August 16, 2009:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim PASTOR

“Times Change . . .  Thank God!”

            Back in the 1970’s when I was an intern at the Chicago Institute of Pastoral Care as part of my doctoral studies, the “Bible” of the counseling profession was the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (D.S.M.) of the American Psychological Association.  The D.S.M. defined the various forms that mental and emotional illness could take, thus setting the boundaries and determining the treatment of these ailments.

            I believe I am correct in remembering that we used the D.S.M.  I.  Now we are up to D.S.M.  IV.  In that first D.S.M. homosexuality was defined as a perversion.  As the dictionary says, a perversion is a form of sexual activity that is considered abnormal or unacceptable.  Given that understanding, the task of counseling was to help those with such perverse understanding and behavior to become good, “normal” heterosexuals.

            By the way, I didn’t believe that then though many of my colleagues did.  I agreed with the great Sigmund Freud who felt that homosexuality arose from a neurological difference among people, no more to be corrected than, say, left-handedness.

            How times change!  Now the A.P.A. has declared that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments.  There is no evidence that so-called reparative therapies work.  Actually, there is some evidence that such therapies carried out by so-called Christian counselors actually induce depression and suicidal tendencies.  Instead, therapists should tell patients that if their religion and sexual orientation conflict, they should consider celibacy or switch church!  Good advice.

Love, 

Pastor Dave