Evergreen International
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Evergreen International, Inc. was a
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
non-profit organization located in
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, the whose stated mission was to assist "people who want to diminish same-sex attractions and overcome homosexual behavior". It adhered to
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
and particularly
LDS LDS may refer to: Organizations * LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, US Religion * Latter Day Saint movement (LDS movement), a collection of independent church groups **The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest group within th ...
teaching and supported the doctrines of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church). The organization stated this task could be accomplished with the help of the Lord and, in some cases,
psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between t ...
counseling. Evergreen was founded in 1989 as a
grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...
organization by men who were seeking to deal with their homosexual feelings in ways congruent to the teachings of the LDS Church.


Teachings

Evergreen stated that by using the
atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ex ...
individuals could change, overcome, and transition away from the condition of homosexuality and homosexual sins, and they could diminish their attraction to those of the same sex. The organization also agreed with all teachings and policies of the LDS Church "without reservation or exception", but stated that it was not "affiliated with the Church". Evergreen also taught that "to be successful in diminishing erotic same-sex attractions and overcoming homosexual behavior, you must be willing to make a total commitment to the change process. It is our testimony that when you do all that you can and are willing to employ all the resources that are available to you, God's grace will make up the difference." They published a map outlining the major areas people may have to address to diminish their same-sex attraction and successfully overcome homosexual behavior. It included the following elements: *Read books on same-sex attraction, masculinity/femininity, addictions, and related subjects from LDS authors, Christian authors, and professionals. *Personal prayer. *Develop a personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ. *Develop one-on-one, nurturing relationships with family, close friends, and acquaintances. *Provide service to others, both inside and outside Evergreen. *Experience activities as a bridge to the real world (for example, ski trips with men/women who don't experience SSA)."


General Authority Addresses

General LDS church leaders spoke at nearly every Evergreen annual conference from 1996 to 2011. * 2000 – Elder Alexander B. Morrison of the First Quorum of the Seventy addressed members of Evergreen at their 10th annual conference which was held in the church's
Joseph Smith Memorial Building The Joseph Smith Memorial Building, originally called the Hotel Utah, is a social center located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. It is named in honor of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. I ...
and stated, "Avoid as the plague social interaction with persons who justify, encourage or engage in homosexual behavior. Stay away from places where those challenged by same-gender attraction congregate." * 2005 – At the 15th annual conference Elder
James O. Mason James Ostermann Mason (June 19, 1930 – October 9, 2019) was an American medical doctor and public health administrator. He was the United States Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) from 1989 to 1993 and the Acting Surgeon General of the Unit ...
of the Second Quorum of the Seventy directed, "Can individuals struggling with some same-gender attraction be cured? “With God, nothing should be impossible” (Luke 1:37) ... The right course of action remains the same: eliminate or diminish same-sex attraction." "Feelings of attraction toward someone of the same gender should be eliminated if possible or controlled." * 2007 – Church seventy Douglas Callister spoke at an Evergreen conference and urged listeners to battle their challenge of "same-gender inclinations" and thoughts through prayer, fasting, and taking the sacrament. * 2009 – Elder
Bruce C. Hafen Bruce Clark Hafen (born October 30, 1940, in St. George, Utah) is an American attorney, academic and religious leader. He has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1996. Early life Hafen ...
of the First Quorum of the Seventy gave an address at the 19th annual conference promising, "If you are faithful, on resurrection morning—and maybe even before then—you will rise with normal attractions for the opposite sex. Some of you may wonder if that doctrine is too good to be true. But Elder
Dallin H. Oaks Dallin Harris Oaks (born August 12, 1932) is an American religious leader and former jurist and academic who since 2018 has been the first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was ...
has said it MUST be true, because 'there is no fullness of joy in the next life without a family unit, including a husband and wife, and posterity.' And 'men (and women) are that they might have joy.'" * 2010 –
Keith B. McMullin Keith Brigham McMullin (born August 18, 1941) has been the CEO of Deseret Management Corporation since April 2012.Beebe, Paul"CEO Willes retires from LDS Church's Deseret Management" ''The Salt Lake Tribune'', Utah, 5 April 2012. Retrieved on 22 Fe ...
of the Presiding Bishopric addressed the 20th annual conference and counseled that "If someone seeking your help says to you, 'I am homosexual' or 'I am lesbian' or 'I am gay,' correct this miscasting. Heavenly Father does not speak of His children this way, and neither should we. It is simply not true. To speak this way sows seeds of doubt and deceit about who we are. It belittles, depreciates, and disparages the individual." He further teaches that the "such limitations" as same-gender attraction won't exist after death, though "in and of itself it is neither evil nor sinful".


