The flawed logic of the ‘conversion therapy’ inquisition
by Paul Huxley, Christian Concern:
We’ve recently shared that Core Issues Trust is to have its bank accounts closed following a concerted campaign accusing the group of ‘conversion therapy’.
In reality, Core Issues Trust is a Christian ministry that helps people who want to move away from feelings and behaviours of same-sex attraction.
But it isn’t just banks that are clamping down on Core Issues Trust or similar groups. There are wider efforts to de-platform from social media sites all those who say that change is possible.
In early July, Instagram and its parent company Facebook announced plans to stop advertising and promotion of ‘conversion therapy’ on its platforms. It was around this time that Core Issues Trust started facing restrictions on their use of these sites. Other groups have faced similar pressure, with a campaign to ban the US-based Restored Hope Network from the sites.
There are very motivated, energetic – probably even well-meaning – campaigners attempting to put a stop to everything they call ‘conversion therapy’. They remind me of heresy hunters, an LGBT inquisition, certain that they’re right and determined to root out those they deem heretics.
They use the phrase ‘conversion therapy’ to conjure up a sinister picture of what groups like Core Issues Trust do – as if they are equivalent to villainous Cybermen from Doctor Who, forcibly converting innocent humans into death-dealing cyborgs.
But that’s not the only conjuring this LGBT inquisition is up to. Whether they know it or not, they’re like magicians: showing you what you’re supposed to see to distract you from how the trick really works.
Sleight-of-hand campaigning
Here’s how their trick works:
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