(YF1b) helpful organizations

As of this date, 05-10-08, this folder contains 6 items. ******* item 1 GROUP HELPS FAMILIES WITH HOMOSEXUALLY INCLINED CHILDREN ******* item 2 BOOK REVIEW: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO PREVENTING HOMOSEXUALITY ******* item 3 ONLINE DISCUSSION GROUP ******* item 4 STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH ******* item 5 MEDIA AND MINISTRY ******* item 6 RESOURCES ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 1 GROUP HELPS FAMILIES WITH HOMOSEXUALLY INCLINED CHILDREN ******* Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2004 07:30:41 -0800 ******* From: "Austin Ruse -- Culture of Life Foundation" ******* Dear Colleague, ******* We report again on those brave souls confronted with same-sex attraction and their efforts to remain loyal to the teachings of the Church. Last week we reported on Courage, which is for those who suffer same-sex attraction. Today we report on Encourage, a sister group that supports families of those with same-sex attraction. The Church teaches that homosexual acts are intrinsically evil and must always be resisted, but that we are called upon to love and help those who carry this heavy burden. ******* Spread the word. ******* Yours sincerely, ******* Austin Ruse, President ******* Action item: Go to the Encourage website and thank these brave souls for their work in upholding Church teaching and showing real compassion for their suffering children. You can find them at http://www.couragerc.net/Encourage.html ******* "ENCOURAGE" HELPS FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN SUFFERING SAME-SEX ATTRACTION ******* For Catholic families faced with the often unexpected confession of a child's same-sex attraction, there has often been little support for the traumatic grief that followed. That was until Encourage, the sister organization to Courage which was reported on last week, was founded a little over a decade ago. As one document noted, it seeks to "offer faithful witness to Catholic teaching on sexual morality while meeting the needs of its members with charity and compassion." Encourage chapters are now in fifteen U.S. cities. ******* Unlike similar Christian groups, Encourage does not push families to attempt to "reorient" of their loved one's lifestyle, but rather to encourage them "in the development of chaste friendships." Encourage "works primarily to cultivate a supportive accepting environment in which the more immediate goals of fostering personal chastity and sexual abstinence can be valued within the context of a broadly Christian appreciation of human experience." ******* Most significantly, the focus of the group is not on the individual with same sex attraction but their families. According to the co-founder of Courage and Encourage, Fr. John Harvey, OSFS, parents of children with same-sex attraction, "have their own heartbreak to handle, because they want to live faithfully to the Church and want their children to be faithful…they worry about the salvation of the souls of their children." ******* In response, Encourage chapters have cropped up to aid loved ones in coping, supporting, and praying for one another while, according to their mission statement, "standing by the truth teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." As such, Encourage "professes an orthodox position on the immorality of homosexual acts even as it respects the human dignity of persons who have homosexual feelings." ******* Encourage chapters are resources, havens even, for parents seeking information, although, as Lansing chapter organizer Rob Cavera told Culture & Cosmos, the groups often act as a "sounding board, because parents often come with a lot of information that they have been told about homosexuality which is wrong…there is a need to explain the Church's teaching." ******* According to Cavera, who with his wife Susan are also parents to a son with same-sex attraction, Encourage "helps deal with parents' confusion…its like a loss; I was so overcome with grief for what was going on in [my son's] life, and for his immortal soul." Cavera noted that "parents going through this are grieving. We help parents to recognize and understand the Church's teaching, and then how to cope with their son and daughter without alienating them." ******* Encourage is in contrast to groups such as Dignity and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), which push families to embrace the homosexual lifestyle. In following their mission statement, PFLAG seeks provide support for parents so that they may "cope with an adverse society," become advocates for equal rights, including the right to marriage, and state that parents should not "insist that your morality is the only right one." Additional groups which call themselves Catholic but do not uphold Church doctrine on homosexuality, such as New Ways Ministry, create additional confusion for families seeking counsel. ******* Unlike these groups, Encourage insists on remaining faithful to Catholic teaching on homosexuality and not condoning a loved one's homosexual lifestyle. According to Cavera, "loving them is very important, without enabling to approving of these actions." ******* Copyright---Culture of Life Foundation. ******* Permission given for unlimited use. Credit