from Christian Today
Hundreds of church leaders and thousands of ordinary Christians have signed an open letter to the new Equalities Minister, Olivia Bailey, to reconsider plans for a ban on “conversion therapy”.
Critics of proposed bans on “conversion therapy” have previously noted that existing laws already make abuse of any kind illegal.
Additional laws aimed at “conversion therapy” are, critics argue, simply designed to placate a fringe lobby and could end up being used to criminalise normal Christian behaviour.
The open letter is part of a campaign run by The Christian institute called “Let us Pray” and has been signed by nearly 1,000 church leaders and more than 3,000 lay believers.
The letter raises concerns that the new law against “conversion therapy”, which is currently being drafted by Bailey’s department, could penalise parents who refuse to affirm their children’s homosexuality or trans identity.
Standard Christian practices like praying for someone or counselling them could, they fear, also fall foul of the law.