Homosexuality 'not in your DNA,' LDS leader says

People who are attracted to members of their own sex can change, an LDS general authority said Saturday, so they shouldn't let Satan persuade them they can't. Elder Bruce C. Hafen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, spoke at the 19th annual conference of Evergreen International, a nonprofit group that helps Mormons "overcome homosexual behavior" and "diminish same-sex attraction." The event was held at the LDS Church's Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City. Hafen promised attendees, "If you are faithful, on resurrection morning -- and maybe even before then -- you will rise with normal attractions for the opposite sex." Whenever the devil -- whom Hafen referred to as "the adversary" -- tries to "convince you that you are hopelessly 'that way,' so that acting out your feelings is inevitable, he is lying," Hafen said. "He is the father of lies."

[RnL_4EVR_MARRIED]

STFU Burt....aka David Moore

[equalityboy81]

I listen to the American Psychological Association's view on this.

[Gay Mom]

It pains me to think of those young people grappling with same sex attraction, and being labled as mentally disabled. A recipe for ruining a potential life.

[JohnInToronto]

I guess they figure if god can change his mind about black people maybe gay people can change their minds about being gay.

I really find it amazing that anyone can follow such a dumb religion.

[Mona Lott]

Gee whiz.....all those Nobel Prize winning scientists should just give up their research and listen to this guy. Maybe his space god will beam him up soon.

[mikey]

Sounds as if Hafer is "the father of lies". I'm getting SOOOO sick of these religious nutjobs. When you come right down to it there is plenty of proof that gays exist, but there is no, I repeat, NO proof of any god what so ever. If you want to believe in one, fine go ahead... but don't you dare try to infringe your beliefs or "moral code" on me. Many religious people tend to be the most immoral of all. I'm nice to people because of MY morals, not because some book tells me to be that way. If the only reason for you to be nice is because your religion tells you to...then YOUR A DICK! I wish people would just start to think for themselves, but seem to be too afraid to do so. What's that saying... something like "Science gets people to fly to the moon, religion gets people to fly into buildings". WAKE UP PEOPLE...stop being afraid and LIVE YOUR LIFE!

[mixed]

And the leader if the LDS is an expert in genetics how? He's not, he's just a strong believer in a myth.

[writewingproxyco ntin]

Dinosaur, cult maven Bruce C. Hafen has his magic underpants all in a bunch again. Baptize two dead Jews and call us in the morning, you ignorant, defaming, sexually disordered troglodyte.

Amen.

[geekgirl]

As a molecular biologist, I'm quite curious to know your science education. Can I come to your temple and give a lesson? No. Then stay out of science. Yes? I'll show up.

[Joe in Novato]

funny, there has never been a "straight" gene found that proves heterosexuality is the correct orientation.

Who are they, who the hell is he, to say there's something wrong with gay folks?

[Umninimuzi]

Gee, the 'adversary' must be really busy misleading all those dolphins, and penguins, and myriads of other species into such evil behavior! You would think 'god' would come to the defense of such innocent creatures who can't think for themselves so that they do not constantly stumble into the trap of wickedness!

[Umninimuzi]

For me, the biggest consolation is that never before in history have people turned their backs on religion in such massive numbers as right now, and all through the words of a relatively small number of religionist fools such as this man, whose stupidity is glaringly obvious to anyone with half a brain and a basic education.

[Viktor Renquist]

I love the way these loons equate genetic to innate. There are a hell of a lot of innate conditions that either have *no* genetic origin (autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy), or the genetic patterns only express in certain situations (type II diabetes, male pattern baldness ... you can carry two MPB genes as a woman and not become bald).

However, you *are* born with innate conditions and you do NOT choose them ... any argument that change is possible is pure asininity ... has anyone ever been 'cured' of profound autism?

I do not, personally, equate sexual orientation to a 'condition'... its part of their game to use such comparisons to not-so-subtly imply that there is a medical wrongness in sexual orientations of which they disapprove

They are, yet again, comparing apples with ferrets and wondering why their answers are nonsense

[JohnInToronto]

geekgirl wrote:

As a molecular biologist, I'm quite curious to know your science education. Can I come to your temple and give a lesson? No. Then stay out of science. Yes? I'll show up.

Don't you know, it's all written on some golden tablets. The ones no one has ever really seen that came from some cow pasture in upstate New York. A good place to learn about science, especially if one is studying manure.