required. ******* Culture of Life Foundation, 1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington DC 20005 ******* Phone: (202) 289-2500 ******* Fax: (202) 289-2502 ******* E-mail: clf@culture-of-life.org ******* Website: http://www.culture-of-life.org ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 2 BOOK REVIEW: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO PREVENTING HOMOSEXUALITY ******* From: "PFOX" ******* Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2003 02:54:54 +0000 ******* Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) www.pfox.org recommends as essential reading the book by Joseph and Linda Nicolosi, “A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality,” InterVarsity Press. This gem of a book by reparative therapist Dr. Joseph Nicolosi and his wife, Linda Nicolosi, answers your questions on the whys and hows of homosexuality. It is written in a common sense compassionate manner and describes some insightful cases. The book is not limited to reading by parents by any means. An alternative title could be, “Everything you always wondered about homosexuality, but didn’t know who to ask.” ******* Here are some excerpts from this must-have book: ******* Why should kids not call other kids names like “gay,” “sissy,” or “faggot”? ******* In elementary school, other children will begin to call gender-confused boys “sissies,” “faggots,” “queers,” or “gays.” Mistakenly and tragically, their teachers may even identify them as “gay children,” and, thus labeled by their own teachers, the children may even come to think of themselves as “born gay.” They may not be sure what being “gay” means, but they begin to suspect that they are different. Before long, their emotional estrangement from their own sex will begin to surface in same-sex romantic longings. ******* Imagine how it would feel for a boy to have a distant father and also to be teased by his same-sex peers. Imagine how it would feel to be called clumsy, a sissy, crybaby, mama’s boy or to be labeled for any number of other failures. Often Mom, Grandma, or Sister is the only person in whom such a boy finds affection and sympathy. Because he tends to be emotionally sensitive, such a boy begins to believe his classmates’ teasing labels and gives up the struggle to prove they are not true. Their name-calling only confirms his hidden fear that his is not a “real boy.” ******* But make no mistake about this: A gender-nonconforming boy can be sensitive, kind, social, artistic, gentle – and heterosexual. He can be an artist, an actor, a dancer, a cook, a musician – and a heterosexual. These innate artistic skills are “who he is,” part of the wonderful range of human abilities. No one should try to discourage those abilities and traits. With appropriate masculine affirmation and support, however, they can all be developed within the context of normal heterosexual manhood. ******* Is society “heterosexist”? ******* Of course, because nature itself is inherently “heterosexist”—that is, biased toward heterosexuality, which is essential for our survival. Gender complementarity and heterosexuality are the norm in animal and human biology. ******* What is Gay and Lesbian History Month all about? ******* The National Education Association (NEA) has instituted a Gay and Lesbian History Month as another means of promoting homosexuality to children as normal and healthy. Some great and honorable individuals in history no doubt have struggled with homosexuality, but they would not necessarily have identified themselves as “gay and proud” (even if the term “gay” had existed during their time.) Many, no doubt, would have seen their desires as an affliction to be overcome. Yet the NEA is determined to promote these individuals as sources of inspiration for sexually confused children. ******* Why are some gay men attracted to female icons? ******* Some gay men are invariably captivated by larger-than-life feminine images, and they do not choose men as their icons. Instead, they become enthralled with Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, and Bette Midler. Adulation of female icons permits an escape into the secret feminine fantasy of early childhood, providing an evasion to escape the challenge of developing their masculine potential. ******* “Why are gays drawn to Disney World each June?” asks Focus on the Family’s Tom Hess. Anyone who doubts that gender conflict is at the root of homosexuality would likely lay that idea to rest after seeing Disney’s annual June Gay Day celebration. As Hess observes, “Infatuation with Disney icons like Alice is one of the top draws for homosexuals who flock to Gay Day each year.” ******* “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs have stepped down from their Enchanted Forest float and with wide smiles, they’re inviting children, many of them under the age of 6, to join them in a dance,” Hess notes. But this day, because it’s Disney Gay Day, there’s a man dancing ecstatically with Snow White while wearing a little girl’s diamond tiara. Watching him dance, Hess says, “are several thousand other homosexuals, all beaming like little boys … the sea of men erupts in adoring applause.” Another man jumps up and down with a polka-dot hair ribbon on his head as he leaps in delight while dancing with a costumed Alice. ******* And