WHEN someone in the counselling game starts mouthing off crap that runs contrary to modern medical knowledge – especially with regard to sexuality – my immediate response is to ascertain whether their thoughts are tainted by religion. They invariably are.
Chaz Bono, right, with DWTS partner Lacey Schwimmer
But for the life of me I was unable to determine what particular strand of religious thought motivated the bullshit spouted by psychiatrist Keith Ablow regarding celebrity transsexual Chaz Bono.
All I could ascertain about Ablow, a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team, is that he is Jewish and is a good friend of controversial conservative US commentator Glenn Beck, a whose bullshittery knows no limits. Ablow has even co-authored a book with Mormon Beck entitled The Seven Wonders that Will Change Your Life.
At any rate, Ablow has caused outrage by urging parents not to allow their children to watch Chaz Bono, a woman who underwent surgery to become a man, on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars.
This is what he said:
The last thing vulnerable children and adolescents need, as they wrestle with the normal process of establishing their identities, is to watch a captive crowd in a studio audience applaud on cue for someone whose search for an identity culminated with the removal of her breasts, the injection of steroids and, perhaps one day soon, the fashioning of a make-shift phallus to replace her vagina.
And he claimed that he could have assisted Bono get over her sexual identity problems with:
Enormous compassion and love and God’s help.
Ablow added that he would even have:
Teamed up with a spiritual counsellor, if that seemed indicated.
David Scratchley
Now I don’t know about you, but my blood runs cold when the word’s “spiritual counsellor” are uttered.
They can be dangerous, as a 10-year-old Seattle boy recently discovered after coming into contact with Christian counsellor David Scratchley, 52.
Scratchley, Director of the Christian-based Matt Talbot New Hope Recovery Centre, is being held in custody in connection with allegations of the attempted rape of the boy, and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. He is scheduled to in court later today.
According to this report, police were called to Scratchley’s home last Thursday after a woman told officers he invited her over:
So they could both sexually assault a child.
Scratchley is frequently described, in various online bios of him, as a “child safety” expert, according to this report.
Hat tip: BarrieJohn and Will (Scratchley report).
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 7th, 2011 at 9:47 am
I mean this as respectfully, as I don’t think that you meant to be offensive, but Bono identifies as male, and should be referred to as a man (or, if it’s really relevant, as a transsexual man). Additionally, masculine pronouns should be used when referring to him.
The use of female pronouns in the original article is presumably used as a way of discrediting Bono’s identity and/or transsexualism in general, intended to assert that he’s “really” a woman and that his presentation to the world is inherently duplicitous. Very classy–though, I guess, you can’t expect much else from Faux News talking heads.
September 7th, 2011 at 9:47 am
I expect to see this oaf’s face here in about 6 months time, attached to an article about him screwing ladyboys…
September 7th, 2011 at 10:52 am
It’s not often you get the chance to say this, but I’m right behind Cher.
http://news.yahoo.com/mom-cher.....00586.html
September 7th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
God’s unconditional love strikes again.
If religious people don’t like what you do in your private time, they’ll ‘tolerance’ you right off the TV. This month they’ll try to influence network executives to remove you from television on basis of your sexual orientation. The next month, who knows?
September 7th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
I hope he stays on the show and wins. As for vulnerable children watching, maybe seeing someone like him, who has been through what they’re going through, and seeing him happy in himself, is just what they need, to help them find who they are and to accept who they are.
September 7th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Off topic, but some good news – MPs have overwhelmingly rejected Nadine Dorries’ bid to change the law on counselling for women considering an abortion.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14817816
September 7th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
I’ve come to the conclusion that religion is a choice, and that all the religious need is reparative treatments to relieve them of their obsessive need to remake everyone into themselves.
September 7th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
What Ablow means about helping Bono get over gender identity issues is that he would have pressured her to give up on ever being normal and accept that God wants her to be miserable.
September 7th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
This is the man who believes that painting a boy’s toenails will lead to “gender confusion”. No scientific evidence required, of course – he’s a psychiatrist!
http://youtu.be/EF0I3fB8qQg
September 7th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Exactly, barriejohn, but he’s full of contradictions, Keith Ablow, because if he’s worried about gender confusion, which he claims to be…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....48152.html
…then surely a transgender person, such as Chaz Bono i.e. someone who was born a woman but becomes a man, is overcoming gender confusion?
September 7th, 2011 at 8:23 pm
But “God” created Chaz as a female, Martin, and “God” doesn’t make mistakes, except in the case of hermaphrodites, of course, but they are the result of the workings of “sin” in his wonderful creation, which he cannot do anything about, even though he is omnipotent and omniscient and planned everything in advance. Still with me? I put this charlatan in the same category as the late Norman Vincent Peale – they are just quacks who make it up as they go along, but they do an awful lot of damage on the way. In the case of Ablow (there’s a joke there somewhere!) he is lending the unacceptable views of bigots a sort of pseudo-scientific validity, so that they feel justified in persecuting people who do not fit in with their idea of the way that things should be.
