http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PALIN_GAYS?SITE=FLDAY&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT pray away the gay sarah
The same people who jumped all over Rev. Wright's views will downplay this in a fairly hardcore manner.
I am not anything approaching homophobic, and I'm not anything approaching religious, but I don't really see why this would be a big idea. If a person is gay and wants to not be, and if that person is religious, what is wrong with trying to "pray away the gay"? Alcoholism is a chemical dependency that is helped, as I understand it, through some Faith-based approaches. While I do not believe that homosexuality has the same inherently destructive nature as alcoholism, if someone who is attracted to people of their own sex disagrees with me, who am I to tell her/him he should not seek help from God in changing? Ed O.
Isn't this along the lines of Obama being attacked for attending Rev. Wright's church. The church feels being gay is against god's will and that if you pray and accept jesus, you will be saved from being gay (ie being gay is a sin). If the church thinks that, then does Palin think that?
The attacks on Obama for his reverend were just plain dumb and irrelevant. I bet a lot of people who lean left are friends with people who lean right. That doesn't make them right leaning. Guilt by association is not guilt at all.
A lot of people don't see that as guilt at all... even if Palin believes it. Wright's diatribes, on the other hand, were essentially damning the entire country and the way the USA operates. That is a lot more offensive to many more people than that people who no longer want to be gay can ask Jesus to save them. Ed O.
Just an FYI. AA is one of those programs that relies on religion to a huge degree. It has a great reputation, too. However, studies show that it's not as successful as it's hyped up to be. Obviously it's better to try to deal with alcoholism and AA is maybe the best that's out there.
Of course the difference is that this panders to Palin's base while Wright's views did zero good for BO
I think the pray away the gay idea starts with the assumption anyone who is gay, is gay because they flawed and perverted. Those that have this belief do not believe that people are "born gay". They think prayer is the solution to the character flaw and perversion.
One of my best friends in HS had a brother whose propensity was to be gay. He had several experiences and even fell in love with another man in college. However, his family were strict Baptists and he was raised to feel his urges were unnatural and sinful. Today that brother is married with five kids. He also lives a secret life on gay chat rooms his wife knows nothing about. He doesn't act on his impulses, but he's still full of self-hatred. How can you not feel sorry for someone in that situation?
Well, obviously he had sex with the woman, otherwise he would have no kids. The John Cheever letters!
My guess is they've had sex exactly five times. It's a loving marriage, but he's not living his life in full.
Man, that sucks. As I get older, the more I start to realize how many corny cliches are true. "You can't live your life for other people" is definitely one of them.