everyone has seen gay men in drag at a pride parade or in a gay bar wearing high heels and a wig. These men are reliving the fantasy option – the secret androgynous fantasy of childhood in which they decided they did not have to make a decision to be either male or female; they could be both. But because biology is (in the case of sexual identity) destiny, the consequence of taking the fantasy option does not result in genuine androgyny, but a pervasive and nagging sense of masculine deficit. ******* We are reminded of lesbian activist Camille Paglia’s observation that “masculinity is risky and elusive – it is achieved by a revolt from a woman and confirmed only by other men.” Gender-deficient men still secretly cling to the feminine identification that is proper to children in early infancy but that isolates them from the healthy challenge of a gender-polarized world. ******* What is the difference between “gay” and “homosexual”? ******* Just because someone experiences homosexual feelings does not mean he is obliged to assume the label of “gay.” Unlike homosexuality, which describes a sexual orientation, “gay” is a social-political identity that says, in essence, “This is who I am; this is the ‘real me;’ and I can live out my same-sex attractions without any internal conflict.” Not all people who have same-sex feelings choose a gay identity. ******* But in reality, “homosexual” is no more “who a person is” than any other behavioral propensity. Would it be meaningful to say, “Shy is who I am” or “Boisterous is who I am” or “Alcoholic is who I am”? We do not identify a “people” by their behavioral or psychological traits and then insist that no one criticize those traits or behaviors. ____________ Want to read more? ******* You can buy this must-have book at www.ivpress.com or call them at 630-734-4000. (Price is $15.00 U.S.) ******* “A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality” by Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D, and Linda Nicolosi gets the PFOX four star highest rating. ******* Book Excerpts Copyrighted by NARTH www.narth.com ******* PFOX -- Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, Box 561, Fort Belvoir VA 22060 ******* phone 703-360-2225 ******* E-mail pfox_exgays@hotmail.com ******* web www.pfox.org ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 3 ONLINE DISCUSSION GROUP ******* Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004 ******* From: "PFOX" ******* PFOX sponsors an e-mail discussion group at Yahoo Groups. It is comprised of parents and spouses of strugglers, and we also have ex-gays on the list. We support each other daily via e-mail. You can just read the postings or join in the discussion at any time with your particular day to day hopes and struggles. ******* If you would like to join send a blank e-mail to: ex-gay-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ******* To subscribe to this list of ex-gay news and views, send a blank email to: PFOX-subscribe@topica.com ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 4 STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH - by ex-gay Richard Cohen, President of PFOX ******* From: "PFOX" ******* Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 ******* Let us all make a determination in 2005 to stand up and share the truth about homosexuality. Let us enlighten our family, friends, neighbors, teachers, pastors, rabbis, priests, and therapists. They won’t know unless we tell them that: No one is born with same-sex attraction and change is possible. ******* Share your personal stories. I know it’s a risk. You risk rejection. But the greater risk is that people continue to live in ignorance and sell out this country to a false paradigm, thus imprisoning the homosexual community into a life of disease and destruction. ******* We can make a difference. Let’s make a goal to share the truth about homosexuality with one person each day, or one person per week. It’s that simple. You and I can make a difference. Please do it for the sake of all those who desire freedom. They are counting on us. ******* www.comingoutstraight.com ************************************************************************************************************************ ******* item 5 MEDIA AND MINISTRY by ex-gay Randy Thomas of Exodus International ******* From: "PFOX" ******* Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 ******* At one time, I was fearful of conflict and against speaking into venues that came in direct opposition with the gay-identified community. Each passing year brings deeper revelation that the Gay Elite – past and present leaders of some of the wealthiest organizations in the world – market a bill of goods that keep people trapped in a perpetual “gay” victim mentality, ungrateful for the tolerance they actually experience. ******* Their agenda seeks to alter personal morality and public policy. After reading their materials, one will see that the Gay Elite purposefully manipulate those with same sex attraction in an effort to force them into cognitive dissonance. ******* This manufactured pressure forces people into extremes – completely for or against the gay-identified. Both extremes serve the Gay Elite by empowerment through endorsement or empowering the victim mentality. When I realized the gay activist agenda