Christian Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Focus on the Family

    Strengthening families through biblical principles.

    Focus on the Family addresses the use of biblical principles in parenting and marriage to strengthen the family.

  • Guest, Join Papa Zoom today for some uplifting biblical encouragement! --> Daily Verses
  • The Gospel of Jesus Christ

    Heard of "The Gospel"? Want to know more?

    There is salvation in no other, for there is not another name under heaven having been given among men, by which it behooves us to be saved."

'Gay'-rights leader quits homosexuality

Donations

Total amount
$1,592.00
Goal
$5,080.00
S

Solo

Guest
'Gay'-rights leader quits homosexuality
....Rising star in movement says God liberated him from lifestyle


Posted: July 3, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Art Moore
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

He was a rising star in the "gay rights" movement, but Michael Glatze now declares not only has he given up activism – he's no longer a homosexual.

Glatze – who had become a frequent media source as founding editor of Young Gay America magazine – tells the story of his transformation in an exclusive column published today by WND.

Although Glatze cut himself off from the homosexual community about a year and a half ago, he says the column likely will surprise some people.

"This will actually be news to anybody I used to relate to," he told WND.

The radical change in his life, Glatze recalls, began with inner "promptings" he now attributes to God.

"I hope I can share my story," he said. "I feel strongly God has put me here for a reason. Even in the darkest days of late-night parties, substance abuse and all kinds of things – when I felt like, 'Why am I here, what am I doing?' – there was always a voice there.

"I didn't know what to call it, or if I could trust it, but it said 'hold on.'"

Glatze said he became aware of homosexual feelings at about the age of 14 and publicly declared himself "gay" at age 20. Finally, after a decade in which his leadership role in the homosexual activist world grew – but alongside it, a mysterious inner conflict – he says he finally was "liberated."

In fact, he writes in his WND column today, "'coming out' from under the influence of the homosexual mindset was the most liberating, beautiful and astonishing thing I've ever experienced in my entire life."

Before "coming out" in his column today, Glatze contacted WND Managing Editor David Kupelian after reading his book, "The Marketing of Evil, which Glatze said "has given me so much help in my process of healing from the profound influences of evil in our current society."

"There is nothing that would give me more pleasure," he wrote to Kupelian, "than to say the Truth about 'homosexuality' and atone for my sins in that regard."

Glatze's transformation calls to mind that of another prominent "gay" magazine publisher who also has renounced her former lifestyle. Lesbian activist Charlene Cothran, longtime publisher of Venus magazine, became a Christian and gave her magazine a new mission "to encourage, educate and assist those who desire to leave a life of homosexuality." She adds: "Our ultimate mission is to win souls for Christ, and to do so by showing love to all God's people."

In his column, Glatze doesn't mince words, calling homosexual sex purely "lust-based," meaning it can never fully satisfy.

"It's a neurotic process rather than a natural, normal one," he writes. "Normal is normal – and has been called normal for a reason."

After becoming editor of Young Gay America magazine at age 22, Glatze received numerous awards and recognition, including the National Role Model Award from the major homosexual-rights organization Equality Forum. Media gravitated toward him, leading to appearances on PBS television and MSNBC and quotes in a cover story in Time magazine called "The Battle Over Gay Teens."

He produced, with the help of PBS affiliates and Equality Forum, the first major documentary film to address homosexual teen suicide, "Jim In Bold," which toured the world and received numerous "best in festival" awards. Young Gay America's photo exhibit, telling the story of young people across North America, toured Europe, Canada and parts of the U.S.

In 2004, Glatze moved from San Francisco to Halifax in eastern Canada where his partner, Young Gay America magazine's publisher, had family. The magazine, he said, sought to provide a "virtuous counterpart" to the other newsstand media aimed at homosexual youth.

But Glatze contends "the truth was, YGA was as damaging as anything else out there, just not overtly pornographic, so more 'respected.'"

In 2005, Glatze was featured in a panel with Judy Shepard, mother of slain homosexual Matthew Shepard, at the prestigious JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

"It was after viewing my words on a videotape of that 'performance,'" he writes, "that I began to seriously doubt what I was doing with my life and influence."

