Posted on 06/19/2012 8:09:51 PM PDT by presidio9
A self-described homophobic Christian posed as a gay man for an entire year, even “coming out” to family and friends in the process, all to reform his beliefs.
“[I wanted] to see if there was any justification in the fear I had,” Timothy Kurek, of Nashville, told MSNBC.
Kurek, 26, who says his religious upbringing taught him that homosexuality was a sin, launched the experiment in January 2009 after a close female friend broke down in tears and admitted she was gay.
“She had just come out to her family and been brutally disowned,” Kurek said. “She had been excommunicated from her entire life and two words changed it all. Two simple words. I’m gay.”
His friend’s plight caused Kurek to question his faith, and so he began his journey as a fictitious homosexual, beginning by telling his family members he was gay.
“My family was very supportive initially,” he told MSNBC. “They treated me with the love and respect I expected. I don’t think they quite knew how to react to having a gay family member, but, you know, that was the religious barrier there that we are all kind of captive to.”
Kurek began to spend less time with his religious circles and hang out in Nashville’s “gayborhood,” mingling with the LGBT community at bars, coffee shops and bookstores.
All the while, he was writing a book about his experience, to be released in October. Kurek is currently running a campaign to raise money through pre-sales of the untitled book, at Indiegogo.com.
He told the Daily News the book will include details about how he interacted with the LGBT community, whether anyone could sense he was actually straight, and what his parents said when he admitted to them that he wasn't really gay, and that his "coming out" was only an experiment.
Kurek admits his less-than-authentic journey cannot match that of an honestly gay man.
“I will be the first one to say that my experience is severely limited,” he told MSNBC. “There is no way I could possibly understand what it’s like to be actually gay.
“And the book itself is not at all about what it is like to be gay, but only about how the label of gay impacted my external life and how those things kind of altered my faith and challenged my beliefs.”
We all have sinful thoughts. We are all jealous, we are all covetous and we are all naturally greedy AND horny. It is how one reacts to these feelings that makes a civil society.
The fact is that not every human desire, natural or otherwise, should be championed by society as a good. The same is true about homosexual activities. They are, BY FACT, disordered and dangerous. The are also NOT of use to society as a whole. That is why we don't desire to champion them with societal blessings.
You don’t have to be religious in order to realize that there is something a little strange with a guy who thinks he’s a woman.
I stand corrected.
no where in his article did he say that he actually engaged in homosexual behavior. a counterspy does not have to be involved in espionage
Actually homosexuality is a sin (being in that state is merely a symptom of greater sins (either done to the person or by them) in the end it is one of idolotry of self- See Roman’s Chapter 1-3.
Do I believe that a person can be not be tempted (even once) this way and be a Christian: sure (but that in no way would make the person homosexual because that perverted abnormal thought was be the exception, not the norm). If one identifies as “gay” then that merely shows outwardly of a heart problem.
Pray for them, pity them, but do not excuse this.
“This sound to me like, I was taught that stealing is a sin, then I hung out with a bunch of thieves and found out they’re human beings too”
I’m still a thievophobe and do not wish to be ‘cured’ of my phobia.
Absolutely True.
Don’t even hint that diversity and inclusion are not the two greatest commandments.
Excellent point
I probably won't read the book, but from what I know, one doesn't go to gay bars just to "mingle." There's only one reason that gays go to such places, and it will quickly be proven if you are really gay or not.
This is a very valid point. The first thing I though was: how the hell did he “fake” having sex with another man? [ Which presumably must have went on... ] After all he was “experimenting” with this lifestyle & if he did not have sex with another man - how did he reject their advances without exposing his alleged cover.
Proverbs 23:6-8: 6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
A friend in AA once gave me this line about why he didn’t hang out in bars: If you hang out at the barbershop long enough, sooner or later you’re gonna get a haircut.
It was a hard enough story to believe that someone would pretend to be gay, but once I saw his picture it remove all doubt.
There is no way that guy is anything but gay.
He told them he was on his period.
sure, sure. We can not control our thoughts, we can however control our actions. We all have temptations. It is our actions in response to those temptations that are important.
Homosexuality is defined as, "the quality or state of being homosexual" and, "erotic activity with another of the same sex".
Seems to me that God was speaking to the evil of being homosexual as well as engaging in activity of a sexual nature with a person of the same sex. I will defer to God as being the authority on this issue.
It is much the same as the idea of a sin of action and a sin of inaction. you can certainly sin in your thoghts, however the mere existence of a proclivity to sin is not a sin.
I have the proclivity, desire, TEMTATION, to have multiple sex partners. I chose not to act on that desire. I also chose to avoid situations that may lead to the completion or action of that desire (The near occasion of sin. To damn someone for a desire is unwarranted, unkind and unchristian.
This is the very teaching of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches on the subject of Homosexuality. The guiding authorities of over a billion people is good enough for me.
Homosexuals are to be chased in their lives. As all unmarried people are. They are to have full lives and rewarding lives. Yet, should avoid the sin of fornication, sodomy AND the near occasion of these desired sins.
We have to remember that the sin of Homosexual acts is different from the desire or TEMPTATION to engage in those acts.
THIS is factually incorrect. The 10th Commandment provides one piece of evidence against your claim:
10.You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Coveting is not an act, but a thought, a desire. Elsewhere in the Bible it is written that there are sins of thought:
Mark 7:20-23 ESV / 9 helpful votes And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Matthew 5:28 ESV / 9 helpful votes But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV / 7 helpful votes Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV / 3 helpful votes Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 13:1-7 ESV / 3 helpful votes Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ...
While you may wish to proffer an argument against me, the Word of God is unassailable.
He certainly looks the part.
#38 - Well stated.
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