Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

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1. 

   As someone who produced dozens of nativity plays as a teacher and a Sunday School leader, that title ‘A Gay…

2. 

   The defence of a Christian view never seems to be settled by debate: exchange of facts, reference to historical events.…

3. 

   But …… Rwanda is a safe place: Parliament says so.https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/8/contentsSafety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 S 2 Safety…

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   Religion can survive only on the most unquestionable assumptions. The statements made on Sundays on the BBC as if they…

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   Yes, if I’ve got anything remotely like a phobia, as an ex-fundy, its bibles, churches, tracts etc. I like to…

MEET Simon Calvert, above. the silly twit who acts as Deputy Director of the fanatical Christian Institute (CI). He’s in the news because Scotland is contemplating a ban on dangerous and discredited “gay cure” interventions, used in the main by religious zealots, and he’s not a happy chappie.

The CI, according to this report, claims that a ban on conversion therapy could interfere with its “church activities” and stated that legal action could be taken if the ban is not scrutinised highly enough.

In a letter to the EHRCJ, the CI claims that its concern stems from there being “no agreed definition of conversion therapy.”

Said Calvert:

To some it means brutal pseudo-medical practices which are already illegal. To others it means merely teaching the Christian sexual ethic that sex is only for marriage and that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Or several women if you happen to be a Mormon or a Muslim.

Image via YouTube

Calvert, sidekick to the the swivel-eyed zealot who heads the CI—Andea Minichiello Williams, above— added that the bans could outlaw:

Innocent, everyday church activities, including people praying for their friends.

The Holyrood Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee (EHRCJ) backed a ban on LGBTQ+ conversion therapy in Scotland on Tuesday (25 January) after a petition calling for the practice to be banned was brought to the Scottish Parliament.

The committee said that any legislation to ban conversion therapy should be full and comprehensive, and include any attempt to change a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

The EHRCJ’s report states:

The committee is anxious to ensure that, in a similar way to legislation that exists to protect victims of domestic abuse or female genital mutilation, the definition makes it clear that consent to such practices can never be informed and should not be available as a defence to those undertaking conversion practices.

Campaign groups and LGBTQ+ activists have now urged the Scottish Government to bring in legislation, arguing that it should not wait to hear UK government proposals before pursuing Scotland-specific legislation.

The EJRCJ report notes that a majority of religious groups consulted by the committee are in favour of a ban.

The report says it:

Agrees that legislation should not pose any restrictions on ordinary religious teaching or the right of people to take part in prayer or pastoral care to discuss, explore, or come to terms with their identity in a non-judgmental and non-directive way.

However, it heard evidence that most conversion practices take place within a religious setting including in the form of ‘talking therapy’ which is used with the intention to ‘correct’ sexuality or gender. The committee believes and recommends that such practices should fall within a ban.

The Tories have been dragging their heels over a ban for six years

A ban on conversion therapy in the UK has languished on the table since 2018, when the utterly incompetent Conservative government promised LGBTQ+ communities that it would ban the traumatising, dehumanising practice.

Since it was first tabled, the ban on conversion therapy has been hit with a series of delays, leading campaigners to urge the Scottish parliament to push through its own Scottish-specific ban.

A UK consultation on ending the practice was intended to run for six weeks to gauge public opinion on the specifics of legislating the ban with the aim of bringing a draft to parliament by spring 2022, however in December 2021, the consultation was extended by a further eight weeks.

Campaigners have accused the government’s proposed ban of “falling short” by including a loophole for “religious counseling.”

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