Christian group faces backlash after featuring ‘brainwashed’ ex-lesbian in ‘disgusting’ viral video

Emily Thomes says she was engaged to a same-sex partner before she went to a Bible study class one evening — which eventually led to her renouncing her lesbian “lifestyle” altogether.

She is featured in a new video posted to Facebook by the Christian group Anchored North. In the video, Thomes explains why she stopped being a lesbian.

“I could not stop thinking, what if it is all true?” she remarks in the video. “Are you sure this is who you are?”

“People say to me all the time, ‘I was born this way.’ I say, ‘Okay, me too. You’re not born with right affections,” Thomes adds later in the video. “That’s why Jesus had to come. You feeling a desire for sin just proves you need grace like me.”

“It’s not gay to straight. It’s lost to saved.”

The video has racked up more than 1.3 million views on Facebook. But many of the top comments on the video are critical of its message.

“This little video is enough to push gay kids over the edge to suicide. If God changed her, why didn’t the prayers of my daughter count? So so wrong,” one Facebook user said. “I’m willing to bet good money that she is on the bisexual spectrum, or else she is really doing an injustice being in a relationship with that young man. Let me tell anyone who is gay and watching this video that God created you just exactly as you are.”

“This is Christians using a fear tactic to make this girl question everything and become brainwashed into their thinking and it sickens me to no end,” another user commented. “I had to break free from the toxicity of the church to be able to be who I am today. I’m not perfect but I know I’m a lot happier than I was before and I feel free. Being a Christian was living in fear and always feeling bound and a slave to a deity.”

“This is inhumane and brainwashing. Truly disgusting. Born gay, born a sinner? What in the world. No one should feel ashamed for who they are,” another wrote.

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/christian-group-faces-backlash-after-featuring-brainwashed-ex-lesbian-in-disgusting-viral-video/

Video on link

She went to a bible study voluntarily nobody forced her- she must have been searching - sometimes this can happen so I see no brainwashing here .

Praise the Lord she has accepted Jesus . This same thing happened to a woman in our church - she was married to her partner but came to church one Sunday and after around two months she accepted Jesus - nobody forced her she came to church out of her own free will .

Vicar of Dibley (vod) wrote:She went to a bible study voluntarily nobody forced her- she must have been searching - sometimes this can happen so I see no brainwashing here .

Praise the Lord she has accepted Jesus . This same thing happened to a woman in our church - she was married to her partner but came to church one Sunday and after around two months she accepted Jesus - nobody forced her she came to church out of her own free will .

Nobody claimed she was forced, but clearly plagued with countless insecurities. 
Of which religious play into those fears.

I am happy she has accepted Jesus, but where on earth at any point in his teachings. Did Jesus reject her for being gay?

Can you provide me that saying by Jesus, if we are going to talk about bible studies here Dibs?

If there is none. Is it not possible the personal views of that bible group, have swayed her thinking, using fear?

I never quoted any scripture about Jesus rejecting gay people - she obviously wanted to seek Jesus and when she accepted him her desire to be gay left her - it happens - sometimes it doesn't but it won't mean a gay person cannot get into heaven .

Vicar of Dibley (vod) wrote:I never quoted any scripture about Jesus rejecting gay people - she obviously wanted to seek Jesus and when she accepted him her desire to be gay left her - it happens - sometimes it doesn't but it won't mean a gay person cannot get into heaven .

So clearly, it was not any teachings by Jesus that swayed her here.
It clearly was the personal views of some Christians within this group.
So are then some religious people, not caring at all here. As they clearly used fear on her.
So I very much doubt she has lost any desire to be gay. She is either gay or bisexual and for people in this Bible group to clearly make her believe its wrong to have love. Shows they are very poor teachers and have learnt nothing from the love of Jesus.

Not really - a bible study usually starts with some worship and praying and that alone can make someone feel really loved and wanted .

I wasn't there obviously so can't really say - but I've not seen any scare mongering or anything like that to make new comers feel guilty or pressured - if she was pressured and it was forced then that's disgraceful and the proof will be in whether she goes back to her partner .

Vicar of Dibley (vod) wrote:Not really - a bible study usually starts with some worship and praying and that alone can make someone feel really loved and wanted .

I wasn't there obviously so can't really say - but I've not seen any scare mongering or anything like that to make new comers feel guilty or pressured - if she was pressured and it was forced then that's disgraceful and the proof will be in whether she goes back to her partner .

But they clearly preyed on her fears.
They placed their love and interests above her, based on their beliefs.
They did not care, how much further hurt they could cause here.
If they were being honest, they would have played on the love of Jesus and not the fear they used. To play on the frailty of this woman.

