Is Change Possible?

Has Science Proved Homosexuality Can Not Be Changed? - Exodus Global Alliance

You often hear the claim that science has proved that homosexuality cannot be changed. And so it seems appropriate to review the claims and findings of science regarding this question. But before we dig in to what science has to say, we should note that some use this claim to undermine Christianity in 3 different ways:

What do you mean when you say homosexuals can change? - Exodus Global Alliance

A lot of damage has been done by Christians offering a simplistic concept of change. Many give the admonition that homosexuality is sin and that people just need to stop sinning. This approach lacks understanding and probably lacks compassion as well.

Is it true that once you are gay you are always gay?

"... At 44 I was suicidal and wanted out, but I had never seen anyone leave the gay lifestyle, except by death. Everyone said: "Once gay, always gay." I was so miserable that I took a desperate leap of faith, I returned to the faith of my youth. I realized that it hadn't helped me when I was young, but I had no other choice outside of suicide. I had only the smallest degree of faith that anything would happen, but to my surprise, that thimble of faith was enough to work miraculous change. I am now in my 23rd year of helping people escape the gay lifestyle. I have been married for 11 years and would never go back to the misery and lies of the gay lifestyle. I am thankful every day for my new life. There is more happiness now in one day of my life than all the twenty-five years I spent in that lifestyle of treachery and deceit..."

"... The first issue I would like to address is that there is no one, no matter if they have had a sex-change operation, or have lived crossed dressed for years that cannot change. Change is available to every person struggling with homosexuality ... Any motivated person can change. Age may play a factor in motivation. Contrary to the apparent findings of Lawrence Hatterer (Changing Homosexuality in the Male) I have found that the older person is more motivated toward change. He has seen all the aspects of the lifestyle and it no longer holds any mystery for him. By 40, many are ready and willing for change, they are completely disillusioned with the lifestyle..".

(Excerpted from Frank Worthen's Testimony - "Helping People Step Out Of Homosexuality' )

EX-GAY: Fact, Fraud or Fantasy? 

Frank Worthen 2007 | "Ex-gay" is a term which always brings a response. For the most part, the gay community believes this is a total lie. They deny that it is possible to become ex-gay. It is their belief that "ex-gay" is a fraudulent term. Most come from the standpoint that a homosexual orientation is inborn, that it cannot be changed. They frequently equate the homosexual orientation with being left-handed, or with the color of one's skin.

Others who are not so hostile believe that ex-gays are simply engrossed in a fantasy situation. They think that one day, the "former homosexual" will come back to reality and realize that he is still just as gay as he ever was. Each time an ex-gay falls back into sexual sin, the skeptical critics hold this up as proof of their position that the ex-gay was living in a state of euphoria, that he was simply brain-washed and has finally come to his senses.  

Is it Possible to Change?

• Robert Spitzer conducted lengthy interviews with 200 people who claimed to have changed their sexual orientation. Of these, slightly less than half of both the men and women recalled being "exclusively homosexual  " before the change effort, and 17 percent of the men and 54 percent of the women were "exclusively heterosexual" after.

• According to the NARTH, for those who want to leave homosexual life, change is available to every person struggling with homosexuality. Any motivated person can change. However only a deep abiding faith in God is strong enough to produce the motivation to make a decisive decision that will hold up through times of temptation and ridicule from fellow gays.

(Excerpted from Factsheet on Homosexuality - unknown author)

Were we born this way?

Know that we were NOT born this way. This myth was fashioned by the gay establishment as a basis for changing laws in favor of gay rights. Again it works for their purposes, but it is biblically UNTRUE. There is no way that anyone, without an agenda, can come away from the bible with an endorsement by God of the gay lifestyle. Gay theology starts with an agenda [‘Let’s make the bible say gay is O.K.’] in order to arrive at its conclusions, but it is a lie.

(Excerpted from an article by Charlene Cothran , Redeemed! 10 Ways to Get Out of the Gay Life, If You Want Out )

Why would a Homosexual person want to Change? - Exodus Global Alliance

Some people find their same-sex attractions conflict with their moral and religious beliefs. Not willing to abandon or revise their moral and religious beliefs, they want to deal with their attractions in light of the Scriptures on which they base their moral and religious beliefs. Unfortunately, for some this has led some to the dreary decision to attempt to deny and/or repress their desires. The good news is that after years of isolation, shame and rejection, the message of real change is a breath of life!

EX-GAY: Fact, Fraud or Fantasy? - Exodus Global Alliance

Ex-gay" is a term which always brings a response. For the most part, the gay community believes this is a total lie. They deny that it is possible to become ex-gay. It is their belief that "ex-gay" is a fraudulent term. Most come from the standpoint that a homosexual orientation is inborn, that it cannot be changed. They frequently equate the homosexual orientation with being left-handed, or with the color of one's skin.

There Are Those Who Would Argue That Homosexuality Cannot Be Changed. Nor Should It Need To Be. What Do You Say? - Sy Rogers

After two decades of pro-gay influence in the American Psychoanalytic Association, the concept of offering treatment for those unhappy with their homosexual orientation has practically been abandoned. Until recently*, therapists of the last 25 years were given little training beyond encouraging their homosexually-oriented clients to embrace that orientation as the only realistic route to mental health and happier living. (Many of my clients have suffered greatly as a consequence of such counsel). The assumption is that homosexual orientation cannot be modified to any degree. And in the age of western political correctness, gay activists would add that such orientation should not need to be changed. Regardiess of one's life philosophy, the fact remains: not all who are homosexually-oriented want to be. (One of the questions answered by Sy in an article called "Questions I am Most asked about Homosexuality - scroll down in the document )

