Former head of the Human Genome Project and current director of the venerable National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins has once again sent a strong message warning that passages of his book have been twisted to fit an anti-gay agenda.
Statement from NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., in Response to the American College of Pediatricians
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
DirectorApril 15, 2010
“It is disturbing for me to see special interest groups distort my scientific observations to make a point against homosexuality. The American College of Pediatricians pulled language out of context from a book I wrote in 2006 to support an ideology that can cause unnecessary anguish and encourage prejudice. The information they present is misleading and incorrect, and it is particularly troubling that they are distributing it in a way that will confuse school children and their parents.”
The latest charge comes as a result of a letter sent out by the American College of Pediatricians (ACPED) to all school superintendents in the US. Not to be confused with the actual American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), ACPED was formed in the 90s by a few who believe homosexuality is a disorder (a view not held by the AAP). If these names seem confusing, you will understand what as been happening.
Anti-gay organizations will reference statements issued by ACPED, presumably in the hope that the average reader will think they are coming from the real 60,000 strong AAP. Just such an instance occurred on CNN last week when ex-gay guru Richard Cohen gave non sequitur responses including a blurb about the aforementioned letter to school superintendents.
This is not the first time Dr. Collins has found it necessary to admonish those with an anti-gay agenda from co-opting or distorting his work. In 2007, XGW asked him to address a NARTH article written by Dean Byrd. He was asked simply to give us the facts and he did so eloquently.
In 2008, ex-gay activist Greg Quinlan further distorted Collins’ work in an interview with the pseudo-news site One News Now. When we brought this to Quinlan’s attention, he questioned the validity of our contact with Collins and refused to correct the erroneous quote. That single source has contaminated the web on this issue.
Even after we elicited another quote from Collins, had Warren Throckmorton copied for verification, and posted the entire exchange, Quinlan and One News Now preferred to leave the distortion up. Other groups like PFOX repeat the quote occasionally, seeming to prefer fiction over fact.
The only person to respond to a correction request was Bob Stith writing for the Baptist Press. He listened and took the comments from Collins while making a correction to his article.
A direct statement from the NIH, combined with the AAP’s own admonishment, is about as clear as it gets.
Clariry has never been a goal of the AXIS powers.
Just remember: change is change except when it isn’t, and even then it is ambiguous, complicated, and diffuse.
“These folks” are all “fundamentalist Christians,” and yes, they, of course, refer to themselves as Christians……….. but they do not in any way believe in the teachings of Jesus! In reading Jesus “Sermon on the Mount” along with that of “Jesus’ Parables” it becomes rather clear that these folks (members of NARTH, American College of Pediatricians, George Rekers, James Dobson, etc.) apparently having voted for and having supported the George Bush Presidential Admimistration, The Iraq War, Guantanamo, torture, The CIA, etc. it has become very clear that these folks are extremely dishonest, seem not to be in search of truth, and are to say the least a duplistic minded group of folks!
Dear Dr. Rekers,
After having read your website (Professor George.com) I would like to offer a personal apolgy to you for saying that you do not believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ. From what I read on your web site it has become quite clear to me that you do in fact believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ. In fact as you said, you even shared the message of salvavation with “Lucian” on your trip to Europe with him. Who knows perhaps it is possible that “Lucian” might have developed a closer relationship with Jesus due to your having shared the message of Jesus with him. Everyone has been condemning you, but who knows, The Lord works in mysterious ways. Perhaps this might be the way that “lucian” finds his way to the Lord Jesus.
Anyway, I do not know you . Nor do I know “Lucian.” And I wasn’t there on the trip to Europe with either of you, so I have no idea of what actually occured on the trip. I am a Christian, and as such, it is not my place to condemn anyone else even though it is, and has been an easy thing for me to do in the past. I am tired of condemning others! I am sorry for what I wrote!
Therefore, I am asking for you to forgive me for what I wrote in my earlier comment, and I promise not to make any more negative comments, and hope that I will refrain from doing such a thing in regards to anyone else in the future.
Also Dr. Dobson I apologize for the negative comment I made about you as well. I hope that you as well will forgive me. I am sorry!
The best to each of you (even though my studies may have lead me to look upon things in a different way) we still have in common that we are human beings, and that we each have been created in the image of a wonderful and loving God, and that each of us love Jesus Christ!
The best to you Dr. Rekers, and I hope that with the help of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be able to get through these hard times!
PLEASE DO NOT ERASE THIS COMMENT, BUT IF YOU DO, MAKE SURE AND ALSO ERASE THE COMMENT I MADE THAT PRECEEDS THIS COMMENT! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Doug Soderstrom
In relation to my apology to Dr. Rekers, in that in one of my comments was terribly inappropriate in that I should not have said what I said, it occurred to me that I was not behaving like a follower of Jesus in that it is not my place to judge another human being no matter how much I might agree or disagree with what someone might or might not have done, I thought that it would be a good thing to share the following:
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Mk. 4:24
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
I will try to keep the aforementioned in mind so I can live a better live and not make so many stupid makes like I did in my earlier comments.
But so Dr, Rekers will know……. I wish him the best, because regardless of what the facts are, he is a human being, he is a son of God, and he has the right to be forgiven for whatever he may have, if in fact he has, done anything wrong. Anyway it is not for us to judge, but judgement is for God alone….. not us. And we must all rememember that we, yes, every single one of us, has sinned , and come short of the glory of God, and are in need of forgiveness!
The best to you Dr. Rekers, and I sincerely hope that you will be able to get through all of this without to much damage to yourself as a human being.
Doug Soderstrom
Assuming your comment is serious and not satire, i have to say that “Dr.” George’s idea of making someone see Jesus is probably far different that how most people might see it.