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No organization of man can save men from their sin.

As a man who has struggled with homosexuality in my own life, I have spent a good deal of time both dealing with my own struggle and observing others who are dealing with this issue, especially men who also seek to overcome homosexuality. They are my brothers.

My observation is that faith can be an extremely strong motivator and can help a man stick with his struggle when the going gets tough. However, I have also observed that faith alone doesn't do it.

If a man doesn't do the hard psychological work of looking within his own soul, understanding what led to his homosexuality, how his actions and beliefs are reinforcing homosexuality and learning when he can do to change the patterns of thought and behavior, he won't get very far in recovery. I have seen men pray and pray and pray for God to free them of homosexuality, but without doing the hard work of developing insight and acting upon that insight, they don't get very far. They get frustrated and end up saying that homosexuality is "genetic" and can't be changed. Some end up joining "churches," like the Metropolitan Community Church, whose doctrine is that homosexuality is NOT A SIN! A few become the most hardened, cynical "Gay" advocates, I guess, because God didn't give them what they wanted.

In the article at the beginning of this thread, Darryl Foster says that even after his faith experience, change didn't happen overnight. He had to "reorient" himself. He demonstrates some insight into the factors that led to his homosexuality (poor relationship with father, isolation, molestation in childhood).

I am a great believer in the power of faith. But it is a mistake to tell people that faith alone will get them out of homosexuality. If all a man does is pray, he will end up frustrated, and may go back to the homosexual lifestyle. There is great DANGER in telling men faith alone can do it.

My belief is that got gave us MINDS and we should use them. The power of the human mind is unfathomable. We need God's word to guide us into what is the GOOD. However, we also need to use advances achieved by psychology and science to help men out of homosexuality. Science, psychology, insight must all be harnessed to work for the good, in this case freedom from homosexuality for men who seek it. One of the greatest tragedies of our time is the scientific and psychological community has abandoned men who struggle homosexuality, telling them that homosexuality is O.K. Science without faith quickly becomes just another evil.

These insights are not from a book. They are the story of my life. I would like to know what you think of them.