Now that is an aspect of Pauline Christianity, which most Christians follow today. They constantly end up then rejected the teachings of love, given by Jesus. They end up rendering Jesus secondary to the teachings of Paul.

Very interesting video actually

They gave her the facts they gave her it to ponder on which she did and she came to the decision herself - there is a holy fear of God and it is that holy fear that lets us choose - she didn't have to choose Jesus but she had experienced the love of God's family and once that happens its not easy to give away .

This amazing grace .

gelico wrote:Very interesting video actually

What are your thoughts about it gelico ?

Vicar of Dibley (vod) wrote:Not really - a bible study usually starts with some worship and praying and that alone can make someone feel really loved and wanted .

I wasn't there obviously so can't really say - but I've not seen any scare mongering or anything like that to make new comers feel guilty or pressured - if she was pressured and it was forced then that's disgraceful and the proof will be in whether she goes back to her partner .

well, that's the thing isnt it? no one knows what was actually said that ''opened her eyes''

she was confident and openly in a gay relationship at the time. she also said that she had argued the scriptures before so knew what she was talking about. it seemed that she only went to be polite and had no intention of going back ''I thought they would bring up my lifestyle and judge me and I could use that as a reason not to return''. yet the other women were apparantly talking about their own life experiences and she started questioning her own life from that.

She seems happy in the decision she made and good for her but it wasn't just about being gay. She also talked about drinking too much and ''a whole bunch of other stuff'', so it seemed she has changed her whole life.

I dont know whey there would be a backlash against the church for this, it was clearly her own reading, her own questioning and her own decision

btw, glad you got your christmas wish and happy 2018

The church may not have brainwashed her but it sure wasn't unbiased and it sure didn't accept her.

eddie wrote:The church may not have brainwashed her but it sure wasn't unbiased and it sure didn't accept her.

this particular church group/bible class accepted her obviously. she went back

gelico wrote:

eddie wrote:The church may not have brainwashed her but it sure wasn't unbiased and it sure didn't accept her.

this particular church group/bible class accepted her obviously.  she went back

They only accepted her because they think she's now straight.

Lurker wrote:

gelico wrote:

this particular church group/bible class accepted her obviously.  she went back

They only accepted her because they think she's now straight.

no, they accepted her right from the start which is why she went back

gelico wrote:

Lurker wrote:

They only accepted her because they think she's now straight.

no, they accepted her right from the start which is why she went back

How did they accept her from the very start, when they fundementally did not accept her as homosexual?
They played to her fears and insecurities. They then manipulated these insecurities and fears.
If they had of accepted her from the start. They never would have sought to change her.
That means they had from the beginning an ulterior motive. One that never once lookwed out for her happiness. As it was they who have now shaped that happiness to be following Jesus. Not through love, buit a fear. Hence her points on the bible. Denyin her any potential love relationship she could have. As this bible group, has now controlled her through fear.

If they had accepted her from the start, they would accept everything abvout her.

They never did.

Didge wrote:

gelico wrote:

no, they accepted her right from the start which is why she went back

How did they accept her from the very start, when they fundementally did not accept her as homosexual?
They played to her fears and insecurities. They then manipulated these insecurities and fears.
If they had of accepted her from the start. They never would have sought to change her.
That means they had from the beginning an ulterior motive. One that never once lookwed out for her happiness. As it was they who have now shaped that happiness to be following Jesus. Not through love, buit a fear. Hence her points on the bible. Denyin her any potential love relationship she could have. As this bible group, has now controlled her through fear.

If they had accepted her from the start, they would accept everything abvout her.

They never did.

not according to her own video

gelico wrote:

Didge wrote:


How did they accept her from the very start, when they fundementally did not accept her as homosexual?
They played to her fears and insecurities. They then manipulated these insecurities and fears.
If they had of accepted her from the start. They never would have sought to change her.
That means they had from the beginning an ulterior motive. One that never once lookwed out for her happiness. As it was they who have now shaped that happiness to be following Jesus. Not through love, buit a fear. Hence her points on the bible. Denyin her any potential love relationship she could have. As this bible group, has now controlled her through fear.

If they had accepted her from the start, they would accept everything abvout her.

They never did.

not according to her own video

The bases of your argument, is ignoring how emphatically the video shows she has been brainwashed?

So tell me. How and why could she come into a group, believeing rightly. That being gay is who she is.

That then not long after this, she now now believes its a sin?

What video did you watch?

The explain to me, how in anyway they really accepted her?

Didge wrote:

gelico wrote:


not according to her own video

The bases of your argument, is ignoring how emphatically the video shows she has been brainwashed?

So tell me. How and why could she come into a group, believeing rightly. That being gay is who she is.

