Ruth Pollard; 19/3/08
When Mercy Ministries says it helps young women with “life-controlling issues”, it means in part that it aims to teach them not to be lesbians. In line with the Hillsong Church’s strict doctrines teaching that homosexuality is an affliction that can be cured, Mercy Ministries is keen to ensure there is no lesbianism under its roof. It issues “separation contracts” to young women who make friends with each other and prevents any form.
See: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/gods-cure-for-gays-lost-in-sin/2008/03/18/1205602385236.html
No mercy for transgressions
Ruth Pollard; 19/3/08
Fuether evidence has emerged that Mercy Ministries cuts off young women who fail to comply with its complex web of rules and regulations, as more former residents come forward to detail their time in the conservative Christian homes. One 21-year-old woman who lived in the ministry’s Sunshine Coast house said she was expelled from the program without any warning. The reason: “Because I was not trying hard enough, I was not far enough along in my journey and I had broken the forbidden rules of not talking about why I was there with the other residents. I had also hugged two girls over the seven months I had been in the program. You even think about challenging them and they will throw you out with no hope, no follow-up and no place to go.”
See: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/no-mercy-for-transgressions/2008/03/18/1205602385239.html
