Faith In America Responds To 'Gay Exorcism' Videos

If you don't believe that a very fine line separates the familiar phrase "Hate the sin, love the sinner" from from the shout "Hey, let's have an exorcism!," think again.

As news organizations and bloggers continue to report on the videos of an exorcism of a "homosexual demon" from a 16-year-old boy by leaders of Manifested Glory Ministries in Bridgeport, CT, readers are expressing their own very interesting thoughts on what they've read and seen. 

Comments on those articles range from the obvious ( "Good lord ... I wonder how people like this Reverend can sleep at night") to the ridiculous ("After the exorcism was completed, the kid was spotted in Greenwich Village shopping for speedos").

But there's no doubt that the majority of readers are disturbed by what they've seen, and that many of the concerned are Christians who believe homosexuality is a sin.

Christian commenters are particularly worried that the people outraged by the videos will channel their anger against the Christian community as a whole, instead of only at the leaders of Manifested Glory Ministries, Patricia and Kelvin McKinney. 

Comments such as this one — "There are over 350,000 churches in our nation and the VAST majority would never entertain something like this. Don't judge the whole by one isolated situation. I think homosexuality is a sinful choice, but this was ridiculous" — send the clear message,  'Don't confuse decent Christians with those extremists.'

I don't think they have much too worry about on that front. I doubt that people familiar with this story believe that the McKinneys and those present at the exorcism are on par with the average Christian worshiper.

But isn't it fascinating that when faced with the despicable behavior of Manifested Glory leaders, Christians are quick to point out that faith in Jesus is practiced and expressed in degrees, and then reiterate that their particular expressions and traditions are appropriate and acceptable, while others are not?

And aren't you curious as to how they reach that determination?

Interestingly enough, they say they rely on their own understanding of Jesus to guide them. But that's exactly what the McKinneys are claiming. Exactly! So what makes the McKinneys' expression of faith wrong, and the average Christian's expression of faith right?

The answer isn't found in scripture, but rather in reason.

If the Christians who are appalled by what they've seen in the videos were to be entirely honest with themselves, they'd have to admit that haven't only relied on their faith to come to the conclusion that this exorcism is wrong, they've also called on their common sense, sense of morals and human decency. In other words, they've reasoned intellectually as well as spiritually that what they've seen is wrong. How could they not? They might be Christians, but they are, above all else, human beings, and more complicated than their faith. And that begs the questions, Where the hell is their common sense and sense of human decency when gay teenagers (and gay adults) are being attacked by church leaders in pulpits and on the nightly news the other 364 days of the year? And, when it comes to exorcisms, are actions of the McKinneys more deplorable than, say, the words of 'legitimate' Christian leaders such as Tony Perkins of The Family Research Council and the semi-retired James Dobson of Focus on the Family?

For answers to those questions, I wrote to Brent Childers, executive director of Faith In America, an organization dedicated to "the emancipation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from bigotry disguised as religious truth."

Childers, a devout Christian, was once a homophobic Southern Baptist. He had an epiphany of sorts a number of years ago when visiting some family members, and in 2006, he told The Advocate about it.

"I launched into an assault on homosexuals," he said. "I recall one precious family member stating that she didn't agree with whatever I was saying. She didn't think my attitude when it came to homosexuals was very Christlike."

After that, a new Brent Childers emerged.  "Perhaps God was looking for less an ardent soldier and more a humble servant," he said.

Today, Childers is well aware of the dangers of both anti-gay words and actions, and in response to my questions, he provided me with this statement on behalf of his organization:

Faith In America response: 'Gay Exorcism' in CT

Faith In America believes the vast majority of people of faith do not believe that you need a preacher screaming and yelling to help you overcome a problem in your life. I think most people of faith see such religious practice as more theatre than a genuine attempt to help someone overcome what a person perceives as sin in their life.

Such exorcisms are religious antics and most people of faith see it as such.

I do not know if this youth was part of some orchestrated event by the McKinneys or if in fact this 16-year-old actually sees homosexuality as a sin that needs to be purged from his being. If he in fact does see his same-sex attraction as wrong and sinful, I think we must ask ourselves the question why would a young person see their very being in such a horrible and negative manner.

The answer is obvious. For many years, an anti-gay religious establishment has perpetuated the myth that homosexuality is a sin. They have manufactured the demon of homosexuality. In reality, it doesn't exist.

Homosexuality is no more a demon than heterosexuality. When it comes to sexual orientation, common sense and science tells us that we as human beings are wired emotionally and psychologically different – some with opposite-sex attraction and some with same-sex attraction.

The anti-gay religious establishment has made young, innocent youth  feel that there is something horribly wrong with them. Faith In America is here to tell those young gay and lesbian teens that they are each gifts to be cherished. Their sexual orientation is not something they should feel they must rid of themselves.

Involuntary human condition is not and should not be subjected to religious or moral condemnation. We've been down that road before. Religion was once misused to condemn both African-Americans and women as unworthy and morally inferior. We as a society today recognize such religious teaching as misguided and we can see how it caused great harm to those individuals and society as a whole.

It is religion-based bigotry and prejudice that today causes gay youth to feel as though there is something horribly wrong with them.

In the name of religious teaching, we are bringing harm to these innocent lives. That is the moral failure that we as a society must rid of itself.

The only question that remains is, When will we exorcise the moral failure?

Comments

[Mark Zamen]

A very good essay, and a real pleasure to read the statement by Brent Childers. Sadly, a large segment of society, especially the religious right, still regards gays as second-class citizens - or worse. That is the salient point of my recently released biographical novel, Broken Saint. It is based on my forty-year friendship with a gay man, and chronicles his internal and external struggles as he battles for acceptance (of himself and by others, including fellow Mormons). More information on the book is available at www.eloquentbooks.com/BrokenSaint.html.

Mark Zamen, author

[jaeleahbas]

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