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Tennessee teen blogs ex-gay ministry


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Check this out, this 16 years old kid named Zack came out of the closet to his parents; his parents, devastated, decided to register him to some sort of sick anti-gay re-education camp all summer long

 

Link To His Blog

 

He doesnt have internet access anymore, his parents took all his computers away to prevent him from being exposed to more anti-Jesus stuff.

 

This is fucking sick. I can't believe this is happening in 2005

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Um....I think there were people who couldn't believe it was happening in 1933?????

 

If the person reading this happens to be straight, whatever your feelings may be about your gay friends if you even have any, please don't forget that historically this is frequently the first "undesireable" subgroup that is persecuted, but never the last.

 

If you don't care about Zack, how can you expect someone who doesn't fit the current definition of "undesireable" to care about you when/if it's your turn to find yourself in a "re-education camp"??

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I don’t even know where to begin to express my sadness for his situation and the anger building up inside me.

 

A perfectly normal 16 year old boy is sent to Refuge (a prison camp) because he doesn’t act like most of the other boys in Tennessee. These kids are braver than boy on the football team. I hope he comes out of this okay.

 

Any temptations, fantasies, or dreams are to be presented to one¹s staff worker

What do they do with that information? Sick assholes, these people.

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I just read that whole list of rules. Jesusfuckingchrist....I'm numb now. I read what this poor kid wrote on the 3rd. I'm in tears, and shit like "internet stories" doesn't get to me. Not like this.

 

Shit.

 

It's not just the horror of the camp. The unreal, unrealistic, mind-numbing, brain-washing rules they expect these people to uphold, but it's the fact that this isn't even voluntary. It's the fact that this young man's (yes damnit, I'll say it: this CHILD's) parents have failed him in the worst way possible. They have betrayed a trust no child should have to feel. His safe-haven, his sense of home.....gone. It's been ripped from him forever. Jesus...these parents think they have lost their child and are desperately trying to save him, but what they fail to see is they are fucking up royally.

 

Shitshitshit.

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Guest flood999

I live very near this poor kid. His parents probably go to Bellevue Baptist which is a huge fundie church here in Memphis.

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Check this out, this 16 years old kid named Zack came out of the closet to his parents; his parents, devastated, decided to register him to some sort of sick anti-gay re-education camp all summer long

 

Link To His Blog

 

He doesnt have internet access anymore, his parents took all his computers away to prevent him from being exposed to more anti-Jesus stuff.

 

This is fucking sick. I can't believe this is happening in 2005

 

 

Wasn't the workcamps in Germany during WWII called re-organization camps, or re-education camps?

 

I think they were. So here we go again. History does repeat itself.

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*bangs head on desk*

 

its people like that who I just wanna fucking kick in the head (the ones who think gay is curealbe that is)

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I was trying to explain to my husband how upsetting this was/is to me. I was trying to convey how horrible the rules are....the brainwashing...he just looked at me and said, "It doesn't sound that bad."

 

ARGH!

 

I'm going to make him read the rules. Then we'll see "how bad" he thinks it is or isn't. If he stands by his original claim, it's gonna break my heart.

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Damn, I feel for the kid... as I went through something similar except it was 24/7 and the goal was to make me a Christian again... not change my sexuality. I am sure that he will come out as gay as he ever was... but with the emotional scars and baggage to last a lifetime.

 

There are two ways for him to get through it. There's the passive manner. That's similar to how I lived my life for years. Basically, obey all the petty rules... walk the line... play the game... and never allow yourself to be moved. That method is hard though. The fun way is much better and he is in a better position to do it because he knows the rules.

 

If I was him, the first thing I would do would be to shave my body from head to toe... every single inch of it... right to the skin. Leaving nothing... no eyebrows, nothing at all. That should break a minor rule, and he can say that if he is to be a prisoner he felt he should look the part. That alone could keep him from getting in -- at least till the hair grows back enough to pinch between two fingers... and if he's got to shave his face then he has time to repeat it.

