Religious Left

"Pray away the gay" study flawed One of the authors of the latest "ex-gay" study is from the college that is considered the nation's evangelical flagship; the other is from Pat Robertson's university. They released their findings not in a scientific journal, but in a book published by a Christian press. The results were first announced - not to scientists but to a group of Christian counselors gathered in Nashville. Is it any wonder that the results of the study - to determine whether gay people can stop being gay - found that people can indeed turn off the homosexual attraction switch? Especially when the subjects of the study were participants in an evangelical Christian ministry and were already trying to "change"? And is it any wonder that the methodology of said study has been discounted?

NEW YORK – Truth Wins Out warned news organizations today to be skeptical of a biased “ex-gay” sham study that will be released by right wing therapists in Nashville this afternoon. The “research,” which was conducted by Stanton L. Jones of Wheaton College and Mark A. Yarhouse of Pat Robertson University, reportedly will show that a significant percentage of gay people can become straight through religious-based counseling. “It appears as if this study is the equivalent of the Phillip Morris ‘research’ team interviewing members of the company’s public relations team on the safety of cigarettes,” said Besen. “This study may be a deceptive sham with the goal of making it appear as if science backs fundamentalist beliefs on homosexuality.” http://www.truthwinsout.org/ .