Therapy

"Evergreen does not advocate any particular form of therapy" but did provide suggestions on how to choose a therapist and information on individual and group therapy. Evergreen stated that some people had lessened their same-sex attractions by using the following therapies: gender wholeness, reparative, reorientation, and re-education. The website referenced the works of
Joseph Nicolosi Joseph Nicolosi (January 24, 1947 – March 8, 2017) was an American clinical psychologist who advocated and practised "reparative therapy", a form of the pseudoscientific treatment of conversion therapy that he claimed could help people over ...
who says reparative therapy can help people "explore the source of their problem, develop nonerotic same-sex relationships that diminish the sexual attraction they feel toward men, become more secure in their gender identity, and enjoy heterosexual relationships." The therapy is based on the view that homosexual attractions develop because of incomplete gender-identity development and defensive detachment from other males. While some of these therapies offered to reduce same-sex attractions, Evergreen made clear that "therapy will likely not be a cure in the sense of erasing all homosexual feelings." Still, it would "strengthen masculine identification" for men. The LDS Church has stated that it does not have a position on "scientific questions" such as the cause of homosexuality. Evergreen followed this stance.


Association with NARTH

The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality'' (
NARTH The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), also known as the NARTH Institute, is a US organization that promotes conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice used in attempts to change the sexual orientation of pe ...
), also known as the NARTH Institute, is an organization that (since 2014) functions under the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity (ATCSI). It offers
conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
and other regimens that purport to change the
sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
of people with
same-sex attraction Same sex may refer to: * A phrase used in the discussion of sex or gender * Gonochorism, the state of having just one of at least two distinct sexes in any one individual organism * Homosexuality, the romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexu ...
. NARTH was founded in 1992 and has been described as "a multi-disciplinary professional and scientific organization dedicated to the service of persons who experience unwanted homosexual (same-sex) attractions (SSA)". The Evergreen website referenced the therapeutic methods of NARTH founder Joseph Nicolosi as "beneficial". Nicolosi worked with
A. Dean Byrd Albert Dean Byrd (1948 – 4 April 2012) was a former president of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), a research organization that advocates sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). He was a psychologist who ...
(an Evergreen Board member, Director of Clinical Training for
LDS Social Services Family Services (formerly LDS Family Services) is a private nonprofit corporation owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It offers members of the church and others marital and family counseling, addiction and drug ...
, and
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
professor) to author several papers on reparative therapy. Byrd also served as president of NARTH and also published an article in the LDS church's September 1999 Ensign. Additionally, David C. Pruden served as director of Evergreen and as an officer for NARTH. Likewise, Director of
Family Services Child and family services is a government or non-profit organisation designed to better the well being of individuals who come from unfortunate situations, ''environmental'' or ''biological''. People who seek or are sought after to participate in ...
Jerry Harris served in NARTH leadership.


Effectiveness

Participants in Evergreen programs claimed success in diminishing same-sex attractions and overcoming
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
behavior. As many as 40% of Evergreen members were in heterosexual marriages.
Warren Throckmorton Earl Warren Throckmorton (born 1957) is a professor of psychology at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He developed the Sexual Identity Therapy Framework and was a creator of the documentary ''I Do Exist'', about people who say the ...
reviewed ''Understanding the meaning of change for married Latter-Day Saint men with histories of homosexual activity'' by J. W. Robinson. Robinson interviewed seven heterosexually married men who had been through Evergreen and previously identified as gay. They believed that they had a spiritual transformation that changed their orientation. They also stated that they were no longer troubled by feeling different or rejected by heterosexual men, emotional attraction to men, sexual attraction to men, feeling bad about same-sex desires, social isolation, or compulsive sexual thoughts and behaviors. Robinson found that their change came from a new understanding that prior same-sex attractions did not require them to be gay.


Relations with the LDS Church

Although it functioned independently of any church, Evergreen was religiously based on the teachings of the LDS Church. The organization adhered to its teachings "without reservation or exception." Evergreen had LDS general authorities on its board of trustees and taught LDS Church principles to
Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
s and ecclesiastical leaders by coordinating with the Church as well as by hosting various events, such as firesides (informal evening gatherings of church members), workshops, and conferences. General LDS church leaders spoke at nearly every Evergreen annual meeting from 1996 to 2011.


Closure and transition to North Star

In January 2014, Evergreen International announced it would merge with
North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
.


See also

* Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons *
Criticism of Mormonism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''"the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the good or bad q ...
*
Ex-gay The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that encourage people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires and to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relat ...
* Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints *
Sexual orientation change efforts Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...


References

{{reflist, 2


External links


Latter-day Saint (LDS) Resources About Same-sex Attraction
by Century Publishing at CenturyPubl.com, which includes an archive of LDS general authority addresses given at Evergreen conferences. 1989 establishments in Utah 2014 disestablishments in Utah Charities based in Utah Conversion therapy organizations Defunct Latter Day Saint organizations LGBT and Mormonism Latter Day Saint movement in Utah Christian organizations established in 1989 Religious organizations disestablished in 2014