Birmingham is fortunate. They get several new mayors within a period of 3 months. Bessemer is stuck with the one we have. I have some thoughts, but I think they will be in my next Western Tribune column.
In the meantime, a video supporting Patrick Cooper for Birmingham mayor has surfaced, but its not the kind of video he necessarily wants, and definitely approved by the candidate. NSFW
But Cooper is right. He can't control what people post. Jody Trautwein called it "inexcusable," and that it (vulgar jokes) are "detrimental to the hearts and minds, and therefore to the future of this generation. You remember Trautwein...in "Bruno."
Anyway, Trautwein is a believer and supporter of ex-gay ministries, which are all a fraud and in themselves are "detrimental to the hearts and minds" of the vulnerable kids and adults who fall for it. I'm glad he doesn't have a snowball's chance of being elected.
Recently an Ex-Gay conference was debunked here in Birmingham. Read here here and here.
4 comments:
Sir, your information is WRONG. I am the result of an ex-gay ministry. I was living a sinful lifestyle. Did it for almost 10 years. This ministry was not detrimental to me, but rather it saved my life. I now have a very loving wife and two precious kids.
If I had not been rescued by that ministry, there is no telling where I would be. Probably dead. You need to remove that slander from this blog. The ministry I went through is far from being a fraud. It is an honest, real, grounded ministry.
Neil, I don't know if you have visited this site before, but welcome.
I am glad that you are living the life you desire and hope your happiness endures. But I don't know you or your history so can only respond in generalities.
Sexual orientation is inherent and cannot be changed. But of course orientation is fluid and exists along a continuum from totally straight to totally gay. Many lie in between somewhere. Those who are bisexual to some degree can certainly change their behavior, but nothing about their orientation has changed.
God does not make mistakes. People do. Some who are gay have tried to play straight with limited success and only find peace with God when we accept ourselves as he created us, and only find happiness with the same-sex partner that he (God) leads us to. That is my success story.
Thank you Joe. I have never visited this site before, but a friend told me what had been posted and I had to respond.
What I found most interesting to your response it that those were the very same arguments that I used to make. I was not excited about the ministry that I got involved in, but was referred to it by another ex-gay friend of mine.
Unfortunately your arguments do not hold up against scripture. Obviously there is not enough time or space for me to articulate all that I was presented, but I would encourage you to look into such a ministry. You might be surprised what you would find.
I will say this. I was not pressured, was not brain-washed, was not made to feel uncomfortable. But my eyes were opened to some truths that I had denied, and God delivered me. I pray that you will consider checking it out.
But again, for you to say that the ex-gay ministries are ALL A FRAUD is terribly wrong. I'm sure there probably are some that are fraudulous, just like there are churches, political leaders, and non-profits that are frauds. But there is validity to these ministries and many are getting help.
Neil,
I have studied scripture all my life and taken theology courses. Over the years I have written about how scripture has been mis-translated and misinterpreted in order to demonize (first) blacks, (then) women and (now) gays. I can send you a complete "lesson" if you like, but my aim is not to destroy someone who is happy in their life, it is to educate those who are struggling so that they can understand what the Bible really says and that they can be fulfulled in their gay life and satisfy both themselves and God.
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