Brown makes a number of good points in this article:
However, I'd like to make two additional, related points:
i) This reflects the totalitarian mindset of contemporary Democrats. It represents yet another attack on parental rights. It denies the right of parents to seek professional counseling for an adolescent child who isn't developing a natural, normal sexual psychological makeup.
ii) But over and above that, it denies the right of adults to seek psychological counseling for their condition. Adult men and women are not permitted to decide for themselves if they need psychological counseling for this particular condition.
The secular totalitarian state reduces adults to the status of perpetual minors. Adult men and women are not allowed to make decisions for themselves.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteAlso, how does one define conversion therapy? It could potentially mean that it would be illegal for Christians to preach the gospel to those with same-sex attraction if the conversion involved any kind of repentance.
I just wrote an essay in response to someone who thinks similarly that Christian conversion of gay people should be banned:
http://www.monergism.com/blog/what-do-theologically-conservative-christians-really-think-about-people-same-sex-attraction
John
Monergism.com
Excellent article and slippery slope logic, John. The secular noose appears to be ever tightening.
DeleteTo steve's point, one must wonder why progressives wouldn't view conversion therapy the same as abortion, a decision to be made between an individual and a caregiver without government intrusion.
Steve, what do you think of the reasoning displayed in this post?:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.patheos.com/blogs/theologyintheraw/2015/04/the-new-testament-and-gay-sex/
Appreciate your perspective, thanks
Chad, thank you for your comment. The question I respond to in my article demonstrates that this is not such a slippery slope after all. Since many in the LGBT advocates and supporters declare that someone cannot become un-gay ... as the person declared in my discussion in the article. As such, it would be natural for them to view ANY conversion from their orientation with suspicion. How much of a leap would it be for them to say that we are psychologically harming our children by telling them that is this sin and they need trust in Jesus for forgiveness and, by the grace of God, to repent of it. ???
ReplyDeleteThat's undoubtedly the next step. There will be efforts to criminalize the pastoral counseling of individuals who suffer from homosexual impulses.
DeleteI've actually been arguing about this with a few individuals on FB about this very topic. It's very easy to dismantle their arguments even from an athiest's pov except in one area. How do we get past the fact that psychological organizations, such as the APA, endorse homosexuality and condemn conversion therapy based on studies that have been done.
ReplyDeleteOn the surface, the studies are hard for me to get past as a Christian. I disagree with homosexuality, but I want to make it clear based on Christianity and scientific evidence.
i) To begin with, the APA is highly politicized.
Deleteii) Keep in mind that the psychiatric community used to perform lobotomies. Remember, too, the repressed memories fad from not so long ago.
iii) The question at issue isn't, in the first place, whether we approve of conversion therapy, but whether that should be outlawed. Consider alternative medicine. There's a lot of quackery in alternative medicine. But that doesn't mean the gov't should legally forbid citizens from turning to, say, Chinese herbal medicine.
In a free society, many things must be allowed. There are tradeoffs in a free society. That has downsides. But a police state is far worse.
The question isn't, in the first instance, whether you think conversion therapy is good, or Chinese herbal medicine is good, but the good of a free society.
Do we want a ruling class to be making all the important decisions for us? Or should adults generally be allowed to make decisions about themselves, for themselves.
I haven't had occasion or inclination to examine conversion therapy. But if you want to evaluations of the APA studies, I'd suggest you email Robert Gagnon.
DeleteThank you for the reply. Do you have Mr. Gagnon's email address? I don't know who he is.
Deletehttp://www.pts.edu/gagnonr
Deletehttp://www.robgagnon.net/
Gagnon, in his book, "The Bible and Homosexual Practice," also documents a "big chill" that occurred in the American Psychiatric Association starting in 1973. He writes, "Unfortunately, most of the significant research was done prior to the 'big chill' brought on by militant gay-rights activism in the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association beginning in the early 1970s."
ReplyDeleteAnd then in the footnote it says, "Cf. Satinover's description of the sordid politics behind the American Psychiatric Association's decision to normalize homosexuality in 1973 (Homosexuality, 32-35). The "big chill" is most dramatically illustrated in the sharp decline in articules and medical and psychological journals, as listed in the Medline database: from 1,021 for the years 1966 to 1974; to 42 for the years 1975 to 1979; to a paltry two for the years 1992 to 1994."
I don't have Satinover's book (yet) but the main point here is that it can be documented that the APA isn't being exactly "above board" with the statistics.