A very sad family...

[Chris James]

Being an atheist I would have no issue balancing the needs of my family. But I am also gay so this situation is not likely to arise. What is terribly sad is that these parents made the wrong choice because of their religious beliefs:

http://news.yahoo.com/evangelicals-gay-children-challenging-church-203000318.html

I find it hard to understand the thought processes behind their decision. They took a perfectly good child and put him through hell because of their beliefs. They are suffering with the results of that now and probably will for the rest of their lives. But to choose an invisible deity over the life of their son is the product of religious brainwashing.

I don't feel sorry for them, it is their son who deserves my focus. Some lessons in life are learned too late and only tragedy serves up the means of teaching what was done wrong. I hope the message of this horror travels far and wide.

[Graeme]

I found that the article, while starting with tragedy, was overall showing a positive movement towards acceptance. I was greatly encouraged, especially with comments such as:

The collapse of support for "reparative therapy" is also a factor, Shopland said. In June of last year, Alan Chambers, the leader of Exodus International, a ministry that tried to help conflicted Christians repress same-sex attraction, apologized for the suffering the ministry caused and said the group would close down. At a conference on marriage and sexuality last month, a prominent Southern Baptist leader, the Rev. Al Mohler, said he was wrong to believe that same-sex attraction could be changed. Baldock, The Marin Foundation and the Gay Christian Network all say Christian parents have ben reaching out to them for help in notably higher numbers in the last couple of years.

and

Some evangelical leaders seem to recognize the need for a new approach. The head of the Southern Baptist public policy arm, the Rev. Russell Moore, addressed the issue on his blog and at the marriage conference last month, telling Christian parents they shouldn't shun their gay children. Mohler has said he expects some evangelical churches to eventually recognize same-sex relationships, but not in significant numbers.

It's only the first steps, but the signs are there that religous intolerance is starting to fade away. I see that as encouraging.

[Trab]

Religious intolerance will never fade away. It might be redirected onto some other victim group, but that's about it.