 

Someone on his blog told him to beat up another person there. Or make threats. I think that's a great idea as well. I would make a list and populate it with "Full Names" of everyone I met. When asked what I was going, I would respond, "I am recording every single person who played any part in this violation against me... all of them will pay. Maybe in 5 days, maybe in 5 years but they all will pay." Say it really seriously... and ask for the peron's name (if you didn't have it already) who asked.

 

I was taken to a Baptist camp to try and get me converted back. I played the mule as well at that point. I was done playing nice and I worked to drive them nuts. They had rules about dress which were similar to what is listed on that blog. I NEVER wore shoes the entire time I was there. I mean never... and I wore flip-flops for a total of about 40 minutes. As they could only go so far as to convince me to put flip-flops on (I let myself agree to that) but I 'refused' to wear them when I walked or sat down. So, as long as I was standing they remained on... unless I stepped out of them anyway. By 'refused' I mean that I just kept "forgetting" that I needed to keep them on and stepped out of them or let them fall off my feet. It drove them nuts. I also slept in nothing but boxers... but, to my knowledge, they had no rule against that. Or at least they never brought it up. Again, I wasn't there for "sexual sin."

 

I refused to shave, I wasn't eating much at all. When I was supposed to sleep I snuck out and went on long walks to get away from them. Which meant I got about 2 hours of sleep a day. But I fought them tooth and nail in every way but directly. I would try and get others to play cards with me (they destroyed 5 full decks of cards... yes, I do travel with that many decks as a routine)... I would talk up the wonders of sleeping with animals -- and when I got looked at by a "cousellor" I would quickly add "platonically of course."

 

Basically, if I was that poor young man, that's what I would do. I would fight every little thing I could. I would break every rule "accidently" as often as I could.

 

But, speaking from experience it's not likely to happen. I was 21 when that was done to me. And the difference in self-assurance at 21 is very different from that one has at 16. When I was 16, I was quietly following the rules and just biding my time. Either way, I hope that poor fuck comes out alright at the other end of this. Of course, his relationships with his parents are forever damaged... but he might save himself in the end.

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Guest JP1283

This makes me fucking sick. I'm considering inducing vomiting when I'm done writing this. His fucking parents should be taken out into the street and shot, then run over a hundred fucking times.

 

I'm calling for all ExC's to unite and send this fucking place a strongly-worded letter letting them know they can take their Jesus and stick him up their asshole!

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Yep, as fundy logic (or lack thereof) states, homosexuality is a disease that has to be erradicated.

 

But fear not, friends. Once he's outta camp, this kid will have a wonderful new life in the closet to look forward to.

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It's not just the horror of the camp.  The unreal, unrealistic, mind-numbing, brain-washing rules they expect these people to uphold, but it's the fact that this isn't even voluntary.  It's the fact that this young man's (yes damnit, I'll say it: this CHILD's) parents have failed him in the worst way possible.  They have betrayed a trust no child should have to feel.  His safe-haven, his sense of home.....gone.  It's been ripped from him forever.  Jesus...these parents think they have lost their child and are desperately trying to save him, but what they fail to see is they are fucking up royally.

 

I too just read the entire list of rules from beginning to end (okay I skipped some of the Bible verses) and I am utterly sickened.

 

These rules are precisely those of a cult indoctrination camp. "Refuge" (and I put that word in quotes because a prison camp is no refuge) have even created all sorts of euphemisms for their militancy: "Moral Inventories (MIs)", "False Image (FI)", "in phase", "safekeeping", "on level".

What it means is that they regulate when you wake, when you sleep, when you speak, whom you speak to, what you say, what you wear, what you read, where you go, whom you're with and on and on.

They go as far as to instruct women to shave their armpits and legs, men to give priority to women (haha but only when it's about cafeteria lines and opening doors and offering chairs) and parents to limit the amount of time their children have in the bathroom on their own.