"Knowing no one who I could approach with my questions and my doubts, I turned to God," he says. "I'd developed a growing relationship with God, thanks to a debilitating bout with intestinal cramps caused by the upset stomach-inducing behaviors I'd been engaged in."

Toward the end of his time with Young Gay America, Glatze said, colleagues began to notice he was going through some kind of religious experience.

Just before leaving, not fully realizing what he was doing, he wrote on his office computer his thoughts, ending with the declaration: "Homosexuality is death, and I choose life."

"I was so nervous, it was like I wasn't even writing it myself," he said.

Inexplicably, he told WND, he left the words on the screen for others to see.

"People who looked at it were stunned; they thought it was crazy," he said.

But he left his co-workers wondering about where he stood, never having fully explained his decision to step down.

Looking back on his old lifestyle, Glatze told WND whenever he had a sense that he was doing something wrong, "I would I just attribute it to, 'that's just the way life is.'"

"If ever I were to question anything, [my colleagues] would say, 'You're such an idealist.'"

Glatze said he thought opponents of homosexual activism were "mean and crazy, and they wanted to hurt me."

"I thought they were out to get me," he said. "They made me really, really mad – and scared, I think. I wanted them to go away."

Glatze said he couldn't allow himself to think they were sincere in their beliefs.

But he now has deep respect for a Christian aunt who disapproved of his lifestyle.

She "was never judgmental, but always firm," he said.

Retrieved from http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/artic ... E_ID=56481
 
This certainly throws a wrench in the idea that homosexuality is genetic. We'll need to remember to pray for Glatze, he will be a target.
 
As I think many people on this board are aware, I am a young homosexual adult and I have been in and out of the so called "homosexual social scene" where I have encountered both the positive and negative aspects of people dealing with their sexuality.

Though I disagree that homosexuality is actually a sin and that the scores of homosexuals need to be "reformed of their sexuality" I do applaud this man for his courage.

Personally, I disagree with his conclusion that homosexual's are capable of only lusting after one another. From my own experiences and from others around me, this is simply not true. Though I will say that lust is a problem in society at large, not the least among homosexuals.

Additionally, his conclusion that homosexuality prevents authentic self-reflection and fruitful iterior life is not true to all. In my expierence the shallowness of secular society and its goals and propaganda generally prevent the interior life and the discovery of the "true self". Again, while this kind of shallow life can be true of homosexuals, my experience is that is true of most young people regardless of sexuality.

Stuggles with one's sexuality strikes the very core of our identity and provokes a profound sense of loneliness and despair. If living life as a homosexual was bringing him suffering then I applaud and respect him for abandoning what he ultimately feels is a false identity. Whenever we come to realize that we are acting falsely and not being true to our real and authentically healthy desires, I believe God calls us to dissolve our identifications and renew our identity in Him. Obviously this does not just involve sexuality, but every sense of identity that we have.

While most here will disagree with me, and while I disagree with some of his conclusions, I will pray that he at least found a real foundation for inner peace and happiness.
 
Quath said:
Not really. There are a group of people called "Ex-ex-gay" who came out gay, then straight and then gay. There is a Wikipedia article on it.

I know. However, I think this just clarifies how much confusion there is over the subject. For all the ex-ex's out there, there are plenty who are 'ex' and stay that way. Happen to know a few myself.

Devekut you said:

Stuggles with one's sexuality strikes the very core of our identity and provokes a profound sense of loneliness and despair. If living life as a homosexual was bringing him suffering then I applaud and respect him for abandoning what he ultimately feels is a false identity. Whenever we come to realize that we are acting falsely and not being true to our real and authentically healthy desires, I believe God calls us to dissolve our identifications and renew our identity in Him. Obviously this does not just involve sexuality, but every sense of identity that we have.

This is very true. I'm originally from California, know quite a few gays and lesbians as well as straights. There is a lot of confusing and competing ideas out there regarding sexuality, including homosexuality and bisexuality. This confusion does cause a lot of lonliness and dispair and frankly, the church hasn't responded with God's love very well in this matter.

