If you ever want to take a look at the underbelly of the “ex-gay” myth, look no further than a fraudulent website hosted by the Peoples’ Church of Montreal. It seems that this “church” is catering to ignorant people they hope to fool with fake statistics and outdated research. Is it Godly to peddle lies? This is a question the Peoples’ Church of Montreal must ask itself.
For example, the group’s website has a section called, “A Biblical Response to Homosexuality Today.” Inexcusably, It lists the infamous Paul Cameron’s Family Research Institute as a key source. Are these so-called Christians comfortable with using the “research” of a man who was expelled from the American Psychological Association for lying about homosexuality? And, yes, it is lying, because information on Cameron is readily available:
In 1985, the American Sociological Association (ASA) adopted a resolution which asserted that “Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism” and noted that “Dr. Paul Cameron has repeatedly campaigned for the abrogation of the civil rights of lesbians and gay men, substantiating his call on the basis of his distorted interpretation of this research.”
In August, 1996, the Canadian Psychological Association adopted the position that “Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism and thus, it formally disassociates itself from the representation and interpretations of scientific literature in his writings and public statements on sexuality”.
Cameron’s credibility was also questioned outside of academia. In his written opinion in Baker v. Wade (1985), Judge Buchmeyer of the U.S. District Court of Dallas referred to “Cameron’s sworn statement that ‘homosexuals abuse children at a proportionately greater incident than do heterosexuals,'” and concluded that “Dr. Paul Cameron…has himself made misrepresentations to this Court” and that “There has been no fraud or misrepresentations except by Dr. Cameron”.
It gets worse. The group cites Masters & Johnson:
William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, write in their work Homosexuality in Perspective: “Providing therapeutic support for the homosexually oriented man or woman who wishes to convert or revert to heterosexuality has been an integral part of the practice of psychotherapy for decades.”
Interestingly, this “church” failed to inform readers that the Masters & Johnson research has been debunked — by Virginia Masters herself. Check out the video.
The mendacious ministry from Montreal then embarrasses itself by quoting the discredited National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). This is an outfit that began 2010 with the infamous George “Lift My Luggage” Rekers — the doctor who got caught with a Rent Boy — on its board. The group’s board also had criminal mastermind Arthur Abba Goldberg, who served time in prison after he was convicted as a Wall Street con artist. Both men resigned under pressure.
Well, I guess this is what passes for fundamentalist morality these days. It’s kind of sad.
