A number of religious authorities have argued the possibilities of " praying away the gay," but now, a former Navy chaplain has come forward with claims that he was able to actually "exorcise" homosexuality out of individuals.
Appearing on "The David Pakman Show," former Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt engaged in a heated debate over so-called "reparative" or "ex-gay" therapy with Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out, a site which fights "anti-gay" religious extremism. At the start of the discussion, Klingenschmitt recalled the experience of working with a lesbian who came to him wanting to be "cured."
"When the Holy Spirit moved into her, and she gave permission, we were able to command the devil to depart from her, and there was an exorcism after which she received healing, and she began dating members of the opposite sex," Klingenschmitt, who cited the since-renounced 2001 study by Robert Spitzer as evidence, noted. "So there was complete repentance, complete healing and forgiveness of sin in Jesus Christ."
Besen, not surprisingly, wasn't having any of it, slamming Klingenschmitt's actions as "crackpot" and "quackery."
"What I think he's talking about is absurd," he added. "They're not healed, they're harmed...this isn't Christianity, this is some kind of cult-like, bizarre notion that has nothing to do with real religion, but has something to do with radicalism and extremism...it just breaks my heart to see people damaged in the name of religion through crackpot programs like this."
In an earlier appearance on Pakman's show, Klingenschmit previously claimed to have performed over 50 gay/lesbian exorcisms, and believes he has had a 50 percent success rate in "curing" gayness via these exorcisms. In a separate appearance, he also slammed Obama's controversial endorsement of same-sex marriage, noting, "People who side with homosexual sin will be judged by God for promoting that sin, including our own president, Barack Obama."
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