 

Even if homosexuality was 'treatable' and even if this program worked to 'cure' homosexuality, anyone can see that the end result would still be an emotionally broken teenager who will probably be scarred for life, straight or not.

 

I totally agree with appellation. They're trying to fix something that isn't broken and win back their child who was never lost in the first place and in doing so are creating precisely the problems they think they're trying to solve in the first place.

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This kid is going to grow to hate his parents. He's going to end up gay anyway, and his parents are going to lose their son. And by the time they realize what they've done, it'll be too late.

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That is just terrible. I wish I could sneak this poor kid out and convince my parents to let him live with us. I wonder if there are rescue programs for kids like these like they have cult deprogramers who kindnap cultists to rehibilitate them.

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His fucking parents should be taken out into the street and shot, then run over a hundred fucking times.

 

 

I know you are angry JD, that anger is justified

 

 

But the parents are in a way just as much a victim of their fear and loathing of homosexuality as the kid himself.

 

The relationship they “could” have had.

 

The guilt, shame and crying they “could” have avoided.

 

More that one person is being destroyed here.

 

The LOVE that was destroyed.

 

It’s just plain sad

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Here are some words from the founder of this camp:

 

Foundational Truths

 

At Love In Action International, our belief is based on three foundational truths:

 

Truth One:  There is no such creation as a "gay" or "homosexual" person.  There is only homosexual attraction and behavior; accordingly, there can be no "change" from a sexual identity that never existed in the first place.

 

Truth Two: The truth for most men and women who struggle with homosexual behavior is that they will, at times, continue to experience attractions in large and small ways for a lifetime.  It is often misleading and harmful to speak vaguely of "total" deliverance without mentioning the normal, ongoing struggles with temptations all believers have.

 

Truth Three: God sees homosexuality as sin like any other, and directs us to apply the same biblical model to it that we would to any other sin.  His real solution for deliverance and healing is based on repentance and obedience.

 

Does this mean that people choose homosexuality?  Not exactly.  The feelings, the temptations, or the desires are acertainly not chosen.  They culminate from what we might call a conspiracy of factors and then as with any temptation, they just come about. We believe God holds us accountable for the ways we act upon those challenges that come to us.  People are responsible for the choices they make when acting on wrong sexual desires or behaviors.

 

Biblical change from homosexuality requires that we respond correctly to the message God speaks of in I Corinthians 6.  This message of repentance will bring forth the truth that will, in fact, set people free from this kind of bondage.  When we begin to see homosexuality as a sin, a behavior and a wrong mindset, then and olnly then can we find forgiveness and freedom.

 

There is no such thing as a homosexual!  There are many individuals, however, who struggle intensely with homosexual temptation and addictive behavior.  Once we get the message right, then we will be effective in ministering to those caught in this kind of deceptive bondage.

 

©2001 - Rev. John J. Smid

John is the Executive Director for Love In Action International and has worked with this ministry since 1986.  John left his homosexual lifestyle in 1984.

 

Thoughts anyone?

 

Casey

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This is pretty nauseating. It's bad enough to be brainwashed by Christianity but to then be further brainwashed in a nazi concentration camp style "re-education" program just adds insult to injury. I personally feel that parents who must send their kids away for any reason other than recreation like summer camp (barring a kid who is violent) are unfit to be parents in the first place. These parents don't deserve their son.

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Dammit! Why doesn't it surprise me one bit he lives in the same shit-hole city I live in? Now you guys see why I hate Memphis so much. :ugh:

 

What gets me is that his parents have the legal right to put him in the penitentary, um I mean Refuge just for being honest. And if sending him against his will was illegal, I would have had DHS(child welfare) on his parents like Michael Jackson on 10 year-old boys. :vent:

 

And what gets me is he's praying his parents won't do this to him yet isn't it the same god that would want him stoned to death? And to the other poster who's also from Memphis, I think you're right about him probably being a member of Bellevue Baptist. Remember, not too long ago, they had a rally for the "Preservation of Marriage" with 10,000 people and all your assorted Christian Nazi big wigs as speakers.