was a manipulative trap, I went from being a pacifist in the culture war to an activist for Christ. I went back to the closet and found that it never truly existed. Do not be fooled, the Gay Elite bring oppression in the name of being oppressed. True freedom is the person’s right to self-determine their identity and sexual stewardship. ******* Exodus offers informed options to live life beyond homosexuality; to live a life that honors Christ. Our message is clear and we respect self-determination. We do not seek to convert or “cure” but to inform and educate. For over two thousand years, people have chosen whether or not to follow Christ. Like Him, we will continue to love and honor each individual and his or her choice. ******* Silence is not an option if we want to enjoy self-determination and religious expression. These two democratic pillars are also at the foundation of what it means to turn to Christ; we make a free will decision to follow Him and share with others what we have learned. If the Gay Elite will take every opportunity to uphold their version of faith and morality, why are we silent? The time is now. Speak out, stand up and be counted. ******* www.exodus.to ******* PFOX -- Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, Box 561, Fort Belvoir VA 22060, 703-360-2225, pfox_exgays@hotmail.com, www.pfox.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To subscribe to this list of ex-gay news and views, send a blank email to: PFOX-subscribe@topica.com ************************************************************************************************************************ ******* item 6 RESOURCES ******* From: "PFOX" ******* Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2005 19:41:09 +0000 ******* PFOX is aware of the following resources for those struggling with unwanted same sex attraction, and for families and friends touched by the homosexuality of their loved one: ******* Regeneration Books (regenbooks@juno.com) sells ex-gay books and videos, including titles for those who desire to leave the homosexual lifestyle. These books and videos can help you understand the whys and hows of homosexual behavior, as well as offer hope on exiting the lifestyle. The catalog includes resource materials for the homosexual or lesbian struggler, as well as for family and friends of the struggler, and teens. Check out the books/videos directly at their website at www.regenbooks.org ******* Homosexuals Anonymous also sells ex-gay books and videos through their online book catalog at http://hawebpage.truepath.com/book/list/BookFrame.html ******* There is also the book "Coming Out Straight" by ex-gay psychotherapist and PFOX president, Richard Cohen (requests@gaytostraight.org). Radio host Dr. Laura wrote the foreword to this book, which details how to understand and heal homosexuality. It is available from International Healing Foundation at 301-805-6111 or on their website at http://www.gaytostraight.org Richard Cohen, a leading therapist in the field of sexual reorientation, also offers telephone counseling for strugglers, family and friends of strugglers. Details are available on his International Healing Foundation website at http://www.gaytostraight.org ******* Call NARTH (National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) at 818-789-4440 for the names of therapists in your area who specialize in reparative therapy. To learn more about NARTH, they have a website at http://www.narth.com ******* If you are seeking an ex-gay ministry in your area that helps strugglers out of the lifestyle, Exodus posts a list at http://www.exodus-international.org/ministry.shtml or call them at 407-599-6872 or email at info@exodus-international.org ******* Exodus also has a youth website at www.exodusyouth.net ******* Powerful Change Ministry Group (PC) is a national fellowship of 11 Christian African-American led ministries whose goal is to advocate change for same-sex strugglers among people of color. PC believes that the choice to change is a fundamental message of the Bible. PC members work diligently to raise awareness in the Black community on the need for holistic ministry to affected individuals as well as their families. In addition, PC members maintain websites, email correspondence, traveling awareness seminars, networking and training programs to accomplish goals. Contact: DL Foster, National Coordinator at 404-362-0505 or 404-326-1414 or www.witnessfortheworld.org/ministries.html ******* HOPE Ministries is a ministry for Christian men to resolve homosexuality by Bill Consiglio, LCSW, author of "Homosexual No More." Provides an Internet-based Mentoring Program for "Sexual Orientation Resolution Therapy," free short-term consultation by e-mail and a 40-day intensive follow-up program of mentoring and accountability for men overcoming compulsive and addictive homosexual behavior. H.O.P.E. Ministries teaches that "homosexuality is not about sex, it's all about the underlying emotional need for love, acceptance, belonging and inclusion with a person of the same gender. That's why there is healing and resolution." www.homosexresolve.netministries.org ******* Other ministries for strugglers that you can also contact include ### Homosexuals Anonymous at 610-921-0345 or http://members.aol.com/Hawebpage ### Courage for Catholics at 212-268-1010 