September 7th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
I work in mental health and I am sick to the back teeth of Nadine Dorries. She has succesfully managed to portray abortion advice as counselling, as this sounds more humane and neutral.
Counsellors and therapsists NEVER give advice in any way, shape or form. That a counsellor would tell you which to way to leap when you’re thinking about an abortion is beyond inconceivable (no pun intended). They would explore the experience of facing what may feel like an impossible dilemma and the impact this is having on a person (overhwelming fear, guilt, uncertainty, etc) – but lead them to the answer? Never. Not for anything, in any circumstances. Counsellors promote self-responsibility and autonomy. You want advice then go to an advice service.
Reputable highly trained advisers, often from nursing/medical backgrounds, would have been having their vital role pulled out from under them and given to religious bigots with an ugly agenda – under the cover of extending mental health provision (now doesn’t that sound nice?), all paid for by the taxpayer.
I feel so repulsed and enraged by this I can barely type.
September 7th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Anon: As with Ablow, the religious KNOW what is best for the rest of us!
September 7th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Their type of knowing is the ‘feel it in your bones’ type of knowing. A powerful gut reation is proof enough for them, rather then evidence of a powerful gut reaction.
By definition faith is irrational but religious people often like to draw on reason, or give the appearance of doing so, when it suits them.
What rank hypocrities. Religious people openly espouse irrational living whilst being ready to make use of the fruits of the Enlightenment. You don’t see them rejecting electric gadgets, cars or the internet but they’ll gladly use such inventions to denigrate the worldview which brought them into being.
September 7th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
The phrase, ‘Physician, heal thyself’* popped into my head. Okay, a psychiatrist isn’t technically a physician but it’s obvious Ablow has some serious issues he needs to get sorted out…
Edit: *I’ve just looked that up. I always assumed it was Shakespeare. Imagine my surprise when I found twas Biblical!
September 7th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
In most countries a psychiatrist most certainly is a physician – they study medicine then specialise afterwards.
September 7th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Anon: It’s all irrational, but people like Ablow unfortunately give their views a totally spurious credibility. I have referred before (and Billy Graham said as much in that video to which I linked the other day) to the many Christians who declare how keenly they anticipate leaving “this world” and “going to meet their saviour”, only to make use of all the medical help that they can to prolong their lives “artificially”. Also, when all else fails they turn to prayer and “cast themselves upon God”. If he’s so mighty, and prayer is such a wonderful thing, why not depend on that alone then?
September 7th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Anon
I whole-heartedly agree with everything you have, very eloquently, said.
Many of those who wear religion on their sleeves are indeed hypocrites. They can also be deceitful in the extreme. And Nadine Dorries is just that.
She claimed, disingenuously, that her motion was about ‘offering women more choice’. It was not. It was about granting those with an ulterior religious agenda access to vulnerable, emotionally fragile women. It was about imposing superstitious beliefs on others by intimidation and emotional blackmail.
Lying, it would seem, is perfectly acceptable if it is done in the name of religion.
Hypocrisy and deceit, all in one shameless bundle.
September 7th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
This article links to a great clip of Dorries being openly laughed at by her own boss:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/poli.....meron-quip
She didn’t like it and flounced out of the House of Commons in the middle of a session. Kind of hard to represent your constituents when you storm out the door because you aren’t taken as seriously as you think you should be.
September 8th, 2011 at 3:38 am
The stupidity that comes out of these religious idiots never ceases to amaze me. I still laugh when I think of my mother’s story about the old fool in a roman collar who, on a parish visit, had told her years ago that because she had not borne any more children after the eleventh baby that she should not move at all or stand up for at least 20 minutes after sex …..he actually blushed and stuttered as he said carnal knowledge….because the holy seed…..his words not mine……could seep out of her body and terminate a possible pregnancy. That’s when she started keeping a skipping rope under her bed. Not a fool my mother. She never became pregnant again and never returned to church neither. LOL
September 8th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Somebody has just posted this link on another site – hahahahahahaha!!!
http://gayhomophobe.com/
September 8th, 2011 at 11:54 am
It seems Madine is used to storming out of meetings if she doesn’t get her own way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
September 8th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Re Dorries
I heard a self righteous woman on the radio who was working for one of the ‘independent ‘ organisations that the witch is supporting. The interviewer read out something from the organisation’s training manual, it said abortion was ‘ a heinous sin’ or something like that. All she could say was ‘Oh that is out of date’…grim to think of a poor woman being subjected to that kind of crap. by law.
And she said that she thought Marie Stopes and BPAS etc wanted women to have more abortions as they made money out of it. I think they should consider suing her for slander.
