A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Mr. Arthur Goldberg, the Co-Director of JONAH INTERNATIONAL - Institute of Gender Affirmation. JONAH, -- Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, is a non-profit international organization dedicated to educating the world-wide Jewish community about the social, cultural and emotional factors which lead to same-sex attractions. JONAH works with those struggling with unwanted same-sex sexual attractions (SSA) and with families whose loved ones are involved in homosexuality.
Our Jewish brothers' Rabbinical sages explain that because mankind has been endowed by our Creator with a free will, everyone has the capacity to change. Furthermore, the Rabbis emphasize that parents, teachers and counselors have a special responsibility to educate, nurture, and provide an opportunity for those struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions to journey out of homosexuality. As Catholics who accept the teaching of the Church we believe this as well. I know people personally who have come out of the sin of sodomy to live holy and productive lives. We only have to look at the Courage Apostolate to know of the good work that is done and the success that people can have in living as children of Our Creator.
Through psychological and spiritual counseling, peer support, and self-empowerment, JONAH seeks to reunify families, to heal the wounds surrounding homosexuality, and to provide hope.
Mr. Goldberg has reached out to seek the support of the readers of this blog. I have reprinted below his letter. Friends, we are in this together. The fight for the truth is not easy and it is not going to go away. We have seen the persecution of little people such as pizza makers and florists. JONAH INTERNATIONAL and Mr. Goldberg are also on this list and are in need of our prayers and financial support.
I imagine that there was at time when the Southern Poverty Law Centre did good and worthy work; if they ever did, that time has long since past.
Dear Readers of Vox Cantoris,
I am being defended in a
"first of its kind" lawsuit by a superb Catholic oriented pro-bono
law firm, Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (www.consciencedefense.org)
(FCDF). They have spent nearly $3 million (American) to date to defend us.
However, as the date for the trial is quickly arising (June 2) and an immense
amount of pre-trial work is now needed, FCDF must raise some additional funds.
Thank the Lord, a benefactor based in the mid-west has offered a $100,000
matching grant to them. In other words, FCDF must raise $100,000 in order to
receive the extra $100,000. This will be a major breakthrough in reaching their
goal of $300,000. With this matching
grant, a gift today of $100 becomes $200, a $1,000 gift becomes $2,000, a
$10,000 gift is doubled to $20,000, and so on.
I therefore wondered if you would be willing to post on your blog
information about FCDF (who have successfully defended a number of cases
attacking Christians on a pro bono basis.) I am hoping that your readers may
decide to help a co-religionist whose commitment to Catholic principles is
without question. FYI, FCDF has scheduled a 54-day Miraculous Novena starting
on April 9 to pray for their successful defense of us and for the protection of
religious freedom. Please allow me to
set forth below a bit more about the specifics.
JONAH, the organization I co-direct,
(www.jonahweb.org) and I (individually) have both been sued by the radical
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for "consumer fraud" for simply
providing resources for men and women with unwanted same-sex attractions to
find appropriate assistance to lead a life consistent with G-d's
commandments. The purpose of the
plaintiffs in the litigation is to create a chilling effect on people and
organizations that stand for the position that change is possible, a position
that is directly commanded by the Bible. (See my book: Light in the Closet:
Torah, Homosexuality, and the Power to Change.)
JONAH only works with people who express dissatisfaction with their
homosexual ideation (or other sexually based issues such as pornography or sex
addiction), helps them assess and overcome deep issues, and does not seek to
coerce anyone into changing their sexual orientation. We support the right of
client self-determination. Because the intent of this lawsuit is to totally
deny individuals the freedom to seek help for their own unwanted same-sex
attractions and directly affects freedom of religion, a fabulous law firm
specializing in freedom of religion cases, Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund,
agreed to defend us pro-bono. (See, www.consciencedefense.org.) The case has dragged on for nearly two years
and, in the process, our pro-bono attorneys have spent approximately $3 million
of their own funds defending us. The trial is scheduled to begin in early June
and while the attorneys are beginning the intense pre-trial work to defend us,
they have exhausted much of their own financial resources and now find
themselves in a major economic bind. Thank G-d, they recently received an offer
from a benefactor in the mid-western United States to provide a matching grant
of up to $100,000 and I as their client wish to assist them in finding the
necessary matching funds. I am hoping that you can publicize their need on your
blog how every dollar contributed will provide the resources for us to be
properly defended in court.
Charles LiMandri, the CEO and President of FCDF
has been standing up to bullies such as the SPLC for over 12 years – defending
an individual's right to matters of conscience and not forcing someone to
violate the laws G-d handed down to us to follow. Chuck believes we have a very
good chance of winning the case by convincing the jury that we did not commit
fraud while trying to help men overcome same-sex attraction, a choice made
freely by those who come to us. But we
need help to do so.
In order to complete the tasks at hand with the
case, FCDF actually needs to raise a minimum of $300,000 but a major start is
raising $100,000 so that they can receive the second $100,000 pledged under the
matching grant. I am reaching out to you to publicize their work in defending
our precious constitutional and religious rights. This first-of-its-kind case
is the tip of a very large and dangerous spear aimed at the heart of religious
minded people in America. The SPLC has made it clear that its $340 million war
chest will be used for lawsuits to bankrupt traditional Jews, Christians, and
other believers as though we were violent haters and racists. In addition to a
war chest of multiple millions, the SPLC has 15 activist lawyers on this case
ready to make life a living hell for anyone who dares to resist their efforts
to shut down help for homosexual people seeking to live a life as envisioned by
the Holy Bible. They aren’t concerned about the cost; they’re assuming that
none of us will care enough to pay the price of defending freedom.
Mr. LiMandri has stated that "JONAH is
perhaps the most critical religious liberty case of our time. It has the potential
to set a chain of events in motion that will severely hamper ministries that
help men and women with unwanted same-sex attraction."
The opposition has no intent to stop these
attacks on our Constitutional and religious rights until they completely
exterminate our religious freedom. They will not tolerate any of our faith
beliefs, and they have a $340 million fund available in their attempts to
silence us! The Southern Poverty Law
Center wants to silence us. We need
to stop them and need to find additional
finances to continue the fight.
If your readers wish to provide secure online
donations directly to FCDF, they can do so by going to their website, www.consciencedefense.org. Alternatively, checks may be sent to the FCDF
address at P.O. Box 9520, Rancho Sante Fe, CA,
92067.
Most sincerely,
Arthur Goldberg, co-director
JONAH