That then not long after this, she now now believes its a sin?

What video did you watch?

The explain to me, how in anyway they really accepted her?

my post to dibs above explains

it's always possible of course that she was never actually gay in the first place

gelico wrote:

Didge wrote:


The bases of your argument, is ignoring how emphatically the video shows she has been brainwashed?

So tell me. How and why could she come into a group, believeing rightly. That being gay is who she is.

That then not long after this, she now now believes its a sin?

What video did you watch?

The explain to me, how in anyway they really accepted her?

my post to dibs above explains

1) You claim she was confident? Based on her claim, or the reality here of her being very insecure?
Explain how anyone that claims to be confident, is plagued by doubts and fears?

Lets just start with this one first point, which proves you are not looking at this objectivelly.

gelico wrote:

it's always possible of course that she was never actually gay in the first place

Possibly bisexual, and maybe talking with others made her realise she wasnt happy in her relationship...so ended it.
No amount of talking can change your sexuality though....she sounds confused to me.
How old is she?

Didge wrote:

gelico wrote:


my post to dibs above explains

1) You claim she was confident? Based on her claim, or the reality here of her being very insecure?
Explain how anyone that claims to be confident, is plagued by doubts and fears?

Lets just start with this one first point, which proves you are not looking at this objectivelly.

yes based on her claim, who else's claim should i base it on?

like i said she may well have never been gay anyway

who knows?

all i'm saying is that according to her she wasn't judged on her lifestyle at all when she turned up for this bible gig. the other women were talking about themselves and their own experiences in life (we dont know what they were) and she started reading the scriptures differently and questioning herself. she never at any time was judged or pressured by anyone else from what she's said

Syl wrote:

gelico wrote:

it's always possible of course that she was never actually gay in the first place

Possibly bisexual, and maybe talking with others made her realise she wasnt happy in her relationship...so ended it.
No amount of talking can change your sexuality though....she sounds confused to me.
How old is she?

I assume still in her early 20s, not sure

but she said she started dating the girl up the road when she was 15, got a hicky then told her dad it was from a girl which ''did not go down well at all''. it may have been a teenage rebellion type of thing, and that she was never fully gay

difficult to know from the little information that is there but like i said, it wasn't all about being gay. she mentioned that she used to drink too much and party and other stuff (whatever that was) so maybe there were underlying issues from early on that we dont know about. seems like she's transformed her whole life though and she seems happy so I'm just confused about any backlash

Syl wrote:

gelico wrote:

it's always possible of course that she was never actually gay in the first place

Possibly bisexual, and maybe talking with others made her realise she wasnt happy in her relationship...so ended it.
No amount of talking can change your sexuality though....she sounds confused to me.
How old is she?

The point is here Syl, is about understanding the motivations of the groupl.
They are called "Anchored North" who had previously paid Facebook, to promote cures for homosexuality

This is always the issued. Many do not look at the real motivations here. Which stem, from this group, constantly targeting homosexuals.

So, I agree, she is very confused and the only reason she was drawn to then. Is that she is a by-producrt of being born into an area. That will never ever accept her as homosexual. As seen, they brainwashed her to believe in fact it was a sin a wrong.

So this person, growing up in a culture with is very Christian and anti Gay. Is always going to have insecurities and a feeling of not being accepted. She sadly allowed some, who claimed to accept her (they never really did). To be used as a political and ideological propaganda weapon.

Which means they exploited her vunerablities.

gelico wrote:

Didge wrote:


1) You claim she was confident? Based on her claim, or the reality here of her being very insecure?
Explain how anyone that claims to be confident, is plagued by doubts and fears?

Lets just start with this one first point, which proves you are not looking at this objectivelly.

yes based on her claim, who else's claim should i base it on?

like i said she may well have never been gay anyway

who knows?

all i'm saying is that according to her she wasn't judged on her lifestyle at all when she turned up for this bible gig.  the other women were talking about themselves and their own experiences in life (we dont know what they were) and she started reading the scriptures differently and questioning herself.  she never at any time was judged or pressured by anyone else from what she's said

What a ridiculous point

She is either gay and bisexual or is not attracted to the same sex.

Is not something you can switch on and off. If you think you can, please go out and try and pull, sleep with another woman. It shows your mindset is so absurd. That you pander to the view, that homosexuality is a choice. As if people can switch on and off who they are physically attracted to.

She was judged and made to believe homosexual is wrong.

She clearly flet like an outsider, in a place that is cultural Conservative Christian

So I am sorry Gelico, as you keep avoiding the main point.

How and why would you she seek out Christians. Where that place where you live, has a Christian ethos. I as you claim, she was confident?

