ADDENDUM::Survivors Open Up About Trauma Of Gay Conversion Therapy (VIDEO)

After a recent federal report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration called for an end to conversion therapy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, survivors of the practice joined HuffPost Live last week to discuss their traumatic experiences.

Josh Sanders told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani about taking classes at Exodus International, a large purveyor of ex-gay therapy that was shut down in 2013. There, Sanders underwent reparative therapy, which the report from SAMHSA called dangerous and baseless.

"There are a lot of different extremes when it comes to this form of therapy as well. I've had friends that have experienced electrocution," Sanders said, who himself experienced a "gay exorcism."

"It's not like 'The Exorcist.' It's not like what you see on TV, but a very intense time of prayer, holy water, a dark room with candles," Sanders explained. "It's traumatic and so for me, I experienced religious trauma syndrome ... it's similar to PTSD, so there's triggers that I would have."

Survivors Open Up About Trauma Of Gay Conversion Therapy

Growing Up Fundie: The Painful Impact of Conservative Religion

When I expressed interest to them in sharing their stories, there was one common response from all of the subjects: every single one of them wanted to remain anonymous. Despite having left their religions, they remain fearful of judgment, of being found out, and of disappointing their families. So in each case, the names used are not their real names.
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Unfortunately, racism still permeates even in the most progressive cultures. According to Lifeway Research, Sunday morning is one of the most segregated times in America, with churches by and large existing without diversity. And even though I like to think of my particular fundamentalist religion as more advanced, the truth is that when my sister started dating a boy who was black, there was some hateful push back against it from members of our church and older relatives. Now that they’re married, the same people pretend there was never an issue.
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She ended up relocating several times during her childhood, so she attended churches of varying denominations, like Baptist and Assemblies of God. At the age of thirteen, she was accused by her youth pastor of witchcraft for causing a sixteen year-old boy to “sin.” But she still saw herself as a Christian. In fact, she decided, along with her high school boyfriend, to attend a Christian university and become missionaries together.

However, when she was exposed to the missionary curriculum and met actual missionaries, she felt repulsed by their arrogant, colonialist attitudes. The professors, former missionaries in some cases, were rude and judgmental about the same people they claimed to serve. She switched her major to anthropology. And at age nineteen, she stopped going to church.

Growing Up Fundie: The Painful Impact of Conservative Religion

Fear the Dark Art of Yoga! Why Conservative Christians Are Freaking Out After Yoga “Miracle” | Alternet

When conformity is required, as it is in Christianity, what are the results? To begin with, the sacrifice of truth inevitably follows. One can be committed to conformity or one can be committed to truth, but not both. The pursuit of truth requires the unrestricted use of one’s mind—the moral freedom to question, to examine evidence, to consider opposing viewpoints, to criticize, to accept as true only that which can be demonstrated—regardless of whether one’s conclusions conform to a particular creed. 

ATHEISM: The Case Against God, 184-5

Whether it be The Golden Compass, Harry Potter, yoga, and yoga yet again, or any myriad of non-traditional belief systems, the evangelical or fundamentalist crowd will be up in arms.  Whether the sole purpose is entertainment- as in the movies above - or exercise, the fundies will take all the "fun" out of said pursuit; hell I have had individuals confront my use of mediation and Tai Chi.

In the evangelical or fundie mind they believe that Christ, through the trinity, created and holds the world together. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). They reject the notion of the Tao or an invisible force called chi:  To the fundie mind, Tai Chi, even for physical purposes, is homage to a spiritual belief system at odds with God’s Word.

It is the same mind-set highlighted by Tarico:

When Mike took his first wobbly but unassisted steps, all involved were thrilled and thanked God for a miracle that to their minds was modeled on the ministry of Jesus. But not everyone in Mike and John’s Abundant Living Las Vegas congregation felt the same. When friends set up a GoFundMe page to help Mitch cover income lost during the time he was working with Mike, most parishioners refused to contribute. And when Abundant Living’s pastor blessed the therapy, members (and money) poured out of the church.

Many biblical literalists, and charismatic or Pentecostal Christians in particular, are deeply suspicious of yoga, which they see less as a healing or wellness practice and more as a seductive point of entry into the Hindu religion. Open, inquiring forms of Christianity may teach that “all truth is God’s truth,” or even that there are many paths to God, and even Evangelicals who take a narrower view of Christianity may see yoga as beneficial. But a more common posture among conservative biblical literalists is wariness and suspicion, or outright condemnation. One Christian website, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, quotes from Yoga Journal and then adds their own commentary:

“’Your body will most likely become much more flexible by doing yoga, and so will your mind [Yoga Journal].’ As one can see, Yoga is more than just a physical exercise. We as Christians do not want to make our mind more flexible. We do not want to leave our mind open to false teaching.”

This is the kind of fear-based Christianity that boycotted Harry Potter movies and seeks to keep fantasy books out of children’s libraries. That is because this worldview takes the idea of sorcery quite seriously. Human development consultant Marlene Winell who coined the term Religious Trauma Syndrome to describe the experience of many who have been wounded by authoritarian, fear-based forms of faith. Winell was raised by Pentecostal Assemblies of God missionaries, and lays out the Pentecostal worldview succinctly, along with psychological harms it can cause.

Fear the Dark Art of Yoga! Why Conservative Christians Are Freaking Out After Yoga “Miracle” | Alternet