to "pray the gay away"?  This is something that I was confronted with for well over a decade in my fundamentalist environment before I took first step towards transition. It didn't end then either. They managed to pull me back in. I was a cultist. I wanted things to be right so badly, that I delved deeper into my religion and accepted all the advice given me.  They told me to get married. I did. They told me go do all this church stuff. I did. They told me to have a family. Sadly, I did that too.

The religious aspects of my life were at odds with my true self. A constant battle raged between who I knew I was and who I believed I should be.

So, has anyone else been asked to "pray the gay away"?

Cindi

Yes. And I actually bought into these lies for over 4 years. I was a Christian for over 4 years and no disrespect to the Christian/religious community, but I found it was harmful to me and being who I was. Since renouncing my faith my crying spells, depression and anxiety have come down significantly.

Some people have indeed suggested this to me. Instead of taking their words to heart I started reading the Bible to figure out why they made such claims. It was an interesting read  and came to the conclusion that transsexuality is not mentioned in the Bible or very ambiguous to say the least (some parts concern eunuchs who were castraded by nature or by their own will) and then there is of course the famous law against homosexuality. If you ask me everyone who desires others to act upon that law is a hypocrite to say the least as there are many other laws beside it they don't follow.

All in all, what right do people have to force their beliefs and personal views upon others? None.

Quote from: Venus-Castina on August 20, 2011, 08:36:40 PM
Some people have indeed suggested this to me. Instead of taking their words to heart I started reading the Bible to figure out why they made such claims. It was an interesting read  and came to the conclusion that transsexuality is not mentioned in the Bible or very ambiguous to say the least (some parts concern eunuchs who were castraded by nature or by their own will) and then there is of course the famous law against homosexuality. If you ask me everyone who desires others to act upon that law is a hypocrite to say the least as there are many other laws beside it they don't follow.

All in all, what right do people have to force their beliefs and personal views upon others? None.

But, they are sharing..... See, I obviously don't get it. I was publicly humiliated with an excommunication announced from the pulpit. Double whammy. I was forced from my job by church leaders. Triple whammy.

Cindi

Wow! Logan,
That's weird. We have had a lady (GG) who has sing tenor for years.
And she is very good at it.
I am not religious either. The word religious is an umbrella that covers any type of belief or faith.
But I am a follower of Jesus.
Who said that the greatest commandment was to love God.
And the second and only other commandment he taught proves we loved God was to love others (people).
So we (the group of believers I am part of) have a way of saying what is really important.
The teaching of Christ in a one sentence.
Love God, Love People, nothing else matters.
I so wish that we would all follow his example.

So, has anyone else been asked to "pray the gay away"?

Not by anyone in their right mind. 

No... And I doubt I could keep a straight face, without bursting into laughter, if anyone ever said that to me. That train of thought is completely and certifiably insane.

Quote from: JennX on August 22, 2011, 08:50:52 AM
No... And I doubt I could keep a straight face, without bursting into laughter, if anyone ever said that to me. That train of thought is completely and certifiably insane.

It most certainly is, "ain't it"?  Yet there was a time when I faced it. There are many who still do.

Really though, don't you think that people who are buying into the imaginary friends and sky gods of some other person really deserve it in some way?

I didn't think so at the time. I grew up in the midst of a cult and bought it hook, line, and sinker. I even gave two years of my life in a foreign country for them.

The feelings I had were too strong to keep up the connection. They excommunicated me in public, I lost my job, and my family over it. Some of my family are still pissed after 23 years.  They just can't get over it.

I moved out of state so I could start my life over and choose my own friends who are now "my family".

I moved out of state so I could start my life over and choose my own friends who are now "my family".

And, I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that you're life is so much better now the only thing you wonder about is why it took you so long.

I like to say that Christian thinking is based on what I call the reverse scientific method.

In science, you start with the evidence and then come to a conclusion.
In Christianity, you start with the conclusion and then find the evidence for it in the Bible.

The Holy Trinity is a good example. The Bible doesn't even actually mention the Trinity anywhere. But some people in Europe came up with that idea, and then they started looking for biblical text consistent with that idea. Then they had a council three centuries after Jesus that then decided the Holy Trinity must be true. *shrug*

The "teachings" about homosexuality and transsexuality is just the same as the Holy Trinity to me. They fixed the conclusion, and then went to the Bible to look for pieces of text consistent with the conclusion. That unfortunately seems to be the standard way Christians study the Bible...