[Spider]

It all about the money. If Evergreen charges similar price as Exodus, then it is $10,000 for every gay person they can lock away in solitary confinement in the "Evergreen" prison for gay people
http://www.gaychristian101.com/ex-gay.html

Because the momos call "Evergreen" a "church ministry" they get away with the entire $10,000 tax free. What a racket!

[NoMo]

UGHHHH, I am sooo sick of the bigoted bs that spews out of this corporation. Eliminate their tax exemption. It's the ONLY way to stop them.

[Robert In West Hollywood]

Only religious nuts deny science.

[No Surprise]

Last month, the American Psychological Association passed a resolution advising mental health professionals against telling their clients they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments.

Does anyone here have a clue of what the APA might deem next as "un-treatable" and how that god-like declaration can affect other laws?
I'm not debating the pro and con on same sex orientation. I was in the shrink field for ten+ years. This is one of the most scariest statements I have ever heard the APA demi-gods make. So I am asking if anyone here that is so over joyed by that declaration, do you know what else that is genetically related that could get a resolution passed for it, as un-treatable, like they have did for sexual orientation and that as gods unto themselves, the APA knows without any doubt that the orientation anyone is born with is the only one you will ever be happy with? That you can't and you won't change it? That to be even curious if you could change your sexual orientation is a lost cause to the gods of the APA? That no matter what your sexual orientation is, your stuck with it and you'll never change it or be happy with another sexual orientation? And thus, they are advising all shrinks who have or will have clients that wish to change their orientation by therapy, that the gods of APA are telling the other minor sub-shrink gods to advise those clients to accept they are their sexual orientation and that is that. To abandon all hope or even curiosity at their door as they leave that office and just be what they have been and, don't try and change because the gods of the APA say you cannot change your sexual orientation.

[RnL_4EVR_MARRIED]

No Surprise wrote:

Last month, the American Psychological Association passed a resolution advising mental health professionals against telling their clients they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments.
Does anyone here have a clue of what the APA might deem next as "un-treatable" and how that god-like declaration can affect other laws?
I'm not debating the pro and con on same sex orientation. I was in the shrink field for ten+ years. This is one of the most scariest statements I have ever heard the APA demi-gods make. So I am asking if anyone here that is so over joyed by that declaration, do you know what else that is genetically related that could get a resolution passed for it, as un-treatable, like they have did for sexual orientation and that as gods unto themselves, the APA knows without any doubt that the orientation anyone is born with is the only one you will ever be happy with? That you can't and you won't change it? That to be even curious if you could change your sexual orientation is a lost cause to the gods of the APA? That no matter what your sexual orientation is, your stuck with it and you'll never change it or be happy with another sexual orientation? And thus, they are advising all shrinks who have or will have clients that wish to change their orientation by therapy, that the gods of APA are telling the other minor sub-shrink gods to advise those clients to accept they are their sexual orientation and that is that. To abandon all hope or even curiosity at their door as they leave that office and just be what they have been and, don't try and change because the gods of the APA say you cannot change your sexual orientation.

Exactly what crap are you babbling about?

Do you believe that a person can change their sexual orientation? Because if you do......then lets see you change yours from heterosexual to homosexual.

I mean this is what you are implying, right?

[NoMo]

No Surprise wrote:

Last month, the American Psychological Association passed a resolution advising mental health professionals against telling their clients they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments.
Does anyone here have a clue of what the APA might deem next as "un-treatable" and how that god-like declaration can affect other laws?
I'm not debating the pro and con on same sex orientation. I was in the shrink field for ten+ years. This is one of the most scariest statements I have ever heard the APA demi-gods make. So I am asking if anyone here that is so over joyed by that declaration, do you know what else that is genetically related that could get a resolution passed for it, as un-treatable, like they have did for sexual orientation and that as gods unto themselves, the APA knows without any doubt that the orientation anyone is born with is the only one you will ever be happy with? That you can't and you won't change it? That to be even curious if you could change your sexual orientation is a lost cause to the gods of the APA? That no matter what your sexual orientation is, your stuck with it and you'll never change it or be happy with another sexual orientation? And thus, they are advising all shrinks who have or will have clients that wish to change their orientation by therapy, that the gods of APA are telling the other minor sub-shrink gods to advise those clients to accept they are their sexual orientation and that is that. To abandon all hope or even curiosity at their door as they leave that office and just be what they have been and, don't try and change because the gods of the APA say you cannot change your sexual orientation.

Why does this bother you? Does it affect you personally? Do you think places like Evergreen are valid therapeutic programs? If so, by what evidence? Have you read about the documented harm therapies like Evergreen have caused?