or NYCourage@aol.com or http://www.courageRC.net, ### Evergreen for Mormons at 1-800-391-1000 or 801-363-3837 or info@evergreen-intl.org or http://www.evergreen-intl.org, ### Transforming Congregations for Methodists at 215-938-8770 or generalinfo@transformingcong.org or http://www.transformingcong.org, ### One By One for Presbyterians at 716-586-6180 or mail@oneby1.org or http://www.oneby1.org ### JONAH for Jews at 201-433-3444 or http://www.jonahweb.org (Note: JONAH also has a referral list of secular reparative therapists), and Exgay Links has an exhaustive list of ex-gay ministries and organizations at http://oocities.com/exgaylinks ******* List of Ministries for Transexuals: ### http://www.realityresources.com/ ### http://www.users.bigpond.com/megabyte_mcguire/home.htm ### http://www.parakaleo.co.uk/ ### http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0411/articles/mchugh.htm ******* Some ex-gay websites to check out: ### www.freetobeme.com ### www.becomingreal.com ### www.peoplecanchange.com ### www.anotherway.com ### www.pfox.org ### www.drthockmorton.com ### www.idoexist.net (for an ex-gay video) ******* If you are a parent, sibling, or friend of someone in the lifestyle, please call PFOX at 703-360-2225 to see if there is a local PFOX chapter in your area. PFOX chapters hold regular meetings and support each other as we together learn to love the struggler without approving of his or her homosexual lifestyle. ******* If you would like to start a PFOX chapter in your area, please send an email to pfox_exgays@hotmail.com and ask for a chapter application. ******* PFOX sponsors an e-mail discussion group at Yahoo Groups. It is comprised of parents and spouses of strugglers, and we also have strugglers on the list. We support each other daily via e-mail. You can just read the postings or join in the discussion at any time with your particular day to day hopes and struggles. If you would like to join, send a blank e-mail to: ex-gay-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ******* Please be sure to spell correctly this e-mail address in order to join. ******* PFOX will also host an 'understanding homosexuality' conference in your area for strugglers, family and friends of strugglers, educators and clergy members. PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs will discuss the meaning and causes of same sex attractions, the process of transitioning from gay to straight, reparenting techniques, how to love the struggler without approving of his or her homosexual lifestyle, and more. You or your church provide the meeting space for the conference. Many churches and families do not know how to respond to the divisive issue of homosexuality, so we encourage you to call PFOX at 703-360-2225 or send an email to pfox_exgays@hotmail.com to discuss planning a conference in your area. ******* PFOX maintains a speakers bureau for local events, schools, conferences and church engagements. Whether you are looking to address the origin of homosexuality, an encouraging testimony of overcoming homosexuality or a reliable source for a media interview, PFOX can help. Email pfox_exgays@hotmail.com for speaking and travel fees. ******* PFOX -- Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays ~ Supporting the right of homosexuals and lesbians to choose change ~ Box 561, Fort Belvoir VA 22060 Phone 703-360-2225 pfox_exgays@hotmail.com www.pfox.org ******* Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) is a non-profit organization supporting the ex-gay community and families affected by homosexuality. ******* P.S. This list is provided for information purposes only. If you find that any of the above phone numbers, e-mail addresses, or web sites don't work, please send us an email at pfox_exgays@hotmail.com so we can update our list of resources. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To subscribe to this list of ex-gay news and views, send a blank email to: Ex-Gays-subscribe@topica.com ************************************************************************************************************************

Links to other sites on the Web

(YF1b1) National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
(YF1b2) Courage
(YF1b3) Encourage
(YF1b4) Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays
(YF1b5) addressing GLBT issues
(YF1b6) (YF) home page

Who are your true friends: those who tell you what you want to hear or those who tell you what they really think? ***************************************************************** The following warning is a prophetic message given to me (Frank Wagner) in November of 1974. ******* LISTEN TO THE CRY OF THE ABORTED CHILDREN. THEIR CRY IS NO. THEIR CRY IS A CRY OF TERROR. HEED THEIR CRY. ******* This prophecy is now being fulfilled. ******* For details about the source, meaning and fulfillment of this prophetic message go to ******* http://www.oocities.org/abortedchildren/index.html ***************************************************************** Check out some of my other sites: ******* http://www.oocities.org/fwagner12/index.html (Vancouver Youth Alliance) ******* http://www.oocities.org/fwagner6/index.htm (Vancouver ex-gay alternatives club) ***************************************************************** email me (Frank Wagner) at friendsofexgays@yahoo.ca