Christians are defending themselves against accusations that so-called Conversion Therapy is harmful. There is still substantial misunderstanding both about conversion and about therapy, and also about how secular government could want a ban that could criminalise Christian activities (which might even be the intention).
Any attempt whatever to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is now deemed to be Conversion Therapy, which is alleged to be pseudo-scientific and potentially harmful, coercive and abhorrent.
Why a ban?
All Christians hope that others will join their committed worship of the God of Israel and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, which is a protected human right. God created male and female and spoke with us through prophets in Holy Scripture, telling us how to live according to our maker’s instructions, declaring His loving kindness that endures for ever, telling us He knows our afflictions and wants to heal us and bring us into eternal life with Him. True believers who listen to God and do what He says inevitably become sanctified, which changes their behaviour and thinking, matures their belief and faith, and brings them wholesome peace that passes understanding.
Resistance to healing can be best overcome when there is trust; and for there to be sufficient trust there must be sufficient compassion, love and truth.
We know Christian ways can be objectionable to some people. They killed Jesus, and those who follow Jesus can expect the same sort of treatment (2 Tim 3:12). Those who worship other deities, or none, do not have an intimate relationship with the God who is King of kings and Lord of lords. With the help of the prince of this world if they feel offended they may hate the power that would warm them up, lighten their darkness and bring them new life. The Bible says they crucified Jesus out of envy (Matt 27:18, Mk 15:10). Envy is such an embarrassing and powerful emotion that it is often hidden from consciousness.
Conversion
Conversion is the impartation of a different spirit. Inevitably a different indwelling spirit changes one’s interpretation and perception of apparent facts, and leads to different ways of thinking and understanding.
That there is always resistance to such change is well known in the healing professions, yet it is generally accepted that bitter medicine may be necessary in order to get well. The resistance is due to the self-humbling which is necessary before the need for healing is accepted. Resistance to healing can be best overcome when there is trust; and for there to be sufficient trust there must be sufficient compassion, love and truth. People believe those they trust enough. Faith and trust in God brings healing change through the personal relationship with Him that comes through accepting His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, God with us, and the victory Jesus won over death and Satan. Self-humbling and repentance before Almighty God leads to healing, and also to the recognition that God is absolutely in charge.
People who are at ease about having left same-sex relationships are generally people who love Jesus.
Self-humbling and repentance before Almighty God leads to healing, and also to the recognition that God is absolutely in charge.
Therapy
The word 'therapy' derives from classical Greece, where theraps was a servant. Being a servant involves benign personal attention. Jesus came as a servant (Luke 22:27). Those who offer therapy offer it as a service to others.
If treatment which the recipient does not really believe in is imposed upon someone in the name of therapy, however, it can be offensive. Resistance would then be overcome only if the offence were healed through forgiveness and better mutual understanding. Yet in a multi-faith society there are many people who do not believe in forgiveness and who have different ways of understanding.
Invasive
The service of therapy can nevertheless be offered in two ways, either non-invasive or invasive; and both might be undertaken either freely or with some degree of coercion. Invasive therapy is doing something to a person like giving a drug or an injection, or giving physiotherapy, or doing a surgical operation. Active techniques for 'counselling' and 'psychotherapy' are taught as academic disciplines. Therapy is often focussed on a particular issue or problem.
Even though sexual instincts can be powerful, however, is there really any need for new legislation to protect people from offence? Laws already defend us against physical abuse.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy breaks down problems into smaller parts and applies reasoning and common sense to cognitive distortions. If homosexuality is a problem for someone, similar cognitive techniques might be used. People might occasionally be tempted to be more aggressive in order to break through a person’s resistance with manipulation, seduction, domination or fear, either with or without their permission; but then they risk offence being taken as abuse will be considerable. Even though sexual instincts can be powerful, however, is there really any need for new legislation to protect people from offence? Laws already defend us against physical abuse.
