In this video, Steve, a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, describes his experience of Mormon conversion therapy. He spent 12 of his 35 years in Mormonism receiving treatment from Evergreen International, the main ex-gay ministry serving the LDS church.
He says:
Of the 15 men that were with me [in the Evergreen program] in the Denver area, one third of those men committed suicide. … The success statistics in Evergreen are based on how many people are still going to the meetings. They don’t care if you’re feeling better. Success is if you’re still going to church, you’re paying your tithing … you haven’t divorced your wife.
Read the accompanying article here.
Tip of the hat to Wayne at Truth Wins Out.
The suicide rate is alarming. Is there any legal recourse? Personally, I think they should be viewed as murders (what else can you call such an outrageous promotion of suicidal despair?). Have any lawyers been contacted?
Thank goodness for Steve’s joy and his willingness to share.
I agree, why should anyone get away with such dangerous shams, just because they are religiously based and motivated? This is taking the assumed infallibility of faith, to an absurd level…and gay people still and always the ONLY ones who are sacrificed to it through public policy. When a doctor makes a medical mistake that ends in damaging or killing their patients, THEY take the blame, not their patients.
When a claim is made, that requires so much time, money and intense scrutiny and disciplines, there MUST be some kind of results that are qualified by professionals as to efficacy.
That religious groups IGNORE all medical and psychiatric methodology and peer reviewed consensus on how bad their activity is for gay people, should be telling enough for the FTC or some other oversight and scrutiny.
After all, just as I bring up unrealistic and unnecessary standards of beauty that do more harm than good, or medical interventions that no doctor would support, this is right up there. What if a preacher or religious counselor, told a client NOT to take their psychotropic medications, or continue to do things…like have children, despite the high risks in a pregnancy for women and their children?
And the results were tragic?
This kind of counseling is SO irresponsible and ridiculous, SOMETHING really has to be done.
Evergreen is not run by the Mormon church. It is a separate organization. Yes, it is sad that anyone would take their life because they are gay. There have been many exceptionally loving and talented gay people on my mission and in my mormon congregations. Members of the church should reach out to them more and show them unconditional love. We do love and appreciate our fellow brothers and sisters in the church and life should never appear so black and white to contemplate suicide. Gay Mormons should always experience Christ-like hope, love, and acceptance while at church. There are many gay Mormons and they should never feel like they are alone and they need to love and accept themselves and see the attributes and opportunity that they bring to the church and the world. This trying to change stuff is not realistic and people need to know this.
Thanks Josh, but would you agree that your comment contains a lot of wonderful “shoulds” that don’t really reflect what “is” in the Mormon church?
@Josh
Evergreen is not run by the LDS Church but it is fully supported by the LDS Church. Church leaders send members to the meetings. And meetings are attended and supervised by members of the local stake’s high council.
@Josh
As David said, I think the “should” is outweighed by the “is” — as is the case with too many churches, unfortunately, whether LDS or any other.
I’m aware Evergreen International isn’t an official organization of the LDS church, so I hedged my bets by describing it (accurately) in the article as “the main ex-gay ministry serving the LDS church.”
I’ve been perusing the “I’m an Ex-Mormon” videos, and it’s interesting to see that most of the people were becoming aware of how pre programmed they were and the expectations and paths for their lives were pre set and quite narrow. I’m sure there are plenty of people attracted to and who need such regimentation in their lives. But most children are born into such communities of faith and rarely have any chance of deviating from it, let alone challenging it without being punished for it.
Some religious families are much, MUCH tighter and more controlling than others. And in this framework, there comes a time when their kids start feeling weird or clueless or still very like CHILDREN no matter how old they are.
The responsibility is virtually ALL to their church, and little else.
Gay people are relegated to being treated perpetually like children, not only by religious communities, but by the government as well. The cultural attitude isn’t new. Women and blacks have been confronted with this abusive paternalism too. Of course, this isn’t healthy, but apparently too many churches don’t care about what’s healthy or workable. Eventually a church can be exceptionally self interested as well as self righteous.
I find it truly appalling, and sad sometimes, That despite living in a world of IMMENSE diversity, cooperation, uniqueness and variety…to insist that there is only ONE of something, or only ONE kind of normal and only ONE way of doing something, when there obviously isn’t is sort of….insane.
It’s those who aren’t fearful, who dare to challenge unreasonable conformity, that has expanded our world beyond dark caves and running from shadows.
For some, to be ‘raised in (name the faith)’, is to be raised in excruciating fear. How is that healthy for anyone?
I am not a Mormon.
I am a gay man, and I am a Christian. The thing that breaks my heart most of all in this amazing testimony is the sense that you have to choose being being gay and loving God. On the other hand, if I still believed that God was cruel, heartless, a bad parent, weak, etc. I would certainly reject that god!
I wish deep joy and success to anyone struggling to come to terms with or to reject dysfunctional faith and religion. But each story is complex; mine, and many others like mine, did not include rejection of God; instead, I chose to reject the god of rejection and fear for the amazing God that I see in the life of Jesus Christ told to us in the Gospels.
Just a thought, and with much respect!
@Josh
If you are defending the LDS Church for its support for Evergreen and then state it’s not run by the LDS Church…Why does Evergreen has its annual conferences on Temple Square…right in the buildings used as offices for the LDS Church and in view of their prized Temple and Headquarters.
Any lawyer will tell you complicity is a possibility with any lawsuit. But, knowing the lawyers the LDS Church has on retainer and has as General Authorities (Elder Dallin Oaks for one) it seems they (and you) are trying to distance “The Church” from any legal action…especially the electro-shock sham at BYU. The LDS Church cannot disavow such actions of its agents any more than any business or corporation.
And the LDS Church has its fingers in everything from NARTH to Evergreen to NOM.