Palin's Church Promotes Converting Gays

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

"You'll be encouraged by the power of God's love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality," according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.

Palin's conservative Christian views have energized that part of the GOP electorate, which was lukewarm to John McCain's candidacy before he named her as his vice presidential choice. She is staunchly anti-abortion, opposing exceptions for rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples.

Focus on the Family, a national Christian fundamentalist organization, is conducting the "Love Won Out" Conference in Anchorage, about 30 miles from Wasilla.

Palin, campaigning with McCain in the Midwest on Friday, has not publicly expressed a view on the so-called "pray away the gay" movement. Larry Kroon, senior pastor at Palin's church, was not available to discuss the matter Friday, said a church worker who declined to give her name.

Gay activists in Alaska said Palin has not worked actively against their interests, but early in her administration she supported a bill to overrule a court decision to block state benefits for gay partners of public employees. At the time, less than one-half of 1 percent of state employees had applied for the benefits, which were ordered by a 2005 ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court.

Palin reversed her position and vetoed the bill after the state attorney general said it was unconstitutional. But her reluctant support didn't win fans among Alaska's gay population, said Scott Turner, a gay activist in Anchorage.

"Less than 1 percent of state employees would even apply for benefits, so why make a big deal out of such a small number?" he said.

"I think gay Republicans are going to run away" if Palin supports efforts like the prayers to convert gays, said Wayne Besen, founder of the New York-based Truth Wins Out, a gay rights advocacy group. Besen called on Palin to publicly express her views now that she's a vice presidential nominee.

"People are looking at Sarah Palin as someone who might feasibly be in the White House," he said.

Comments

[jumpjumphalt]

the church that PREYS, um, prays... together, stays together!

[sillymongoose23]

i really don't like the MSM... i mean seriously.... barack and his pastor issue was like some huge big revelation and some kind of peeping hole into a black church for the white folks who were to afraid to visit. and now that little mrs moose and her paster have some issue, the media is just playing it off like some slip up. where the hank is the fair and unbias... where the goose are these bloody stores on fox, cnn, abc, msnbc... i mean. com'on!!!!

[Ashall]

Could it be gender bias? After all, it's still cool to bash a man. If a female is brought into the "final four" I'd say that anything goes, and that would have been the my opinion had Hillary won the democratic nomination. If a woman were brought into football or basketball, would they also make stricter rules about roughness or touching? If we're going to be equal we need to quit shouting "foul" all the time.

[wdw101]

what issue is there here? i think it is weird but funny and nothing damning

[Mahi Joe]

What a bunch of hypocrites these so called christians are. If they really thought they could just pray and solve a problem then why the hell are they wasting their prayers on something so lame as someone' s sexual orientation and instead, pray for an end to war? The real perverts are not the gays, it is those same religious zealots who distort the teachings of the Bible for political gain. Instead of praying for an end to war they pray to keep warmongers in office so they can continue to waste and destroy human life.

[smark]

Amen!!! Hypocrites abound amongst the Rep party!!!

[JenMI]

To be sequestered, hidden from the press and ONE debate does not qualify ANYONE to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

[JenMI]

If the McCain campaign has anything to say about it, Palin won't be expressing her VIEWS ON ANYTHING.

[jimdog1954]

She HAS no views. She's a talking-points BARF MACHINE.

[smark]

True--they know that she has absolutely NO KNOWLEDGE on the issues. The American people have a right to express our freedom of choice NOT to put her into a position for which she is absolutely NOT qualified!!!

[NYCMami]

If all the Reps. I think the cam paign found out to late just how grating Pa lin is. I know she is to me.

[comacoma]

Sarah Palin - a token on a leash.

[TullyMars]

Can we Pray Away Palin? It's worth a shot.

[damebee]

Has anything this woman has done right or correct? I wonder where in god's name is the audacity of these people to proclaim themselves as rightous! Rightous is educating our children to meet the challenges of the world rightous is teaching them the difference between right and wrong, rightous is telling them they should be prepared to accept their actions and never say the devil made me do it!

I have raised three children when my daughter was 17 I took her to my gynocologist and put her on the pill! Are these people crazy? I did it not to say she can be promiscious but to say she will be protected if things happen. She married at 24 and at 25 she has her first child! That's as it should be!

After she had her education and was able to enter the world as a an experienced thinking human being!

[drewtom]

Everyone needs to unrelenting on the press, and thier friends about these nutbags. We can't allow them to hide her away, attack the press and make this about sexist. The only sexist issue, is the Republican trying to pass this radical nutjob off as qualified. Any Hillary supporter or otherwise who supports this unqualified, Pollyanna; does not understand the issues. Sarah Palin is right wing of Hitler and represents the opposite position of Hillary on almost every issue. For the Republicans to use her a ploy to try and attrack former supporters, it demonstrate thier lack of respect for women, gays, and really anybody in the middle. Ms. Palin should only appeal to the radical Christians who believe you can pray away thier gayness, or that we are fighting Gods war (another Palin believe).

As if Bush has not made us hated enough around the world, now we have this nutcase embarassing us.

[Vurz]

It's always such a shame - every one of these "Pray to make you straight" programs I have ever heard of end up with one of the main movers and shakers being closeted until the moment that they are caught having sex with a male prostitute or something.

You'd think by now the congregations would catch on. It's just a ploy to bring gay people into the church so there is more of a selection to pick from.

[pascaljim]

Also to pick the pockets.....

[mouselion]

Maybe they can pray to turn water into oil.

[Whinger]

Changing genetic programming by praying!

Ignorance is bliss!

[patrickgarret]

Jesus WAS a community organizer and I'm pretty sure the bible says also calling anyone else BUT him the MESSIAH is pretty much a damn sin! Read your bible Christians! I know it's tough since it does contradict itself, oh about 20,000 times.

[patrickgarret]

Why does God hate Red States since they experience 70% of the entire WORLD's tornadoes and hurricanes?

[patrickgarret]

I love how they rip on liberals yet CONSUME our music, our arts, our American Idol, LOL, visit our international cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and NY. What would America be without liberals? Can you freakin' imagine! Uggghhhhh. PS - 75% of America's GDP resides in BLUE STATES. Maybe we are 2 nations.

[degenerate1991]

Most of those cities weren't very liberal until recently, unless you consider the old Democratic party machine as being liberal.

[patrickgarret]

I know these kind of people. Like the one's on CNN the other night watching Palin's speech. They broke out into great laughter when she made fun of "Community Organizers." I could have literally puked. They are such hypocrites. The most loving people I have ever met were in Japan where there is no GOD to make excuses for your moral failings.