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If anyone is interested, this fellow doesn't only run a "rehabilitation camp".

 

http://exodus.to/about_exodus.shtml

 

Casey

 

"What is Exodus?

 

Exodus is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization promoting the message of "Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ."

 

Apparently the all-powerful Jesus Christ isn't very powerful if he requires assistance from a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization to free people from homosexuality :twitch:

 

This is all horseshit. Mythical magical non-existent beings have absolutely no interest in what two existent consenting adults do behind closed doors. :Hmm:

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Guest bad_one
Check this out, this 16 years old kid named Zack came out of the closet to his parents; his parents, devastated, decided to register him to some sort of sick anti-gay re-education camp all summer long

 

Link To His Blog

 

He doesnt have internet access anymore, his parents took all his computers away to prevent him from being exposed to more anti-Jesus stuff.

 

This is fucking sick. I can't believe this is happening in 2005

 

These kind of groups make me sick! They don't tell the parents or anyone else the dangers. Here is an article about one man who is a former "love in action" ex-gay.

 

former "ex-gay"

 

Here is one line that is just infruriating

 

"I would rather you commit suicide than have you leave Love In Action

wanting to return to the gay lifestyle. In a physical death you could

still have a spiritual resurrection; whereas, returning to homosexuality

you are yielding yourself to a spiritual death from which there is no

recovery" --The Final Indoctrination from John Smid, Director, Love In

Action (LIA), San Rafael's "ex-gay" clan.

 

These people are dangerous and should be shut down

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Um....I think there were people who couldn't believe it was happening in 1933?????

 

If the person reading this happens to be straight, whatever your feelings may be about your gay friends if you even have any, please don't forget that historically this is frequently the first "undesireable" subgroup that is persecuted, but never the last.

 

If you don't care about Zack, how can you expect someone who doesn't fit the current definition of "undesireable" to care about you when/if it's your turn to find yourself in a "re-education camp"??

 

I agree. I'm currently in the middle of The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn and it's shocking how easily crimes against humanity can take place right under the nose of the populace without so much as raising an eyebrow amongst the hoi polloi. In case some here are unaware, between 60 and 80 MILLION Russians were killed during the Lenin/Stalinist purges. The bottom figure represents the entire population of Italy and broader estimates would include with it the country of Poland. Vastly more bloody that anything Hitler carried out. For those who think America is special, different, and immune, I submit that they should take a quick look at history, including our own. I would also submit that disbelievers compare the Interrogation chapter of "Gulag" to the US Army handbook as applied to Guantanimo.

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And what gets me is he's praying his parents won't do this to him yet isn't it the same god that would want him stoned to death? 

 

It's common. After 9/11 I bought my first computer and sort of moved from the real world into this creative writing site. I didn't deliberately seek out children, much less suicidal gay Christian teens, but it just sort of happened....they were the most interesting people and they were the only folks who were willing to help me with my dumb computer questions.

 

There were so MANY of them, but they were all special, beautiful, damaged individuals. One kid was literally sitting there with a handful of pills saying goobye to me on Instant Messenger after her parents stood up in front of 300 Jehovah's witnesses so the preacher could say "This is what a whore looks like".

 

She didn't take the pills....I was so afraid because I didn't think I knew the right things to say, but I guess I did....laugh at the n00b falling for a scam if you want, but I'd rather look like a fool than have someone die because I didn't care....I didn't know her real name or where she lived or anything....

 

It's fucking genocide, I tell you. All those beautiful kids. Maybe it did keep me running around chasing my tail and completely ignorant about the greater genocide going on in Iraq, but those kids count for something too.

 

Please help me. There are too many of them. I can't do this on my own. I'm straight, so I can't even understand what they're going through....

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