For whatever reason, northern Ireland is being targeted by the “ex-gay” industry.
I guess it was not enough that they had created havoc and potential bloodshed in Uganda. Exodus International continues to obliviously globe-trot, leaving a trail of ruined lives and destruction in its wake.
Ex-gay activist Rev. Mario Bergner takes his phony road show to Belfast, Feb. 19-21. While there, Bergner, the author of “Setting Love in Order: Hope and Healing for the Homosexual,” will have a seminar named after the book. He is quite the salesman, hawking even more ex-gay gear than International Healing Foundation quack Richard Cohen. According to Exodus’ website:
Rev. Mario Bergner will visit Northern Ireland to participate in the Setting Love in Order Conference hosted by Core-issues, a ministry based in Northern Ireland seeking to empower local church congregations in their task of supporting men and women with unwanted same sex attraction. The conference is being widely promoted as part of the organization’s efforts to provide practical training for church leaders in the area of unwanted same sex attraction.
Want to bet Bergner doesn’t discuss the episode where I photographed Exodus’ former poster boy John Paulk in a gay bar? Or that two of the key founders of this fraudulent group left their wives to marry each other?
If Bergner’s propaganda does not get through, residents of Belfast will have a second chance to get the malignant message. Exodus President Alan Chambers will be in town, April 22-23, to host the “Leaving Homosexuality Celebration.” Interestingly, Chambers goes on TV in America and says Exodus does not “change” people. Yet, across the pond, he is holding a big party to celebrate his magical “pray away the gay” cure. According to the website:
Core is a ministry supporting local churches in their efforts to provide appropriate pastoral support for those with unwanted same sex attraction. The service recognizes God’s grace for many individuals making the journey out of homosexuality.
Maybe I’m just a “reality-based” kind of guy, but it sure seems, based on the promotional language, that Exodus is selling the concept of “change”.
Unfortunately, LGBT people in Ireland will find Chambers’ dishonest presentation neither lucky, nor charming. One can only imagine the mischief Exodus will cook up in Ireland, given its abysmal and violent track record overseas. Chambers and Bergner should do the world a favor and stay home before they have even more blood on their hands.
If you live in Ireland and are interested in Truth Wins Out coming over to counter Chambers’ lies with a multi-media presentation, please contact us.
Related posts
5 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
The appropriate colour is Orange rather than Emerald – the hardline bible belt in Ulster is exclusively protestant (Exodus only thrives where superstition and ignorance prevail). Luckily in the UK there aren’t hundreds of dreadful extremist radio stations that take ex-gay propaganda seriously, and I am sure most radio and TV would treat a creationist like Alan Chambers with scepticism and ridicule.
I hope the Royal College of Psychiatrists and academics who specialise in areas of sexual orientation make robust statements to the media dispelling the myths. It’s crucial because the ex-gay myth is being promoted by media savvy lobby groups in the UK, like the Christian Institute and Christian Concern for our Nation (who liaise regularly with the Alliance Defense Fund, though they have had little success influencing legislation).
Maybe his organization might have more success in Northern Ireland dealing with politicians’ unwanted attractions to teenagers?
Comment by adrianT — January 22, 2010 @ 2:31 pm
“Maybe his organization might have more success in Northern Ireland dealing with politicians’ unwanted attractions to teenagers?”
….And how do you say they are unwanted, or at least by whom?
Comment by Richard W. Fitch — January 22, 2010 @ 9:11 pm
By the electorate at least, Richard. (my comment was of course a reference to the Iris Robinson debacle. She herself promoted the idea that gays can change, moralized to everyone, and had an affair with a 19 year old and jeopardized the peace process as a result; see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2XeNNgzXk4 )
Comment by adrianT — January 23, 2010 @ 7:04 am
[...] his extremely weak example of “recovery”, why is Bergner going to Belfast in February to hawk products and provide “practical training for church leaders in the area [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - If an Ex-Gay Must Lock His Computer, Is He Really Healed? — January 27, 2010 @ 2:58 pm
[...] Alan Chambers, (pictured) who is using this opportunity as a warm-up act for an April trip to Belfast, [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - Anti-Gay Snow Job This Weekend In Lynchburg and South Bend — February 11, 2010 @ 10:58 am