I have to thank my Dad for this one. He notes that those liberal fascistic trolls, the SLPC, are going after JONAH. I am always suspicious of lawyers who invent new grounds for oppression. At this point I need to note that there has been legislation through basically every psychological and psychiatric society banning any attempt to change sexuality even if it is requested by the patient or client. The argument of the SLPC is circular: the act has been banned by political (not scientific) process — I know of no studies looking at what I would call “hard” outcomes such as death rates or softer outcomes such as quality of life scores looking at these therapies versus doing nothing — but there are those who want to cleave to the law of God and have attraction to the same sex.
These men are among the most bleakly courageous: the organizations that try to help them are lay and church based, and my Dad jokes that there will soon be a roster for their time in jail for hate speech.
The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit today accusing a New Jersey organization of consumer fraud for offering conversion therapy services – a dangerous and discredited practice that claims to convert people from gay to straight.
The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, charges that Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH), its founder, Arthur Goldberg, and counselor Alan Downing violated New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act by providing conversion therapy claiming to cure clients of being gay.
Now, the idea of using consumer law legislation is ingenious, and from the pit. Will it be that praying for repentance will be seen as oppressive — or indeed preaching what Christ himself said “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near”. repentance, at least in this writer’s experience, is neither easy or joyful. It is hard, difficult and a daily chore. Each day I have to turn from the sins that tempt be and choose righteousness. Every day.
But, if we look at the passage from the lectionary, there is nothing new about the SLPC. They are akin to those who killed the prophets, so that any who preached righteousness would be silenced.
17Now after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and did obeisance to the king; then the king listened to them. 18They abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and served the sacred poles and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord; they testified against them, but they would not listen.
20Then the spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has also forsaken you.” 21But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the Lord. 22King Joash did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. As he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!”
Now, I can hear the trolls grinding. Over at GOMI, and the SLPC, in the liberal groups. To the haters, may I remind them: I do not live in the USA; the human rights commission in NZ is a bad joke that runs kangaroo trials; and I am not responsible for your souls, but my own.
For the issue here is one of free speech and free practice. When the state starts regulating what occurs within a church, things go sour: particularly when the state lets virulently anti homosexual religions such as Islam (they stone or hang gay men. Literally) have a free pass.
Free speech ain’t free unless those who offend you can speak. The correct cure to offensive speech is more speech.
Not legislation. Not using the process of the courts to coerce people into complying with that which their conscience disagrees with. (Which is why I don’t think homosexuality should be illegal. You cannot legislate in the public court against this — unless you have such a police state that fornication and adultery (Which are equally evil) are also illegal. It is a matter for morals, not the police).
However, the SLPC work on the assumption that the process of litigation is punishment itself. That their calling people haters is enough to de normalize them. They tried to do the same thing with Matt Forney and the men’s rights people earlier this year.
So, if you trolls read this page from this SLPC; You are fascist scum. You are morally beneath the murderers and molesters you claim to represent. For you are attempting to legislate and litigate to sear the conscience of men, and remove any thought of repentence
I’d cheerfully have a beer with a transsexual sex worker with AIDS who never uses a condom. Probably have. But not with you.