Shaun grew up in an Anglican household, and after suppressing homosexual feelings through high school, at 21, he was willing to try anything to be the heterosexual his family, church and Christian youth group wanted him to be.
When he confided in a minister that he was attracted to men, the minister did some research to see what help was available. He came across Liberty Christian Ministries Incorporated.
The three-month program cost $140, Shaun recalls, and was run by Keane, who had lived as an ''active homosexual'' for 15 years but was now happily, heterosexually married. After his successful conversion, Keane teamed up with his wife to run support groups for other Christians ''struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction''. Keane has since retired from Liberty Christian Ministries and written a book - Choices: One Person's Journey out of Homosexuality.
Shaun remembers being unconvinced by Keane, who, while presenting himself as a ''former homosexual'', admitted to the group that he still had sexual thoughts about men.
''To be honest I didn't think it was possible,'' Shaun says of the theory that a person could change his sexual orientation. ''But I wanted to live up to the expectations.''
At one stage during the course, Shaun was encouraged to ask a girl out on a date. He did so, not because he wanted to or thought it would work, but so he could report back in confession. On his first date, Shaun took the girl out for dinner and dropped her home. On their second date, Shaun arrived to pick her up and she invited him into her house. They sat on the couch and talked a while. As much as he tried, Shaun felt nothing. Then her brother walked in. ''I was more attracted to him than her,'' Shaun says. ''I felt a little bit guilty about that.''
Shaun completed two of Keane's courses - each lasted three months - and says that rather than curing him of his homosexuality, the sessions helped confirm it.
Shaun is now 35 and in a relationship with a man. It has been 14 years since he quit the ''reparative'' programs and embraced his sexuality. He was helped by a support group for gay Christians called Freedom2b. The group was founded by Anthony Venn-Brown, a former leader in the Assemblies of God who for 22 years tried to change his homosexuality through psychiatric treatment, exorcisms, ''ex-gay'' programs and 40-day fasts. Married for 16 years with two daughters, Venn-Brown eventually conceded he could not change his sexuality. He has spent the past decade helping Christians who have gone through ''ex-gay'' programs and been told they were sick, dysfunctional and abnormal.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/healing- ... z1rOQxbrfM
Reverse effects....
Reverse effects....
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”