Homophobic Christian pretends to be gay for a year, writes book about experiment - Polidicks

[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/63663010/facepunch/tim.jpg[/img] [quote]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.” [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/63663010/facepunch/image.jpg[/img] Kurek said he changed his lifestyle by hanging out at bars and coffee shops in Nashville's 'gayborhood.' 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.” [/quote] [url]http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/homophobic-christian-pretends-gay-a-year-writes-book-experiment-article-1.1096307#ixzz1y0fTyBSN[/url]

gayborhood

Reminds me of a story of a white guy who painted himself black to see what it was like. [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Like_Me[/URL]

What a sincere thing to do, that's one awesome way of tackling your phobia.

So if I read this article correctly, this "experiment" made him change his homophobic viewpoint?

[QUOTE=Character;36361100]gayborhood[/QUOTE] what's good in the neighborhood what's [i]fabulous[/i] in the gayborhood.

Sensationalist Title. This seems more like a way to face one's irrational fear.

[QUOTE=bull3tmagn3t;36361133]Reminds me of a story of a white guy who painted himself black to see what it was like. [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Like_Me[/URL][/QUOTE] i know what books im buying this month

What a fantastic human being.

So I wonder just how severely his beliefs were shaken.

Reminds me of the Unlikely Disciple about a not-so-religious man who goes to attend Liberty University (Strikingly conservative and the largest Christian university in the U.S.) I'm glad this man did this. Jesus taught to love everybody. Of course, in the eyes of Christians, Homosexuality is still a sin. So excommunicating a homosexual is wrong if you don't excommunicate everybody else in the church. Everybody has lied. Everybody has lusted. What Christians are REALLY called to do is love them as if nothing were different. You don't love a "Gay" person, you love a "person". (insert video of Morgan Freeman on Racism) We shouldn't label, but we all do. And that's what causes problems in our society and religion isn't free from it. So, at least from my viewpoint of my faith, everybody is equal, we should all love everybody equally regardless of what they do, like his family. They showed him the love he expected.

Something tells me that he may gradually start feeling that he likes men and come out for real, but I maybe wrong. Good read

[QUOTE=Strike 86;36361215]What a fantastic human being.[/QUOTE] What because he managed to question his unreasoned hatred for homosexuals?

when I saw the title I thought this was going to be extremely offensive

[QUOTE=Matt-;36361470]What because he managed to question his unreasoned hatred for homophobics?[/QUOTE] I think you messed up somewhere when you typed this.

[QUOTE=Mrs. Moon;36361291]Reminds me of the Unlikely Disciple about a not-so-religious man who goes to attend Liberty University (Strikingly conservative and the largest Christian university in the U.S.) I'm glad this man did this. Jesus taught to love everybody. Of course, in the eyes of Christians, Homosexuality is still a sin. So excommunicating a homosexual is wrong if you don't excommunicate everybody else in the church. Everybody has lied. Everybody has lusted. What Christians are REALLY called to do is love them as if nothing were different. You don't love a "Gay" person, you love a "person". (insert video of Morgan Freeman on Racism) We shouldn't label, but we all do. And that's what causes problems in our society and religion isn't free from it. So, at least from my viewpoint of my faith, everybody is equal, we should all love everybody equally regardless of what they do, like his family. They showed him the love he expected.[/QUOTE] I agree. I'm white and I live in one of the most racially diverse areas of my country (South Auckland, New Zealand). Before that I lived in one of the major Maori-central towns. Despite this (and despite my [B]deep[/B] dislike for racism), I still find myself sometimes making stereotypical judgements, not only about other races but also other 'types' of people, whether it's assuming that all these hard 'biker-gang' types are incapable of compassion or that a 'gangster'-looking teenager is just out looking for a fight. I think it's an inherent part of being human; the act of grouping people together and making sweeping assumptions. From a survival perspective it makes sense - 'all wolves are dick heads' is a very useful judgement to make when you're living in the forest and letting your guard down may result in being eaten. I don't think we'll ever get rid of it entirely. It's the expression of those judgemental thoughts that need to be tackled. Whether or not we allow those thoughts to hurt others.

[QUOTE=Matt-;36361470]What because he managed to question his unreasoned hatred for homophobics?[/QUOTE] Instead of acting like the rest and not question anything? Yes. Hopefully this will make more people do the same.

[QUOTE=Electrocuter;36361554]Instead of acting like the rest and not question anything? Yes. [/QUOTE] All American atheists must be fantastic human beings.

[QUOTE=Matt-;36361470]What because he managed to question his unreasoned hatred for homophobics?[/QUOTE] No because he questioned his unreasoned hatred for homosexuals because of how severely influenced he was by this belief growing up as a child in a bible pushing home. And you put homophobic, i hope you know that doesn't mean gay.

Oh jeeze, thought that said homosexuals.

[QUOTE=bull3tmagn3t;36361133]Reminds me of a story of a white guy who painted himself black to see what it was like. [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Like_Me[/URL][/QUOTE] I thought he took pills that sped up the tanning process and dyed his skin

[QUOTE=Matt-;36361470]What because he managed to question his unreasoned hatred for homosexuals?[/QUOTE] Not only questioning his beliefs, but going to such an extent to live in someone else's show is doing better than someone who was never homophobic in the first place.

Was probably gay anyways, found an excuse

hate the sin, not the sinner i don't know why more people don't follow this

[QUOTE=SickJits;36361959]hate the sin, not the sinner i don't know why more people don't follow this[/QUOTE] People love to hate.

So if i pretend to be a spider for a year...

Guys its up on indiegogo, why not go give it a look [url]http://www.indiegogo.com/timothykurek[/url]

[QUOTE=Maloof?;36361542]I agree. I'm white and I live in one of the most racially diverse areas of my country (South Auckland, New Zealand). Before that I lived in one of the major Maori-central towns. Despite this (and despite my [B]deep[/B] dislike for racism), I still find myself sometimes making stereotypical judgements, not only about other races but also other 'types' of people, whether it's assuming that all these hard 'biker-gang' types are incapable of compassion or that a 'gangster'-looking teenager is just out looking for a fight. I think it's an inherent part of being human; the act of grouping people together and making sweeping assumptions. From a survival perspective it makes sense - 'all wolves are dick heads' is a very useful judgement to make when you're living in the forest and letting your guard down may result in being eaten. I don't think we'll ever get rid of it entirely. It's the expression of those judgemental thoughts that need to be tackled. Whether or not we allow those thoughts to hurt others.[/QUOTE] south auckland I almost feel bad, hahaahha (north shore represent) If you aren't familiar with south auckland because you don't live in NZ, it was a time of a lot of crime back in the 70s or so. A lot of maoris and pacific islanders went there, and there was pretty much a lot of disorder. It's calmed down a bit but it still has a bad reputation.

That's actually a rather cool experiment; sure opened his mind it seems.

seems like an intelligent man