempts to make him "ex-gay".

As noted by Richard Rothstein, Matthew Murray, 24, posted on his blog that he had written letters to his mother, complaining that the church had forgiven Haggard, but not him.

Last summer, he wrote, "People like us are going to go to hell, according to Christians." He lists several reasons why. Reason number seven is bluntly stated, "I'm bisexual." In other postings, Murray wrote, "... I can never get a female date. I am at least able to get some male action."

And later, he wrote about confronting his mother about his bisexuality.

Murray wrote that he told her, "Using drugs, alcohol and having gay sex, I'm just trying to do what any Christian pastor would do. At least I'm not doing meth like Ted Haggard."

Murray also noted that the Church forgave Haggard.

He posted, "I want to know where was all the love, mercy and compassion for my supposed imperfections?"

In 2002, Murray was dismissed from the Youth With A Mission group for what they described as "health reasons." Youth With A Mission has been described as "associated with the ex-gay organization Exodus International, has been criticized by some as a 'cult' and attacked for 'brainwashing' members and promoting anti-gay messages."

Rothstein concludes his above-linked post with, "At least in Iran, the executions of gay men are swift. In the United States we prefer to slowly drive our gay children insane so that they grow up to be monsters."

Will the Christanist right and the "ex-gay" movement take the deadly example of Matthew Murray and his victims to heart? Or will this horrible incident only strengthen their resolve to continue attempting to pray the gay away? I expect the latter. Look for the Christianists to leverage the Murray shooting into even more ugly vitriol against gays. Bet on it.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2007/12/fatal-cost-of-ex-g...

[Sandaasu]

1. Not a fan of reopening an old wound like this, but it's an important point to be made.

The whole "ex-gay" business does a great deal of emotional harm, and does cost lives. The McClurkin issue is very important to us, and it's very insulting to us to have it brushed aside as I've seem some here try to do before.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Absolutely. Thed whole nonsensical idea that people can be reprogrammed like that is

devastating to the people who are subjected to it.

[donheld]

2. Donnie is but a minor player in that game

You must get to the big mouths of that movement. Falwall, Robertson, Dobson etc. I wonder if we don't cheapen the argument by bringing up McClurkin rather than the big guys.

[FredScuttle]

4. Uh, someone already "got to" Falwell

He's roasting on a spit in Hades right about now, hopefully.

And the only reason many of us even know the name "Donnie McClurkin" is that a certain "progressive" Democratic candidate hired him to be the star of his campaign event in South Carolina a couple months ago.

[donheld]

12. He's dead? get out. but

the damage he did lives on.

[FredScuttle]

13. May 15, 2007 was a great day

read it and weep (not):
http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.c...


This will be the only time I will ever link to anything having to do with Christopher Hitchens, but that gin-soaked popinjay delivered a right pissing on Falwell's grave:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKkOSMaTk4&feature=rela...

[knitter4democracy]

8. He's the one they all cite, though.

He's a bigger player than we think. People like Dobson (may he rot in hell) cite him all the time as "living proof" that being gay is merely a disease that can be cured. If you've ever seen Donnie with his wife, you know it's b.s. They're creepy.

[Bluebear]

11. He's just the most recent example, being that Obama hired him to MC his SC concerts

[FreeState]

17. He's only minor to the mainstream

he contributes to their websites:

http://www.exodus.to/content/view/570/149 /

Most people going through an ex-gay program associate with evangelicals know him, his story and his hateful rhetoric.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. This is just sad!

Maybe the "ex-gay" movement will look at this event and see the damage they are doing! It used to be they just helped queer kids kill themselves, now, they are taking out others alone with themselves!

[NickB79]

16. Sadly, I doubt it. The hardcore ex-gay supporters could use this to bolster their insanity

I can just imagine them pointing to this young man's writings and actions and saying "See, we told you all gays were evil hellspawn!"

[readmoreoften]

18. I would almost guarantee they're doing this. We don't hear what they say. That's where their power

comes from.

Their incessant radio programing is so boring and so thoroughly mixed with trite phrases and banal music that you forget millions of people understand its biblically coded messages. Their power is that they're decentralized, almost invisible to us.

[blondeatlast]

5. So tragic that so many, including this young man, died for the hideous, destructive, shameful

hypocrisy of those who hate from behind a wall of flawed Christianity.



Sometimes, I hope there's a Hell.

[readmoreoften]

6. Wow, this is tragic. And our side better understand that this is going to heat up their base.

I had no idea. But I'll tell you what-- you better believe that all the hardcore fundie churches and their "hidden in plain sight" media network are discussing the fact that this killer was gay 24/7. By hidden media I mean sermons, email, and radio outlets: local stations with local preachers, local churches, letters and emails...

I am concerned that they (with their characteristically apocalyptic, schizophrenic logic) will believe this is an 'escalation' and a 'sign' in the war between God (them) and Satan (teh gay). Expect them to be more motivated by anti-gay bias than in 2004.

This ex-gay stuff has got to stop. They need to stop torturing their kids. And I can't think of even the first towards a solution.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. And they won't ever acknowledge that they created this whole problem

[readmoreoften]

15. Acknowledge? They don't even realize that they've create the problem. They think it's Satan.

These people aren't necessarily mean, they're delusional. (Okay, actually, they looked mean in Jesus Camp.)

[knitter4democracy]

7. I hadn't heard that yet. What a horrible thing for him to go through.

It totally explains why he snapped.

Hubby and I went to an evangelical college after growing up in that church, and I just can't forgive them for what they did to my gay and lesbian friends. I've tried, but I still have too much anger. Thank goodness they're out of there now and in therapy and doing better (we saw one of our good, good friends at a mutual friend's funeral last spring, and he looked the best we'd ever seen him--gone was the bitter, sarcastic, angry man, and it was a blessing to see). Some of them have left the faith entirely, and I don't blame them a bit. I would too after what they went through at the hands of so-called Christians.

It's constant. It's a constant barrage of meanness and nastiness and hate. You can't go to church without hearing someone rail on and on about you and your brothers and sisters destroying everything. You can't go to a youth group meeting without someone refusing to sit near you because you're different. You can't live in a men's dorm without being assaulted and even raped (happened to two of my friends--never reported out of fear of reprisals, and may all those involved burn in Hell). No wonder he snapped and got a gun. No wonder at all.

It just breaks my heart.

[Kurovski]

14. K&R. (nt)

[mitchtv]

19. Figures

that explains a lot

[brentspeak]

20. I think the fact that he was hearing voices has more to do with his rampage