September 8th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
I love Cher. Cher loves Chaz and supports Chaz. I trust Cher more than I trust the church. And I trust Cher more than I trust a fraud spouting church crap.
September 8th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Dorries has been pushing this profiteering angle whilst knowing full well that she is talking about not for profit organisations. Many of the public don’t know this and think she has them by the short and curlies.
They do not encourage abortions to get rich quick because they do not make profits. It is a matter of public record, anyone can see their accounts if they want to.
September 8th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
You’re right Anon. The “pro-lifers” have a history of using blatant lies as well as emotional blackmail to further their cause, but what else have we come to expect from those upright, moral Christians?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life.....nd-wanting
September 8th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Just been on Madine’s blog (somehow I suddenly feel soiled). I said in an earlier comment that I believe her to be hypocritical and deceitful, now I’ll add delusional to the list.
http://blog.dorries.org/id-195.....After.aspx
And if you needed any more evidence regarding her utter lack of respect for the truth, here’s Madine claiming that her politics aren’t guided by her religion. Oh no, they’re guided by her morals. Erm…and where exactly do her morals come from?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY9GLJZmHPQ
This woman needs exposing big time.
September 8th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
And how about this for a work of fiction?
http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/?p=1070
PS See what he is saying about his pathetic “witness” at the Cardiff Gay Mardi Gras. “God” sent miraculous rain in answer to prayer – wow!
September 8th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
From Dorries’ blog, linked by AgentCormac:
So, Marie Stopes ‘pledging’ to do what Marie Stopes were already doing is a victory? Gawd, but I’m glad I haven’t got the mind of a politician, especially one like Dorries.
September 8th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
This is priceless:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/n.....an-voters/
September 8th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
barriejohn
Maybe US Presidential hopeful, Rick Perry should give Birdshit a call and seek his invaluable advice regarding god-sent rain – seems despite his very personal relationship with gawd, and all the prayers he’s harnessed and sent gawd’s way, old Rick just can’t persuade his sky fairy to create any rain clouds over Texas. Can’t imagine why.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/ph.....of-prayer/
September 8th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
But God ALWAYS answers prayer, AgentCormac, even if the answer is “No”!
September 9th, 2011 at 12:08 am
barriejohn
Just so I’m clear, no answer whatsoever from the man upstairs means ‘no’?
September 9th, 2011 at 1:29 am
Religious nutters are so terribly obsessed with genitals and sex. It’s downright pathological. They really should seek counseling…from a qualified practitioner, not one of those “spiritual counselors”.
September 9th, 2011 at 2:27 am
BarrieJohn, raining on the gay parade reminds me of when I was young. It had rained here in Québec practically every day and on every week-end. The explanation we got from the parish priest was that there were so many sexual sins committed in Drive-in cinemas in cars that Cardinal Léger had asked God to send that rain to prevent this as the Drive-ins were then closed and thus no sins were committed. Simple, eh. You could not make it up!! LOL.
September 9th, 2011 at 2:29 am
BarrieJohn, raining on the gay parade reminds me of when I was young. It had rained here in Québec practically every day and on every week-end. The explanation we got from the parish priest was that there were so many sexual sins committed in Drive-in cinemas in cars that Cardinal Léger had asked God to send that rain to prevent this as the Drive-ins were then closed and thus no sins were committed. Simple, eh. You couldn’t make it up!! LOL.
September 9th, 2011 at 7:19 am
Normand: Ever seen Cinema Paradiso? If not, DON’T watch this clip, as it will spoil the best film ending ever for you. The gist of it is that the parish priest (in Italy) previewed all the latest films and made the projectionist cut out all the kissing scenes, but I’ll say no more!
http://youtu.be/wEFugVbzsSo
Wonderful Morricone soundtrack as well, and one of my favourite films.
September 9th, 2011 at 7:43 am
AgentCormac: You got it in one! Robert H Schuller answers all your questions here:
http://youtu.be/peh9M83UQsM
“He’s making it up as he goes along!”
September 9th, 2011 at 7:49 am
PS When the question was “Is my multi-million dollar ministry any goddam use?” the answer was also a resounding “No”, yet that was not found acceptable:
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/05/.....038;f=1016
(Also covered here some time ago, but I’m not posting another link or this comment will go for moderation!)
September 9th, 2011 at 9:02 am
I guess when the question is ‘Do you really exist, god?’ the answer is a resounding…..
silence
September 10th, 2011 at 12:55 am
I fucking love how Nadine Dorries has unwittingly titled her delusional witterings, “The Morning After” the day after Cameron outing her as a sexual being in public.
: D
Priceless! I really don’t think she is very self-aware. In much the way that Fred Phelps doesn’t know he is as bent as a nine pound note – yet still is. Dorries is all het up about controlling other people’s sex lives but the bitch is on heat. I can smell it from here.