It's from an LDS-friendly organization that says same-sex attraction can be overcome -- with love. With someone of the opposite gender, of course. And a Mormon.

http://ldsvoicesofhope.org/voice.php?v=10#.UrZHQ2RDtx5

My ex commented, "So sad. All this talk of sacrifice and giving up who you are."

The human wreckage left by people who truly believed they could marry away the gay is testament to the failure of this idea.

Here's the kicker: my ex and I used to work with the woman in the video back when she was a lesbian jack-mo. She was very different then. Funny and fun, not the slightest hint of religiosity. Now listen to her spout LDS jargon. Sad.

What caught my eye was the Masters in Community Mental Health. Something tells me she's not too healthy in that area herself.

And notice that she says "struggling with same-sex attraction" rather than, "I was a lesbian." Honey, you were in an emotional and sexual relationship with a women. (And maybe with more than one in your lifetime.) That makes you at least bisexual. Oh, I forgot, according to the brethren there's no such thing as homosexuality, just confused, struggling heterosexuals under the power of Lucifer.

This is one of those things that really damages people.

It's funny how no one talks about how you can get over opposite sex attraction.

That would make quite the parody.

"You too could be homosexual with the proper amount of hope and determination!"

nonsequiter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That would make quite the parody.
>
> "You too could be homosexual with the proper
> amount of hope and determination!"

I think Brian Dalton (aka "Mr. Deity", a self-labeled "formon") did one. Can't find the link to the video right now...

for YEARS. It was amazing to me the load lifted from my shoulders, let alone my heart and mind when I finally let go of the insanity and realized "he" is just fine the way he is.

I could never quite reconcile who he was and what they told me was--especially in the beginning. I'd have this picture of a monster in my mind and I'd call him and hear his voice and KNOW he is a good person. I struggled for over 20 years with all of this.

Amazing how simple the reality of being gay is. It just is.

My TBM daughter--I can tell--is struggling with this new situation here in Utah, doesn't know quite how to feel. I'm TRYING to give her the benefit of the doubt because I was so BLIND myself at her age. She loves her parents, but she just can't come to terms with the fact that we "gave up." This is a hell that goes on and on and on.

Voices of hope--bullshit.

Someone should refer her to this dude:

http://www.ldsresources.info/professionals/persistence.shtml#evergreen

Please watch what she says 3:40- 3:50
"all I refused to give up is my intellectualism"

He read the manuscript and he did show up at my door and he had changed. Literally, his countenance had changed. He looked different. He was softer. And he came in and he had tears in his eyes; and he just said, “I’m so sorry. This was so hard for you. You made me look like an idiot. You know, you had to give up so much for the Savior, and all I refused to give up is my intellectualism and that was silly.”

Giving up intellectualism sounds awful.

That darned smart-thought attraction!

In addition to your friend's video, I randomly watched a few minutes of a dozen or so of the others. The thing that jumps out at me, besides the ridiculously stupid language they use, is how unhappy they all seem. And for what? Something that's totally imaginary.

I feel sorry for them, but I also want to kick their asses. And I'm disgusted by the website and the organization that produced it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2013 08:58PM by munchybotaz.

If I could have a completely honest, private discussion with her, I would like to ask her how it would affect her if the church changed it's stance on homosexuality, and said it was ok for gays to be married.

I guess the reality of that would be for her to brush it off claiming the church would never do such a thing. But I do wonder how she would react if such a thing happened.

I can see that these folks are suffering and I don't want to minimize that, but I caught a tiny vibe of needing to suffer from some of them--especially those who seem to know intellectually that there's nothing wrong with them and have lived normal, out lives at one time. It's like why, why, why. What's better about this, besides getting something resembling approval from one's Mormon family and friends? Especially when one is obviously still in such terrible pain.

I only looked at about a third of the videos and all just the highlights, but I didn't see one person who seemed genuinely happy with their choice. Only one guy even talked about being happy. He started by saying, "I'm the happiest person I know." I tried to be open minded and thought he seemed sort of somewhat satisfied until he started choking up, talking about people supporting him and all the different parts of himself. He doesn't seem happy, either, but more like just making this big sacrifice to be "a disciple of Christ."

None of the others seemed to think happiness is an option.

I guess it's the brainwashing. I know it goes deep, even though for me it was only the first 20 and really just 6 of my 50+ years. I felt defensive the other day, watching that video of the Young Turks discussing Mormonism. That's residual programming, and I have some of it. Still, I have a hard time imagining what it's like to believe, honestly and wholeheartedly, in the Mormon story because it's so obviously made up. I have never *not* thought that.

Hard as it is for me to imagine, I don't doubt that these 37 so-called voices of hope actually believe. The ones I watched all seem to think of their orientation as a challenge that Heavenly Father gave to them, for reasons unknown. He made them gay, but is going to punish them for acting on it. Who thinks very hard about that, and ends up deciding that HF is a good guy?

I thought about it when I was a teenager, and I wasn't even aware of knowing anyone who was gay. It was one of half a dozen big things that bothered me about Mormonism. I try to imagine what if it had been me, what if I had really believed. It's just too brutal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2013 11:15AM by munchybotaz.

I remember a talk by a general authority, back in the 90s, where he spoke out against the idea of trying to fix homosexuality through a temple marriage with someone of the opposite sex. For some crazy reason, the guy thought marriage should be built on a definition of love that was both mutual respect and mutual attraction for each other. That was the first and last time I have ever heard that line of reasoning from a GA, and I can't remember if it was at conference or some other kind of broadcast. Must not have went over to well with the Evergreen folks.

Well, you know what they say. Even a blind pig can still find an acorn once in a while. Also, you can tell when a GA is right, when he is made to shut up about it, and his talk get's edited in the Ensign.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2013 11:17AM by forbiddencokedrinker.

munchybotaz said:
"their orientation as a challenge that Heavenly Father gave to them, for reasons unknown. He made them gay, but is going to punish them for acting on it. Who thinks very hard about that, and ends up deciding that HF is a good guy?"

Imagine this scenario: a child is born without legs. As he grows up he wants to get around and explore the world. So he gets crutches, a wheelchair, or even prosthetics.

Is he supposed to just get on with his life and live it the best he can with his circumstances, or is he supposed to just sit in the corner all his life because he was born without legs - since God obviously made him that way. Will he be punished for acting on his desires to move around and interact with the world in the way in which he can?

Expecting someone who is gay/lesbian to go through life loveless, and sexless, just because they are different from the majority is cruel and stupid.

(And I am not saying that gays/lesbians are disabled, just trying to show the ridiculousness of the traditional mormon view of homosexuality if the same mindset were applied to other situations over which people have no control.)