Grace Communion International (former Worldwide Church of God) seems to be holding on to some of their old ways.
GCI may be in hot water because its Australian branch still advocates for conversion therapy for gay and lesbian members or children of members.
For many years now various gay and lesbian members of the Church of God had shared horrific stories about parents who forced them into conversion therapy. Violence and abuse were rampant in these facilities and yet the church pushed people into them. Some were beaten, some were starved, some had testicles removed, some were electrocuted and some kept in cages and allowed no contact with others until they "repented."
Various Christian groups around the world now are rebelling against forcing youth and others into these programs.
California has passed a law banning the conversion therapy programs in the state. This, however, is just forcing people to send children into camps in Utah and elsewhere.
School chaplain allegedly told anorexic student she was 'hungering for the word of God'
A school chaplain told an anorexic student she was "hungering for the word of God", according to Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Senator Hanson-Young used a Senate Estimates hearing to quiz department officials about the Federal Government's school chaplaincy program.
She made the allegation based on information she gathered from a Monash University report, which investigated chaplaincy services provided by Melbourne's Access Ministries.
"This university professor says that she was, quote, 'speaking to a teacher and told that the chaplain at their school, when a student went to her to talk about an issue of anorexia, said she was hungering for the word of God'," the senator told Estimates.
Senator Hanson-Young also sought a guarantee that chaplains who speak in tongues and practise exorcism for healing are not being employed in schools.
And she raised concerns about Grace Communion International, a chaplaincy provider that supports gay conversion therapy.
"This is not really the type of program or ideas, as a parent, I'd like to see being promoted to my child," she said.Here are many first had accounts of Christian men and women forced into conversion camps and the damage it has caused.
I'm surprised GCI is even worth a mention on this blog considering that none of the members of that group probably don't visit this site.
ReplyDeleteForcing a Sabbatarian Church into a Protestant church was a form of "Forced Conversion" was it not?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's an accurate equivalency. Kids sent to those camps don't get to go home after the sermon.
DeleteIn response to Tinny Doyle's comment. People in GCI do visit this site. The site provides information which GCI does not tell its members about or gives information well in advance of GCI. Please be mindful that there are people in that fellowship who have not followed the Apostasy and still consider themselves members of WCG not GCI.
ReplyDeleteThis site provides valuable information and insight not just into splinter groups but into GCI which has no transparency whatsoever.
They still have seatwarmers over there waiting for intervention?
DeleteNo legitimate psychologist or psychiatrist is going to support something as impossible as changing what stimulates a man to get a fierce erection, or a woman to become profusely wet. So you end up with rank amateurs with a medieval mentality running these so-called conversion therapy programs.
ReplyDeleteHuman sexuality is very complex. Unfortunately, the strong drives involved can bring out the best or the worst in people. It’s an area of human existence which can only be managed by self-control.
BB