I need help finding 2 specific Awake or Watchtower articles from 70's or 80's regarding converting homosexuals.

by paul from cleveland 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  paul from cleveland

  Zoos, It was these two articles that made me believe that change was possible. After I read those I thought I too could change. I spent 19 years trying. From about age 13 until I was 32. It's a long sordid story that didn't end well. My sister, never a Witness, is working on something and needed some information regarding my journey. If you're interested in the details you can PM me. I just don't want to put it out in public yet.

  btw, yes I no longer believe those stories of change. I think the person being interviewed was practicing "fake it til you make it". Pretending to be straight in hopes that by changing behavior the feelings would come later. Of course they never do.

  At the end, when I realized it was all a lie, I wrote to the Watchtower asking if I could meet the person who was interviewed. I didn't know, at that time, that they just send the letter back to the elders to deal with. The elders told me that they were sure the person wouldn't want to be identified because it would be too embarrassing. I said that's not true! If I found a way to change from gay to straight I would shout it from the rooftops and help others who wanted to change. The whole experience left be believing the story was made up.
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  krejames

  These articles make me so angry. These are the ones certain elders thrust in my face. I find the first one particularly repugnant that the guy left his partner - must have been very painful for the other guy but it's just glossed over as if no importance - he had his chance and didn't take it". What a load of evil crap.
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  paul from cleveland

  krejames, I know, me too. It's all a pack of lies. I haven't been watching anything Watchtower for a while but I recently discovered their tv channel. One of the GB was blaming their pedophilia problems on gay men. So ridiculous. Every case I see in the news is straight men going after little girls. They keep trying to demonize gay people. I'm so glad I'm not in that prison any more.
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  Zoos

  I grew up reading the same articles in the 70's and 80's, trying to pray away the gay... the whole time dreading the implications of what becoming straight would mean.

  Sex with a female.

  [Straight folks should consider what it would be like to pray to God and ask Him to change them to homosexual... and all the implications that go along with it.]

  I was devastated that God would not answer my prayers to become something I was terrified of becoming. I didn't HATE women... I just didn't want to go THERE with one. It had me so twisted up inside I spent a lot of time crying in private. The rest of the time I polished my skills at playing the little Christian hetero-boy character. I'd like to think I was pretty good at it.

  Sometimes I think back to childhood and wonder if there was ever a real family bond there for me, as I realized I was different at a very young age and the grown-ups did not speak well of that difference. I figured out VERY early to keep that part hidden and be someone else.

  I guess the family is only shunning a character I used to play because they never really got to meet ME.

  Isn't it ironic that the major "ex-gay" ministries in the U.S. are finally coming out and admitting publicly that it doesn't work that way and have issued empty apologies. I guess we'll have to pass those apologies on to all the suicide victims when we get to hell.

  ... because fags still go to hell. (or die at Armageddon or some such...)
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  paul from cleveland

  Ugh, Zoos, your experience was similar to mine. I would pray and pray and beg god to make me straight or at least be able to endure the situation. Neither prayer was answered. The only good that came out of it was that it got me out of the cult. Otherwise, I might be still on the Watchtower treadmill to this day...