There are new details into church shooter Matthew Murray’s murderous motivation. Richard Rothstein passes on word that Murray’s sexuality may have led to a split between him and his Christian community:
[Fox News] is now reporting that Matthew Murray, the deeply troubled young man who shot and killed himself and members of Ted Haggard’s New Life Church and the church’s Youth With A Mission program was gay.
In fact, he may be a victim of the church’s ex-gay reparative therapy program. Having failed to find heterosexuality through Jesus it appears that Murray was booted out of the youth program and out of the church.
…
[Murray] wrote, “People like us are going to go to hell, according to Christians.” He lists several reasons why. Reason number seven is bluntly stated, “I’m bisexual.” In other postings, Murray wrote, “… I can never get a female date. I am at least able to get some male action.”And later, he wrote about confronting his mother about his bisexuality.
Murray wrote that he told her, “Using drugs, alcohol and having gay sex, I’m just trying to do what any Christian pastor would do. At least I’m not doing meth like Ted Haggard.”
Rothstein worries whether this will increase the right wing’s anti-gay ways, but hopes it will open people’s eyes to the dangers of restrictive religion. We’re praying for the latter…
Woof
Let me guess, Mike Jones is going to come forward an say that they had sexual encounters?
chandler in lasvegas
What a shocker. When you take a healthy gay man and fill him with Christian self loathing don’t gasp when he turns on The Power of Your Vengeful Lord.
And fuck his mother for making it all happen.
Dawster
wait! (1) this is FOX “homos are destroying the world” NEWS. and (2) what happened to all those claims that he was psychotic, hearing voices, bipolar, etc. etc. etc.?
the GAY issue… THAT’S what did him in. thanks FOX.
Dawster
plus, it’s a good thing he wasn’t doing meth… THAT would have been DISASTROUS.
Peter
If this is true then perhaps the victims of this massacre – who all belonged to a ‘megachurch’ which preached hate against gays – have got their just desserts. If you raise someone to be a monster, you can’t complain when they actually turn out to BE a monster.
ProfessorVP
Sure, maybe reparative therapy pushed him over the edge. Let’s just say driving this guy crazy was a short trip. Let’s also say what most people who’ve been around the block know- ain’t no such animal as a compassionate conservative, a war on terror, or a male bisexual.
hisurfer
Sucking cock just to piss of your mother does not make you gay.
kamasutrajones
His mother was on GMA this morning and she’s a real holy roller. So, if indeed the kid had bisexual or gay tendencies, and expressed them to her, I’m not surprised he was filled with self-loathing. She seemed so cracked out on Jesus that I don’t think she ever blinked during the interview. That said, I have no problem with people believing in the Lord or whatever they wish, it’s when they force it down someone else’s throat that I take issue. And yeah, the kid was messed up from his parent’s early divorce and subsequent relationships. He was also an outcast in school. But, no matter what, taking a gun to 8 other people because of any of that is completely criminal. And sad, for all involved.
Lone Ranger and Tonto
Most teens who are self-loathing gay or bisexual have high stats for suicide. Love and hate are both sides of the same emotion. This was eye for an eye “justice” against those who spiritually abused him.
WWH
Poor kid.
todd
More suicidal ex-gays should take out a few homophobes with them on their way out the door of life! If you shoot up a mega-church, you’re not exactly killing your friends and family – just haters and strangers. No personal investment there.
Heather_L_James
Open the eyes of the anti-gay right wing? You are joking, right? Have we already forgotten that these are the people that blamed us and the Jews for 9/11? This is going to be spun as Satan got his claws into the kid through homosexual sex and it was all down hill from there. The bottom line is you can’t reason with the irrational.
Ken
kamasutrajones, that was a different shooter’s mom on GMA: Robert Hawkins, who gunned down people in an Omaha mall.
She certainly mentioned her “holy father” a few times, but I don’t know that I’d call her a holy roller based on that. She did come off as a little strange–perhaps understandably medicated?
dr.resol
I really enjoyed the blog, but I’m left a little puzzled by it. I wasn’t able to find an article on Foxnews.com that reported this information. I was able to find a compilation of Mr. Murray’s online postings and rants, though, and took the time to read through them all. Very fascinating; he really was a very disturbed young man and yet I found myself pitying him none the less (I was also raised in a very religious home). What I didn’t find much of, though, was mentions of sexuality. Out of pages of postings, he only mentioned it in passing a handful of times. There was also no mention of him going to ex-gay therapy or even being in a great deal of internal conflict over his sexuality. It was almost exclusively dealing with his grappling and trying to come to terms with religion and his family. Anyone have any links where more info on this is available to back up the claims of the blog?
cjc
Dr. Resol, Queerty links to:
http://rjr10036.typepad.com/proceed_at_your_own_risk/2007/12/hell-hath-no-fu.html
as the source. There is no article posted on the Web: instead, it’s YouTube clips from Fox News broadcasts.
dr.resol
Thanks, cjc.
Nelson
Dr. Resol,
http://www.myfoxcolorado.com
Bill Perdue
As Malcolm X said on another occasion, it’s the chickens coming home to roost.
dr.resol
Thanks, Nelson. Oh my lord…I have never read an article that compromises journalistic integrity to that degree! It’s practically fiction. And how did Mike Jones get in on this? He’s popping up everywhere now. But the article clearly cherry-picked quotes and presented them out of context from the rest of the young man’s (many) rants.
todd
I felt bad for the Columbine Killers after seeing the nitwitts that went to Columbine High School and their uber-religious families every night on the news!
alan brickman
so gay cures don’t work..big surprise..
kel777
err, most people who are conflicted about their sexuality aren’t very open about it – if you’re ashamed of it, how would you talk about it? And yes, these holy rollers driver their gay kids absolutely nuts, but the damage was most likely done long before the shooting, long before he ever said anything about it to anyone.
Bitch Republic
Matthew Murray was baptized into the Mormon church last year.
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695235839,00.html
K. Godfrey Easter
My heart certainly goes out to all the families affected by this horrific tragedy, but it also goes out to the collective Body of Christ, as well.
Because the Church lacks a Godly Understanding of Same-Gender-Attraction we address homosexuality from a foundation of fear as opposed to our faith in GOD. Hence, we wound and maime others who wound and maime others.
“As blind as gay-Christians are Christian legalists through and through.
They refuse themselves to enter in and they prevent others from entering, too.”
Proverbs 4:7 – The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation).
Be blessed,
– Godfrey