Is Reparative Therapy Morally Wrong?
I just found this NARTH review of a well-written, balanced (if not liberal) article from Social Work Today entitled Reparative Therapy: What’s Broken? While the article concludes that reparative therapy is "unethical" for social workers, it does a good job of quoting Narth’s Joseph Nicolisi, a leader in reparative therapy of homosexuals. Here’s some snippets:
At NARTH, says Joseph Nicolosi, “we don’t see homosexuality so much as a disorder but as a maladaption for certain individuals. It’s not working for them. It further stands in the way of the fulfillment of certain goals, such as marrying and having a family. The members of NARTH are not unanimous, however, about whether homosexuality is a disorder if it causes no conflict for the homosexual individual."
I am not a homophobe, dammit!
Today, I seem to have run into a couple of articles on homosexuality that I want to discuss.
First, in Words That Need to Become Less Easy to Use, Mike argues that we should disallow certain showstopper words in our discussions if we want to continue with meaningful dialogue. Although his post is mostly about the word "heresy," he also includes the words "racism" and "homophobic."
Review: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist
“I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” written by apologetic gurus Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, is everything I expected and more. It has become one of my first turns in looking for apologetic answers.
You first – the pointlessness of Live 8
With much fanfare and publicity, a new Live Aid concert entitled Live 8 will take place July 2.
While their goal is admirable, I find their means to accomplish it less so. It seems they are ready to live up to the old saying: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Remarkable Realm of Religion
In what may become a semi-regular series, I present to you the strange and unusual from the world of faith – the Remarkable Realm of Religion.
Where was I?
Honestly, it really doesn’t matter where I was or what I thought five year ago today. I wasn’t in New York City or Washington DC. I didn’t have a loved one die as a victim or a hero. I have no personal connection whatsoever with any of the 3,000 individuals who lost their lives on that day, so in that sense my thoughts and my reaction mean very little. But I still thought I would share my thoughts, for whatever it is worth.
Afrocentric Christianity
- blacks were Christians in many places before American slavery
- blacks should embrace their African and Christian roots in Africa
Congressional math
If your boss gave you a 20% job approval rating, would you get a raise? If the people that hired you thought you were only doing a good job 1/5 of the time, would you make more money?
While most of us would be fired after such a dismal performance, Congress actually thinks they deserve a raise.
Brain washed – Tom Cruise
With his new movie, War of the Worlds, coming out later this summer, Tom Cruise has been making the publicity rounds. While this isn’t new since Cruise has been staring in hit movies since the 90′s, what is new is his outspokeness of his beliefs. Cruise is a 20-year member of the Church of Scientology.
In an online interview Cruise and War of the Worlds director Steven Spielberg speak about the movie and some of their beliefs. What was shocking to me was to hear Cruise’s respone to a challenge to his belief system.
Are abortions up under Pres. Bush?
The claim that abortions have increased under President Bush has been bandied about since right before the November election when a self proclaimed “consistently pro-lfe” professor named Glen Harold Stassen made the claim in Sojourners, a left-leaning Christian magazine.
Southern Baptists disagree with “Flush Koran” sign
Before Sam has a chance to tie me and every other Christian to the pastor who put up “The Koran needs to be flushed” on his chuch’s front sign, I thought I would post a statement from a Southern Baptist leader expressing disapproval about the sign.
Of course, the Koran does not support the beliefs of Southern Baptists, but we recognize and respect the rights of Muslims to believe as they choose. Furthermore, Southern Baptists wish to relate to our Muslim neighbors in a respectful manner that allows mutual sharing of our beliefs.
- Morris Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee
Lindsey Graham explains his action
Yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham went on The Ralph Bristol Show (a local talk radio show) yesterday to explain and defend his participation in the filibuster deal. (Click here to find the show audio)
I will give you his points and then I will explain why I think Graham is simply trying to spin his way back into the good graces of conservative voters in South Carolina.
Further Thoughts on the Filibuster Compromise
In light of Aaron’s post yesterday on the Senate compromise over judicial filibusters and the extensive dialogue in the comments over this issue I figure I would take this opportunity to weigh in with a few thoughts of my own.
Something Grrrreeat we can all agree on
In this age of partisan bickering, I think we can all agree that Frosted Flakes are awesome and the world has lost an icon with the death of Thurl Ravenscroft, the voice of Tony the Tiger.
Beside the cereal pitchman, Ravenscroft did numerous cartoon voices for animated Disney films including “Cinderella,” Jungle Book” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Lady and the Tramp.”
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory
Nobody knows how to do it better than Congressional Republicans, who seem to think they are still in the minority since seven of them Link: brokered a deal to preempt the “nuclear option.”
It literally makes me sick to see the Senate Republicans hand this victory over to the liberal Democrats. I dispise hearing Sen. Harry Reid and Sen. Robert Byrd gloating this morning, but they have every right to because they have more guts and political courage than Republicans could ever dream of.
Flipping the Byrd
The following quote sums up one of the best arguments made for changing the filibuster rule:
This Congress is not obliged to be bound by the dead hand of the past. . . . . The first Senate, which met in 1789, approved 19 rules by a majority vote. Those rules have been changed from time to time…. So the Members of the Senate who met in 1789 and approved that first body of rules did not for one moment think, or believe, or pretend, that all succeeding Senates would be bound by that Senate…
To see who made this argument read the rest of the story.
Americans unconcerned and ignorant
What’s new about that? Unfortunately not much.
As the filibuster debate reaches a climax, most Americans are yawning according to Christian Science Monitor.
Evangelicalism at Ivy League Schools
Alda for President?
Rarely have I heard the conservative viewpoint expressed so clearly and passionately as Alan Alda did on Sunday night. Yes, that Alan Alda.
