Wildrose candidate Allan Hunsperger claimed that gays and lesbians can change sexual orientation

by Charlie Smith on Apr 15, 2012 at 3:07 pm
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Pastor Allan Hunsperger wants gays and lesbians to repent.

See also

WTF of the day: Homophobic blogger Allan Hunsperger claims he's pro-equality

The leader of the Wildrose party in Alberta, Danielle Smith, isn't tossing aside a candidate who has claimed that gays and lesbians will burn in hell if they don't change their sexual preference.

Allan Hunsperger, a pastor and the Wildrose candidate in Edmonton–South West, declared on his church's blog last year that gays have the option of not living "the way they were born".

"You can live the way you were born, and if you die the way you were born, then you will suffer the rest of eternity in the lake of fire, hell, a place of eternal suffering," Hunsperger warned.

Hunsperger, who's the founder of Christian Heritage Schools, has also decried public schools as "godless", according to the Calgary Herald.

Smith's Wildrose party is in a tight race with the Progressive Conservatives, which are led by Premier Alison Redford. Alberta voters go to the polls on April 23.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

Comments (33) Add New Comment
DavidH
Apr 15, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Wildrose is the dorsal fin. Conservatism is the shark.

Canada is so screwed.
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RealityCheck
Apr 15, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Wait until the BC election when we'll hear all about the same views are held by most Conservative candidates.
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2nd Nation
Apr 15, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Wildrose Alliance had loonies? No surprise here; after all, this is the heart of Reform territory.
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Mark Fornataro
Apr 15, 2012 at 5:20 pm
I guess its time to bring back the Rhino party. They're starting to look pretty smart and credible next to this party of dinosaurs.
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Neil Marion
Apr 15, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I thought elected officials weren't supposed to have their own views, but adopt the views of their constituents. They are supposed to represent them.
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David L.
Apr 15, 2012 at 5:27 pm
This guy is obviously a "Nutbar" , the real trouble is he will be believed by quite a few Albertans and get some votes , hopefully not too many.
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James Smith
Apr 15, 2012 at 5:53 pm
I thought Politcs and Religion were not supposed to mix
Hunsperger talks lunatic Nonsense, with reference to " suffering the rest or eternity" Blah blah crap-- How would he know about that, did he die and then come back to Life? And even if Bad people did go to Hell, who is he to judge and say being Gay is bad? It is not.
You cannot change Sexual Orientation-- but I think I am wasting my time as people like Hunsberger have their ignorant minds firmly closed
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Adrian Kleinbergen
Apr 15, 2012 at 5:59 pm
He's no different than any other religious hack. It's all about power and money and control of the masses. Without the threats of a hellish afterlife, religion has no power at all. With careful and thorough indoctrination over generations, the control is self-perpetuating.
As a business model, it's a great operation.
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james green
Apr 15, 2012 at 6:15 pm
This man is clearly a moron. Give him a beer and he may become gay under his goofy thesis.
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DavidH
Apr 15, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Neil Marion wrote: "I thought elected officials weren't supposed to have their own views, but adopt the views of their constituents. They are supposed to represent them."

Sorry, but this is a good example of why our system is so completely screwed up.

No candidate or elected person is required to change their views to match yours. It's YOUR job to elect people whose views match yours. If you don't see the difference, then you shouldn't be allowed to vote.

Anybody who thinks that elected officials aren't "supposed to have their own views" is truly idiotic.
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ashamed albertan
Apr 15, 2012 at 6:29 pm
not all people in alberta are wildrose flakes and nuts. some of us are all about tolerance, universal health care, and respect.
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Rick in Richmond
Apr 15, 2012 at 7:42 pm
Here's the way to test Rev Hunsperger's claim that gays & lesbians can "change their orientation".

Ask him if he can change his.

No can do? Hmmmm...
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R2
Apr 15, 2012 at 10:20 pm
So Hell is a lake of fire?
Kindda like an eternal hottub party?
Hmmmm sounds kindda fun!
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Harmel Guram
Apr 15, 2012 at 10:57 pm
Hunsperger is just another fanatical freak harbouring beliefs that are dangerous to Canadian society. He might be in the minority, but enough people vote for him and his kind that it's quite scary.
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Coast Guarder
Apr 16, 2012 at 12:21 am
To state that sexual orientation is a choice is so ignorant it almost defies description. As the earlier commentor stated if that were the case then can this moron choose to change his? Additionally you have to ask why would someone choose to be homosexual? I can't imagine someone during the early stages of their sexual maturity (roughly age 11 -12) thinking to themselves "yeah, I want to be harrassed, and ostracized from my peer group. and getting beaten up for holding the hand of someone I'm dating sure sounds like fun." It makes absolutely no sense at all to think that during puberty when almost everyone feels awkward and worries about how they are being perceived that roughly 1 out of every 10 males would consciously decide to make their lives exponentially more difficult by choosing to deviate from the societal norm. In some societies (including our own not too ling ago), this "choice" would entail not only being ostracized but could result in imprisonment, physical violence or death. NO ONE in their right mind would choose to impose those sorts of potential outcomes on themselves, and yet homosexuality has existed for as long as humanity has. Whether it is genetic or due to developments inutero I don't know, but I can say with absolute certainty that sexual orientation is not a matter of choice any more than the colour of your eyes or hair. If there is a God and if he is anything like the loving merciful entity described by Jesus, then hateful narrow-minded bigots like Pastor Allan Hunsberger may be likely to find them selves roasting in a lake of fire for all eternity.
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Michael Langford
Apr 16, 2012 at 5:39 am
Harper hold the SAME beliefs. He is just smart enough since his reform days to not express his ideology publicly anymore. He also believes the world is 6000 years old. This is who runs the country folks.
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Mark Fornataro
Apr 16, 2012 at 6:43 am
Unfortunately, according to this link,the late Harry Rankin was rather unenlightened on this issue as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7c2kvefyYE
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James G
Apr 16, 2012 at 10:36 am
@ Mark Fornataro

It is not a fair comparison to look at what attitudes towards sexual orientation were in 1982 and now. Things have moved forward, sometimes with delightful speed and sometimes more slowly. Many people have now given the issue more considered thought. Many have more experiences upon which to draw -- more contact with openly gay persons, for example. Some others have simply adopted the shared values of a more accepting society.

In terms of Harry Rankin, I was one of those who had him on a pedestal in the 1970s. I never then missed a City Council meeting and clearly recall his reply to Marguerite Ford's hissing dismissal of him as "that AGING Alderman" by saying that she "didn't look that YOUNG tonight herself."

Then I met him ...

Since then I have understood how I must sometimes hold my nose when casting a ballot to achieve the best results for average citizens, for working people and for myself.
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Mark Fornataro
Apr 16, 2012 at 10:50 am
James G- I disagree. Harry did a lot of great things that I admired, but he was leading a party that called itself 'progressive'- but on this important issue of sexual orientation the label- for Harry- was clearly a misnomer.
But the youtube clip shows that many others in COPE- such as Jean Swanson, Libby Davies and Pat Wilson- were(are) indeed very progressive on this issue and are to be commended for getting in Harry's face on this issue. My point is that this is not necessarily a left vs. right issue. On balance, my favorite Vancouver civic party was then and still is COPE.
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violet9ish
Apr 16, 2012 at 3:02 pm
prove it - bang a dude!
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