Evangelicals protest government plans as threat to freedom

Mar 19, 2021 by

The Church of England Newspaper reports: Church leaders have described plans to ban conversion therapy as a “direct threat to religious liberty”, after three LGBT advisors accused the government of dragging its feet over its promises to ban conversion therapy.

While the Prime Minister, Mr Johnson, has called conversion therapy ‘absolutely abhorrent’, the advisors claimed that government equalities minister, Liz Truss, and her junior ministers are not committed to LGBT equality.

This week the Evangelical Alliance wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson arguing that a ban on conversion therapy was a “a direct threat to religious liberty”

The letter, written by the UK Director of the Evangelical Alliance, Peter Lynas, identifies the definition of conversion therapy as a key problem, arguing that he government has “failed to provide a definition and others have offered a more expansive definition which would have damaging effects”.

The Lynas letter admitted that harmful practices had historically been linked to conversion therapy. He wrote: “We recognise the role the church has sadly played historically in perpetuating stigma, discrimination and harm towards people because of
their sexuality. We oppose abusive practices and the use of electro-shock treatment and corrective rape are clearly wrong and should be ended.“

Lynas speaks directly to some of the damage done by churches and the harmful practices that have historically been linked to conversion therapy. “We recognise the role the church has sadly played historically in perpetuating stigma, discrimination and harm towards people because of their sexuality.  We oppose abusive practices and the use of electro-shock treatment and corrective rape are clearly wrong and should be ended.“

Lynas argued that “an expansive definition of conversion therapy” could “place church leaders at risk of prosecution when they preach on biblical texts relating to marriage and sexuality.”
He added that it could mean that church leaders were at risk of arrest for encouraging young people to remain chaste until marriage.

Lynas is calling for “clarity on what is already currently prohibited and proper assessment to ensure there are no unintended consequences to any new legislation.”

Jayne Ozanne (pictured) told The Church of England Newspaper that the letter is “clear proof that there are those who wish to continue the practice of conversion therapy wish to do so with impunity, deaf to the cries of the multitude of people they have harmed.”

“The government has a clear choice – to side with the perpetrators of conversion therapy or to protect vulnerable victims who research shows are likely to suffer significant trauma and mental health problems with many being driven to contemplate taking their own lives, she said.

“Freedom of religious belief is only a freedom up until the point that it does no harm.  There are many evangelicals who take a different view to that set out by the Evangelical Alliance regarding the need to embrace and celebrate LGBTQIA people, rather than condemn them to a life of misery and pain.” She added

Read Church of England Newspaper report here

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