I do believe that the bible teaches that homosexual behavior is every bit as sinful as adultery (albeit not mentioned as much) and that it is just as destructive to one caught up in it as any other sexual sin is. I'm not saying this to be hateful or disrespectful, just saying what I believe is taught as God's truth.

I agree with you in this, "Whenever we come to realize that we are acting falsely and not being true to our real and authentically healthy desires, I believe God calls us to dissolve our identifications and renew our identity in Him." You probably mean by this that a homosexual needs to be true to his/her 'real and authentically healthy desires'. I would disagree (if this is indeed what you mean, and if not by all means correct me), but rather that we need to become the real and authentic person that is faithful to God's purpose for us.

This is basically what the 'new creation' is when we speak of being a new creation in Christ. But, the struggle is a hard one, and especially in today's society where the truth gets overshadowed by hateful and bigoted speech, it's even harder.

I do know that if you truly seek Him, and are willing to 'bear your cross' whatever that 'cross' is that He calls you to bear, ultimately you'll find truth, as we all do.

It's just sad that the church tends to be more of a hinderance than a help over this one.

God's peace to you, from one seeker to another.
 
Thanks Handy for your thoughtful reply,

I certainly do not regard your position on the morality of homosexuality as hateful or disrespectful, especially because you framed your position in such a respectful and dignified manner. I think that the Christian community at large does not really know how to respond to homosexuality, at least they have demonstrated this ignorance in their actions.

I think the focus on our identity in God is actually an extremely subtle problem that most Christians I have encountered have actually failed to respond properly too. Very often, in all this language of being "born again" and "being saved" and "knowing Jesus" I see only the old and false identities produced by a world seeking its own satisfaction being quite cleverly and unconcsiously wrapped and re-modeled in the language and apperance of religion and salvation. This, I am convinced, is not what Christ meant when we are asked to die with Him. Everywhere, in both the secular and religious world, I tend to see a world pursuing its own ego in a spectacle of diverse and innovative deceptions that clothe the object of our real pursuit to our surface analysis; merely the human self.

I say this not as a critique of Christianity, but of virtually any religious and secular movement I have encountered. Personally, I believe we are deeply narcissistic beings, and I myself am guilty of utilizing the language of real freedom when truly only cementing my own truths.

For this man, the ex-gay, he encountered the subtle oppressions of a false world created by a false autonomy. The deeper we try to resolve these little oppressions, the grosser their manifestations actually become until we realize the problem is so vast that we can not fix it- we can only throw ourselves at the feet of the Lord.

As for my sexuality, I understand what scripture says. I deeply value the bible, I see its message primarily in terms of freedom from a false sense of human autonomy (that is that we can effectively create without God). At this point in my life, I have not experienced my sexuality as a barrier to my life in Christ. Should it become so, I will be forced to rethink.

In the Peace of Christ.
 
Devekut said:
Personally, I disagree with his conclusion that homosexual's are capable of only lusting after one another. From my own experiences and from others around me, this is simply not true. Though I will say that lust is a problem in society at large, not the least among homosexuals.

I so agree with you. I believe we should look not on one's personal choices in life unless those choices are doing harm to another. Although I don't see it as natural, being homosexual, per se, does no harm to others. As for homosexuality being as sinful as adultery (as stated by handy), I cannot disagree more. When one commits adultery, there is an innocent victim. We need to learn to differentiate between lifestyle and behavior. We also need to love and accept one another, appreciating our differences. After all, God is the only judge. And I don't remember Jesus saying anything about homosexuality. Let us focus on bringing to Christ those who are truly hurting others, not those whose lifestyle we find disagreeable or "sinful". As our Lord said, Let the one without sin be the first to throw a stone.
 
mia said:
I so agree with you. I believe we should look not on one's personal choices in life unless those choices are doing harm to another. Although I don't see it as natural, being homosexual, per se, does no harm to others. As for homosexuality being as sinful as adultery (as stated by handy), I cannot disagree more. When one commits adultery, there is an innocent victim. We need to learn to differentiate between lifestyle and behavior. We also need to love and accept one another, appreciating our differences. After all, God is the only judge. And I don't remember Jesus saying anything about homosexuality. Let us focus on bringing to Christ those who are truly hurting others, not those whose lifestyle we find disagreeable or "sinful". As our Lord said, Let the one without sin be the first to throw a stone.


