conversion therapy – Protestia

Christian Man Faces 5 Months in Jail for Sharing ‘Ex-Gay Testimony’- In Nation’s First Case

A Christian man in Malta is facing fines and jail time for promoting “conversion therapy”, after he shared his testimony of how he broke free from the scourge of homosexuality after becoming saved. His supposed transgresssion occurred in an interview with PMnews Malta in April 2022.,

Matthew Grech, a Christian charity worker, faces five months in prison and a fine of $5500. In Malta, like our neighbors to the norther in Canada, it is against the law to promote conversion therapy. The Christian Legal Center, which is representing him, says this is “the first-ever prosecution for ‘conversion practices’ in Malta.” According to CBN News:

During the media interview, he shared his story about his childhood and the confusion he had experienced when it came to his own sexuality and relationships. He spoke about how, as an adult, he had been involved in homosexual relationships before becoming a Christian, which changed his life dramatically.

Grech spoke about how he does not agree with the term “conversion therapy” and said that the deeper he went into his Christian faith and exploring the Bible, the more “I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays. And neither is it a feeling, but a practice.

This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman is experiencing if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in God’s eyes, and that is a sin,” he explained. “Just like every other sin, one can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome… I’m talking here from a Christian perspective…”

These assertions by Gretch, which line up with the scripture, are in sharp contrast to organizations like Revoice or TGC, who routinely accept the notion that God does redeem one’s sexuality. From their perspective, aided by teachers like Sam Allberyy and Jackie Hill Perry, once you’re gay, it’s not going away Gretch told CBN:

“I am determined, however, to raise awareness on the danger and harm that ‘conversion therapy’ bans are and will cause, not just to churches and society in Malta, but all around the world.

I am committed to keep sharing my testimony because I don’t want other men and women to go through what I went through in my upbringing and adolescence. I don’t want them to be victims of unwanted sexual feelings. I don’t want them to be robbed of the biblical side of the story around sex, sexuality and marriage. I don’t want the masses to believe ‘born gay, cannot change’, and allow that to go unchallenged.”

His trial is scheduled to begin Feb 3

Boris Johnson Calls Conversion Therapy ‘Repulsive’. MP Likens Prayer Sessions to ‘Corrective Rape’

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come out swinging against therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction, describing the process of seeking counseling and prayer to change one’s attraction as “repulsive” and vowing to end its practice.

The move to excise all forms of conversion therapy, which is described as any effort to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity, comes just weeks after a conservative Member of Parliament likened prayer and fasting as a means to affect one sexual orientation as similar to “electroshock therapy” and “corrective rape” and days after three of his LGBT advisors quit over a “lack of progress” in the area, complaining that Johnson was not making it a priority after vowing to ban in the practice he described as “abhorrent in 2020”

As a result of the ministers quitting, Johnson expressed sorrow at their course of action but vowed to proceed as planned.

I think this practice is repulsive and I think it’s abhorrent and I’m sorry these advisers have gone but be in no doubt that we will deal with this issue. It is technically complex to deal with but we’re determined to take further steps to stamp it out.”

Last month, Conservative MP Alicia Kearns set off a bit of controversy after she wrote an article in The House, arguing:

So-called ‘conversion therapy’ is just as it sounds: attempts to use medical, psychological and social methods to ‘convert’ someone away from their innate sexual orientation. It can range from ‘therapy’ and prayer sessions, to aversive treatments like electroshocks or even ‘corrective’ rape. The impact is deeply harmful, causing life-long difficulties in forming relationships, experiencing positive emotions and maintaining self-esteem as well as painful physical manifestations of abuse.

Not one to be outdone, another Member of Parliament, Angela Eagle, castigated the use of prayer for people with unwanted same-sex. Describing it as “harmful,” she said it was akin to “being told by faith leaders or your family that you are sinful.” and that “being told to pray harder to change and to question your innermost feelings and thoughts, none of that should be legal.”

It is a strange logic that says one’s gender, identity, orientation, expression, and even biology are completely fluid and can be changed at will, while at the same time declaring that any effort to help a person affect these things in a way that is unfavorable to the LGBTQ ideals is branded as the most barbaric thing around.

Responding to the hysteria from the Conservative government, Ciarán Kelly, Christian Institute Deputy Director for Communications, rebutted the statements from the MP”s and Prime Minister, bemoaning the level of ignorance that these people were exhibiting towards mainstream Christian practices.

“Of course we believe people should be protected from quack therapists and charlatan preachers. Most of these practices are already illegal and we would urge the government to ensure the law is applied properly… (but) there must also be room for the preaching of God’s Word and for believers to receive prayer and pastoral support, whatever temptations they are facing…
A pastor or church should not face prosecution if a gay man or woman attends church, comes to faith and seeks help in following Christ’s teaching on sexual ethics.”