There Are Critics of Your Efforts Who Say that People Who Attempt To Overcome Homosexuality Are Just "Martyrs", Repressing Their True Sexuality ... Or That People Who Did Change Were Never True Homosexuals To Begin With. And What About Those Who Tried To Change but Went Back to Homosexuality? - Sy Rogers

I'll answer the last point first. Regrettably, every recovery program has its "failure rate". There are those who begin the recovery journey and then decide it's not what they want ... or frankly, they decide it's too hard ... and it IS difficult in the beginning. Unfortunately, not only do clients sometimes fall back or give up -- but counselors, pastors, therapists and psychiatrists are also not immune to sexual desire. Many professionals have been victims of their own misunderstandings, passions and wrong choices. Tragically, when leaders and counselors have moral failures, especially in my specific field, this not only results in personal consequences, but also discredits recovery programs like our own. (One of the questions answered by Sy in an article called "Questions I am Most asked about Homosexuality - scroll down in the document )

Is change difficult?

.... None of this is to say that because one has faith and a structured program that leaving the gay lifestyle is easy. It may be one of the most difficult adjustments ever required of a person. There are a number of misbeliefs or lies that must be challenged. The foremost of these is that change is impossible. The one thing that breaks through this deeply embedded belief is that while much may be impossible for man, nothing is impossible for God.

Many would like to continue on in their contacts with the gay world. Unless a complete break is made, change will be impeded. This reluctance to break with friends, move from a gay ghetto area, perhaps quit a job and leave behind clothing and all articles connected with the gay lifestyle, prevents change from taking place, the old continues to reinforce itself and the new has no chance of developing.

(Excerpted from Frank Worthen's Testimony )

Is Heterosexuality Possible?

.... Yes, there is something beyond celibate homosexuality. Same-sex attractions do fade and opposite attractions do emerge as a result from a clean break from the old lifestyle. It is of vital importance that the counselee hold to the belief that change is possible. Proverbs 23:7 reads: "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." This is a wise proverb. We are today where our thoughts of yesterday have brought us. The one that can view the change process as an adventure filled with excitement and challenge will find change developing at a consistent rate. The one who still believes that change may be impossible will not see the change he desires.

Certainly no one should entertain the idea of marriage until sufficient healing has taken place.

(Excerpted from Frank Worthen's Testimony )

Why was it worth it - David Fountain

Whenever I get the chance to share my testimony, I usually am asked if the struggle was worthwile. I never claim that any part of my journey has been easy, but it was worth it. I have always felt and known this, but at a recent radio interview I was asked, “Why was it worth it?” and I was forced to describe and put words to this feeling.

My story is not a story of self determination, but of why we need each other, why we need the church, and why we all need a Savior.

I grew up in a small town outside of Atlanta, GA. I was the youngest of five, one being my identical twin brother. Just like Jacob and Esau’s story in the Bible, my brother became my father’s favorite and I became my mother’s favorite. This was not intentional, but simply a way for my parents to share the responsibility of us. One could say that is where the problem began. However, there was so much more that contributed to my struggle with homosexuality.

The Man in the Mirror - Sy Rogers

A day of rejoicing and celebration, of sharing love between family and friends. At my side was my wife, the woman I loved. But special as it was, our wedding held a much deeper significance.

There was a time when I would never have believed such fulfilment was possible for me. Only three years earlier, I was lost in pursuit of my identity; desperately seeking love and acceptance. I was transsexual - or at least that's what my psychiatrist called it. Although physically a man, I felt "trapped" in the wrong body. I was obsessed with the desire to change my outward gender and conform my body to what I believed I really was - both mentally and emotionally. I convinced myself, and worked hard to convince others, that sex-change surgery was necessary for me if I was ever to lead a fulfilled life.

Watching movies as a child, I noticed that the girl was always the object of the hero's attention and affection. My heart would ache as I thought, "I wish I were wanted like that." Years later, I would live out my childhood fantasy and become "like a woman" in the hope of being truly loved at last.

Redeemed! 10 Ways to Get Out of the Gay Life, If You Want Out - by Charlene E. Cothran

... But now, I must come out of the closet again. I have recently experienced the power of change that came over me once I completely surrendered to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As a believer of the word of God, I fully accept and have always known that same-sex relationships are not what God intended for us.

I don’t expect that this message will be widely received, quite the contrary. But, I do know that there is someone, possibly reading this very article, who is tired and unhappy living this way. Someone, in your heart of hearts, is searching for a way out, but you just can’t seem to break free on your own. I am speaking to my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters who want real peace; the kind you’ve heard about, sung about, read about. It is simpler than you think to acquire it and there is no condemnation once you’ve entered it.

Although I have lived as a lesbian for my entire adult life, it is without a doubt my soul’s purpose to use my gifts to LOVINGLY share the truth about how we got here: how we came to be gay or lesbian, how we came to enjoy our ‘lifestyle’ and how we came to believe that this was OK with God. [Romans 1:21-28]

Michael Glatze's Story

... For 16 years, Michael Glatze was a gay leader who edited an award-winning magazine targeting gay youth and produced a PBS documentary on gay teen suicide. His advocacy among youth made him a media darling and earned him a National Role Model Award.

But in 2005, after speaking at Harvard, Michael began having doubts about the gay lifestyle and its affirming message. Feeling there was no one he could turn to for answers,he turned to God.That led to a life-changing discovery about homosexuality—it is anything but natural. Glatze explains,

[H]omosexual sex—and all other lust-based sex—is never satisfactory: It's a neurotic process rather than a natural, normal one . . . Homosexuality takes us out of our normal state, of being perfectly united in all things, and divides us . . . [it] allows us to avoid digging deeper, through superficiality and lust-inspired attractions. . . . As a result, countless miss out on their truest self, their God-given Christ-self.