Do we let the alcoholic continue to drink because they have chosen a 'lifestyle' of being drunk - even though they might not drink and drive?
 
aLoneVoice said:
Do we let the alcoholic continue to drink because they have chosen a 'lifestyle' of being drunk - even though they might not drink and drive?

Not a good comparison. Alcoholism is a disease. It can cause sickness and death. And when someone is drunk, they are NOT in control of their actions...they could easily hurt another (e.g. drunk driving). So I do not see your point.
 
mia said:
Not a good comparison. Alcoholism is a disease. It can cause sickness and death. And when someone is drunk, they are NOT in control of their actions...they could easily hurt another (e.g. drunk driving). So I do not see your point.

At one time homsexuality was seen as a 'mental disease.' Alcoholism is more than just a 'diesease' - it is a physcial manifestation of sin.

Alcoholism can be a destructive behavior - literally in such cases as drunk driving, loss of mental capacity, can trigger abusive behavior - but it is also destructive spiritually. As I said, it is a physical manifestation of sin.

Homosexuality - the literal act of (sorry for the term, but it is what it is) sodomoy - is a physical manifestation of sin. Homosexuality in and of itself - can be just a temptation - homosexual bahviior is the acting out on that temptation.

The 'sin' of homosexuality is the acting in in homosexual behavior.

Just as being drunk and an alcoholic is the sinful behavior of the temptation of alcoholism.
 
Mia,

Jesus may not have mentioned homosexuality, but the Holy Spirit did. I compare homosexuality with adultery because it is outside of God's will for our sexuality. Same as fornication. Fornication might also be said to have no 'innocent victim'. Two consenting adults regardless of sex, doing what both agree to do in the privacy of their bedroom is nobody's business, except the two adults...and God's.

For God did place restrictions upon our sexuality.

I cannot speak to the temptations and pressures of homosexuality, but I was single until I was 38 years old. While I was a teenager, it was relatively easy to remain celibate. (Not that I thought so at the time.) But, this got a lot harder as I got older. When I was young, lust was the main temptation and lust, although it gets into the mind, was easy enough to control in light of God's word. (BTW, I don't agree with Glatze's opinion about gay's being only capable of lust either.)

As I got older, my desires went from lust to really wanting a life's mate and wanting children, family, home, the whole nine yards. Yet, I hadn't found that mate, and therefore stayed celibate. It wasn't a matter of lust, but the deeper need of intimacy, and it was very, very hard to maintain. Combine that with the super-charged sexual images that are thrown at everyone from just about every angle today, it was even harder. The lonliness and despair was much harder to handle after I was 30 and the only one in my circle of friends that was still single.

Then there were those who would say, just do it. This came even from some Christians who apparently think that the restrictions upon sexuality is 'old-fashioned' and no longer apply as long as no one gets hurt.

But, if one has the Spirit, and one joins in sexual intimacy with another, one brings the Spirit right into that intimacy as well. As the Holy Spirit teaches us in the Word:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her? For He says, "The two will become one flesh." This is talking about sex folks.But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own. For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:15-20

Within the same chapter, Paul mentions homosexuality as well as fornicators and adulterers. The fact is, Mia, the 'innocent' who suffers within homosexual intimacy or even unmarried heterosexual intimacy is the Spirit Himself.

Trying to compare joining our bodies, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, in sexual intimacies that the Spirit has stated is sinful, to eating lobster is, with all due respect Quath, a rather silly arguement. The reason why Christians say that is is one of God's commands that we can ignore, is because God said that we can ignore it.

Jesus' death and resurrection made significant changes in certain of God's commandments. If you want to discuss why those changes were made, I'm willing. However, one thing that didn't change was the call to sexual puriety. In fact, sexual puriety is probably much more important to the Christian because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
 
mia said:
Not a good comparison. Alcoholism is a disease. It can cause sickness and death. And when someone is drunk, they are NOT in control of their actions...they could easily hurt another (e.g. drunk driving). So I do not see your point.