Didge wrote:

gelico wrote:


yes based on her claim, who else's claim should i base it on?

like i said she may well have never been gay anyway

who knows?

all i'm saying is that according to her she wasn't judged on her lifestyle at all when she turned up for this bible gig.  the other women were talking about themselves and their own experiences in life (we dont know what they were) and she started reading the scriptures differently and questioning herself.  she never at any time was judged or pressured by anyone else from what she's said

What a ridiculous point

She is either gay and bisexual or is not attracted to the same sex.

Is not something you can switch on and off. If you think you can, please go out and try and pull, sleep with another woman. It shows your mindset is so absurd. That you pander to the view, that homosexuality is a choice. As if people can switch on and off who they are physically attracted to.

I never suggested she was switching it on and off but she could well have been confused about her sexuality, after all, there's a lot of that about

She was judged and made to believe homosexual is wrong.

not by anyone in the group, according to her

She clearly flet like an outsider, in a place that is cultural Conservative Christian

that's your assumption

So I am sorry Gelico, as you keep avoiding the main point.

How and why would you she seek out Christians. Where that place where you live, has a Christian ethos. I as you claim, she was confident?

she didn't seek them out.

she got invited

she went with the attitude of it being probably the first and last visit she would make

she chose to go back

How could she be confused about her sexuality, within a very Christian conservative are, that she was brought up in?

Do you really need me to explain that to you?

Its on the same page, as children raised in Gaza, thinking its acceptable to stab and murder Jews. Thinking its righteous.

So you tell me Gelico. Why is it, a anti-homosexual group. Already known for posting videos claiming there is a cure for homosexuality. Made her feel welcome?

Was ikt because she was not accepted for being gay?

Your last point, on what you think she went into, is absurd.

Again, why would anyone gay and proud, seek out people who continually condemn them and do noand will not accept homosexuality?

Didge wrote:How could she be confused about her sexuality, within a very Christian conservative are, that she was brought up in?

Do you really need me to explain that to you?

Its on the same page, as children raised in Gaza, thinking its acceptable to stab and murder Jews. Thinking its righteous.

So you tell me Gelico. Why is it, a anti-homosexual group. Already known for posting videos claiming there is a cure for homosexuality. Made her feel welcome?

Was ikt because she was not accepted for being gay?

Your last point, on what you think she went into, is absurd.

Again, why would anyone gay and proud, seek out people who continually condemn them and do noand will not accept homosexuality?

how is it absurd?  it's her own testimony.

again, she did not seek them out.

she went there on the assumption it would be once and then never go back, she already said that

there was no judgement or condemnation

the women there spoke of their own experiences

she said, ''i never had any of that and it bugged me''

she chose to go back

gelico wrote:

Didge wrote:How could she be confused about her sexuality, within a very Christian conservative are, that she was brought up in?

Do you really need me to explain that to you?

Its on the same page, as children raised in Gaza, thinking its acceptable to stab and murder Jews. Thinking its righteous.

So you tell me Gelico. Why is it, a anti-homosexual group. Already known for posting videos claiming there is a cure for homosexuality. Made her feel welcome?

Was ikt because she was not accepted for being gay?

Your last point, on what you think she went into, is absurd.

Again, why would anyone gay and proud, seek out people who continually condemn them and do noand will not accept homosexuality?

how is it absurd?  it's her own testimony.

again, she did not seek them out.

she went there on the assumption it would be once and then never go back, she already said that

there was no judgement or condemnation

the women there spoke of their own experiences

she said, ''i never had any of that and it bugged me''

she chose to go back

1) So if I was to prensent a video, by a female follower of ISIS. That was formely gay. I should emphatically believe her. That she was welcomed and indoctrinated to believe. That now anyone gay, she be thrown off rooff tops?

2) You then claim, she did not seek them out?  A group known for targeting homosexuals?

3) She went there, because she felt like an outsider and this bible group, played empahtically off this. In order, that they would brainwash her to believe homosexuality as wrongl.

4) There experinces? Do this have homosexuals giving their side of the story througout the US? Or how you have easily been maniplulated here

5) Which brings me back to the one point you have evaded. Why did she seek them out?
Was it actually, them seeking her out?

you're boring me now

maybe you should go listen to it again


all i saw was what seemed to be a happy contented woman

if you think she's lying then so be it

gelico wrote:

you're boring me now

maybe you should go listen to it again


all i saw was what seemed to be a happy contented woman

if you think she's lying then so be it

So now you can mind read, based off a video. Created to be anti-homosexual.

You garnered all this, based on a religious propaganda video?

So what is there to listen to?

Why would someone homosexual, seek out a bible group, who does not accept them as homosexual?

Sadomasochism?