Apparently, trying to keep up with the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and ranks of professional Christians in terms of ignoring modern medical/mental health knowledge, Elder Bruce C. Hafen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of the Mormon Church (pictured at left), has been deliberately disseminating lies to attendees at an Evergreen International conference by pronouncing that they can be cured of the same sex attractions. As best I can determine, Hafen has no legitimate credentials in the area of medical or mental health, but when does that ever stop these quacks who have to defend their anti-gay bigotry lest their whole house of cards faith system come crashing down . I mean, if God made gays as we are deliberately and that is fine by God's perspective, the entire mythology f the Book of Mormon - and the Bible - begins to fray and potentially fall apart. Personally, I continue to believe that the only thing that will shut down bogus outfits like Evergreen International are major lawsuits brought by those who have been harmed by their witchdoctor like programs. Here are some highlights from the Salt Lake Tribune:*
People who are attracted to members of their own sex can change, an LDS general authority said Saturday, so they shouldn't let Satan persuade them they can't. Elder Bruce C. Hafen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, spoke at the 19th annual conference of Evergreen International, a nonprofit group that helps Mormons "overcome homosexual behavior" and "diminish same-sex attraction." The event was held at the LDS Church's Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.
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Last month, the American Psychological Association passed a resolution advising mental health professionals against telling their clients they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments. No solid evidence exists that such efforts work, the APA concluded, and some studies suggest the potential for harm, including depression and suicidal tendencies. A task force reviewed 83 studies on sexual-orientation change conducted since 1960. The "long-standing consensus" of the behavioral and social sciences, the APA noted, is that homosexuality is a "normal and positive variation of human sexual orientation."
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Hafen spent a large portion of his talk, held during a Sunday-like service, criticizing the gay-rights movement and denying a biological link to sexual orientation. Same-sex attraction is "not in your DNA," he said. He attacked the APA's decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, deeming it politically motivated.
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Lisa Diamond, a psychology professor and researcher at the University of Utah, in an interview with The Tribune , called Hafen's assertion "hilarious" and "absolutely untrue." Homosexuality had been listed as a disorder, Diamond said, without any real scientific data. The APA reversed course after a pioneering psychologist, Evelyn Hooker, produced research to show there was no difference between the mental health of straight and gay individuals, she said. "That moment really did represent, in fact, the triumph of science over prejudice," Diamond said.
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It is reprehensible that individuals like Hafen knowingly disseminate lies which harm others just so that he and his cohorts can hang on to power and of course make money through organizations like Evergreen International. Like the Catholic Church, the day is coming where either modern knowledge is accepted or the religious dictatorships centered at the Vatican and in Salt Lake City will slowly wither and die as ignorant hold overs from days past.
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