Non-invasive
It is common to want someone to talk to, and non-invasive therapy involves listening and conversation, unravelling confusion, elucidating meaning and discovering truth. If there is to be any healing an ideal of absolute openness must be mutually agreed, and discernment of hidden agendas must be allowed. It might take quite a while to get to the truth of how past events influence the present and this, too, might occasionally seem offensive. But in a Christian context once the facts are known they would be brought to the Lord for His healing.
Whether Christian, Buddhist, Freudian, pagan, secular-scientific, woke, or whatever, spiritual issues may become apparent. Subliminal influences are involved in every conversation and belief systems may come into conflict. Change of belief and thinking might occur quite naturally, or might not occur at all. No human being can guarantee that any genuine conversion will occur, even if – and perhaps especially if, terror is induced.
Any real conversion is always brought about through spiritual agency.
Any real conversion is always brought about through spiritual agency. True belief in Jesus Christ and love for the ways of the kingdom of God cannot be accomplished by therapy, but only through the agency of the Spirit of Almighty God (Jn 6:65, Luke 10:22, Matt 16:17).
Manipulation
Any connotation of brain-washing is repulsive to most people. But behavioural science has used aversion therapy in which unwanted desires are repeatedly associated with nasty experiences, although this has largely been abandoned now because the effect is not usually lasting. Furthermore, psychological techniques for trying to manipulate what people believe and think are used in advertising, in psychological programmes to persuade offenders away from crime, and to promote political agendas.
What other people in your community think and believe can be very persuasive and this can be manipulated through social media, leadership and the censorship of information. Actually doing something in order to try to change people’s mind commonly involves hidden persuasive techniques learned from academic psychological science.
Scientists will incline to believe that the only truth is the facts they can logically deduce and prove.
Scientists are inclined to believe that the only truth is the facts they can logically deduce and prove. Insistence that “What I happen to believe is my truth and it is right for me” can be construed as an extreme dimension of this same scientific frame of mind. This might appear when no one knows what to believe and a person is too insecure in their inner being - so devoid of substantial truth - that they grasp firmly onto apparent facts and feelings and create their own logical system of belief around them without acknowledging the bigger picture, as in gender dysphoria.
Judeo-Christian context
Science involves some degree of detached observation, and an abstract process of categorisation and deduction. Spiritual matters are generally not taken seriously. Therapy undertaken in a Judeo-Christian context, however, will usually be expected not to be scientifically detached but rather to be trusting, personal and spiritual. The experience of believing Christians is that God reveals truth to those who listen to Him. The sort of therapy that might allow change in the comprehension of perceived facts actually gets deeply behind scientific reasoning to address the heart of the whole indivisible personality, making room for spiritual influence (Heb 4:12). For the heart to be opened, the person’s permission has to be effectively obtained.
Attempting to bring this about by subterfuge or by force is of course abusive. Very occasionally what is alleged to be therapy might begin with malicious intent, which is deceptive, either on the part of the client or on the part of the therapist. Forcing one’s system of belief upon another is naturally construed as malicious.
Therapy undertaken in a Judeo-Christian context, however, will usually be expected not to be scientifically detached but rather to be trusting, personal and spiritual.
Ironically, the intention of politicians to ban all so-called Conversion Therapy is of the same order, because it is proposed exclusively to impose a secular system of allegedly scientific belief by law under pretence of being beneficial. It has been surprising that both courts of law and media have been known to support such fraud without the sort of understanding offered here.
In Conclusion
Instead of appeasing hysteria about Conversion Therapy, politicians would do well to uphold the carefully constructed ethical codes of the various therapy training institutions and religious traditions.
Most importantly, God seeks repentance by Christians for allowing the salt to lose its savour through being diluted with their own religious understanding, which has led to preaching on rules of morality and details of how we should rightly live, instead of revealing Jesus, and Him crucified and risen from the dead, and the grace, mercy and healing love of Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God.