OK, let's say there is no acceptable comparison. I've never seen a time when any analogy was accepted by both the pro and con advocates of an issue anyway. Always something wrong with it. Always.
Anyway,

"It can cause sickness and death."

Did you know 70% of the HIV cases comes from MSM (Men having sex with men)? That's out of a group that comprises about 6% of the people in the US. One may add that heterosexuality also spreads HIV but how many of those are bisexual? There are no stats on bisexual men contracting the disease then passing it along to their female partners.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/msm/
For complex reasons, HIV/AIDS continues to take a high toll on the MSM population. For example, the number of new HIV/AIDS cases among MSM in 2005 was 11% more than the number of cases in 2001. It is unclear whether this increase is due to more testing, which results in more diagnoses, or to an increase in the number of HIV infections. Whatever the reasons, in 2005, MSM still accounted for about 53% of all new HIV/AIDS cases and 71% of cases in male adults and adolescents.
Better reporting? Maybe. 33 states report confidential name-based HIV infection, California and Massachusetts are not one of these. In fact none of the New England states subscribe to reporting HIV cases to the CDC since it's not mandatory.

States that report:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming


We are a very risk conscientious society but we do not make these figures known as we do with just about everything else. Instead we teach our kids the practice is ok and in some instances go as far as to advocate experimentation.

How many do you know that know 70% of the HIV cases is from MSM?
 
Edited........Off Topic.......A Skeptical Analysis of Homosexuality will have to be started in a new thread.
 
Edited........Off Topic.......A Skeptical Analysis of Homosexuality will have to be started in a new thread.
 
Devekut said:
As I think many people on this board are aware, I am a young homosexual adult and I have been in and out of the so called "homosexual social scene" where I have encountered both the positive and negative aspects of people dealing with their sexuality.

How do you reconcile this with the catholic church?
 
The OP of this thread concerns a leader in the Homosexual Advocacy Camp becoming a born again Christian and denying his homosexuality.

All posts that were off topic have been deleted.

Any other posts concerning homosexual posts or skeptic posts should be started in another thread.

This thread is for the testimony of ex-homosexuals and their Biblical stand.

Thank you.
 
In his column, Glatze doesn't mince words, calling homosexual sex purely "lust-based," meaning it can never fully satisfy.

"It's a neurotic process rather than a natural, normal one," he writes. "Normal is normal – and has been called normal for a reason."
Right out the horses mouth. I wish he knew about us here on this board. So that he could come here and talk about this further.
 
Again, I'm sure I could find heterosexuals who have never found a satisfying sex life for a slew of reasons; psychological, social, emotional, physical- it does not suggest something is wrong with heterosexuality. Lust hurts heterosexual relationships as well, as is evident in our society.

One man can not speak for the sexual experiences of all homosexual persons, and certainly his testimony should not condmen all homosexual people happy with their lives to self-deluded, lust driven and emotionally barren relationships. It is simply unreasonable to use his experiences as a blanket understanding of all homosexuals.

However, I think anybody can take from his experiences the essentials- that lust driven relationships are actually not fruitful, they are harmful and that we need to be true to our real self, even if that self is open to becoming a politically unpopular billboard.
 
Potluck said:
Did you know 70% of the HIV cases comes from MSM (Men having sex with men)? That's out of a group that comprises about 6% of the people in the US. One may add that heterosexuality also spreads HIV but how many of those are bisexual? There are no stats on bisexual men contracting the disease then passing it along to their female partners.

So? Does being gay automatically mean one has HIV?
There are many homosexual people who have lifelong partners. I don't believe HIV cases among those individuals are any higher than among married heterosexuals. Again, it comes back to behavior, i.e. living a promiscuous, not necessarily a gay, lifestyle.
There are many gay couples in my church. These are God's children, doing wonderful things in the church and the community, and I am not here to condemn them. I personally feel that homosexuality is unnatural, but I subscribe to "live and let live" as long as innocents are not being harmed. And to those who feel entitled to judge others, I repeat the words of our Lord: Let the one who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.
 

Donations

Total amount
$1,592.00
Goal
$5,080.00
Back
Top