I don't look down on religion actually. But it really irritates me when they try to conjure up the illusion that what they say is concluded from what the Bible says... and they actually believe in that illusion themselves. Reading the Bible alone without external references won't give you ideas about the Holy Trinity, nor will it give you ideas against transsexuality. It will give you ideas against crossdressing, but it will also give you the idea that if a man rapes a woman, it can be settled just by the man marrying her. But most Christians will embrace the former and reject the latter... *shrug shrug*

i haven't, but the only reason it works so easily for them is because none of them ARE gay or have gender identity disorder. if any of them did, they would either have serious mental problems or they would have eventually run away from the religion. their religion is just their cover for their own ignorance.

When my parents divorced I was 15 & went off the rails for a bit, I used drink & church to try to find some comfort in my life, I became a born again Christian for a couple of years & even went out on the streets to speak to fellow teens about Christ, my fragile belief came crashing down when I was asked several linking questions, I couldn't find a satisfactory answer to the final question & it destroyed my faith.

Long before I left the church I confessed that I was gay (I knew I wanted to be a woman but had never heard the word Transgender so assumed that I was gay), being a pentacostal church they insisted on praying for me & laying on hands to drive out the evil spirits that had taken control of my body, needless to say I was back with one of my many boyfriends within a day or two

A story...

Back when I was coming out I went through Stephen Ministry training at my local church. The members and leaders of that group were very supportive and became interested in ways to minister to the needs of trans-people. I made some suggestions for the training program that were well received.

Then one day the assistant pastor of the church asked to see me. He told me I was leading the group astray and wouldn't be allowed to participate anymore. He further proposed to "deliver me from Satan." For those who don't know, Deliverance Ministry is similar to exorcism. It was not a practice of that denomination, but he had been to a training seminar for it and wanted me to be his first victim.

It was at that point that I changed churches.

"And, I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that you're life is so much better now the only thing you wonder about is why it took you so long."

I'll take the dollars, please.   Yes, I somehow managed to escape the tentacles of the cult. I've had a good life. I don't have regrets. I realize that I've made some mistakes but I've tried very hard to take care of them. That is the best I can do and I am content with that.

" For those who don't know, Deliverance Ministry is similar to exorcism."

Been there, done that. I ultimately decided that for me, organized religion, had no answers. I've found the social contact and friendship I need through other activities. 

Deliverance Ministry is similar to exorcism

Not exactly, or really even vaguely.  Like most Protestant stuff it's watered down Catholic teaching with the ritual stripped out.  Like other such things it's taken way, way, way too far.

First of all, like all Catholic stuff it's required that an elaborate - some might even call it Byzantine - formal process be followed, so first only a priest (or higher prelate) can perform it.  And before they do they have to have the expressed written permission of the local bishop, who's only going to give it after a full and careful medical examination to exclude the possibility of mental illness.  After with point, it is conducted based on a Rituale Romanum.

Contrary to popular opinion, it is, and always has been, EXCEEDINGLY RARE until the 1990, when religion began to be abandoned in vast numbers by young people (exorcism is almost never done to 50 year olds, it's done to teenagers) and lacking any vision, reason or appeal they had to fall back on The Church Lady from Saturday Night Live and thought 'Could it be Satin?'

In the Protestant version, anyone, (you don't even need a degree from Ed's Bible College and Auto Lube Shop) can do it.  That there is a 'ministry' devoted to it is more in lines with the Protestant versions of using the church to make money above all else.

But mostly, it's kidnapping and brainwashing under a religious veneer.

Quote from: apple pie on August 24, 2011, 01:54:09 PM
In science, you start with the evidence and then come to a conclusion.
In Christianity, you start with the conclusion and then find the evidence for it in the Bible.

This quote is inaccurate.  It misrepresents what Christians do.  Let me fix it for you:

In science you start with the evidence and then come to a conclusion.
In Christianity, you start with the conclusion and then find the evidence for it in the Bible while simultaneously disregarding all contradictory evidence which disproves the conclusion.