Victoria, Australia has criminalised some conversations and prayer

Not sure how much international news interests people here, but Victoria, Australia has passed a bill criminalising anyone who encourages someone to change their sexuality, even if that someone WANTS to change. Literally, a conversation where a parent does not agree with their boy that he is a girl or a prayer that God would deal with unwanted desires can result in fines and jail.

This law extends to people in other states, if the person encouraged to change is a resident of Victoria, contected either physically or online.

It may include recorded sermons down the line.

The bill was passed against the advice of medical, legal, religious and LGBTQI+ groups.

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The utter hypocrisy of these laws is something I pointed out to our city council when Cincinnati passed a similar law several years ago.

It doesn’t matter what the person wants, they are only allowed to transition one direction. Only allowed to be helped one direction. Only allowed to be encouraged one direction. The whole idea that people are allowed to be whatever they want is shown for the blatant lie that it is.

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Did Cincinnati criminalise prayer, as well?

Interestinly, the question of transitioning back to a person’s biological gender or away from homosexuality was raised in Parliament during the debate before the law was passed (only 9 against). The answer: “They’re on their own.”

Cincinnati’s law was all-encompassing in terms of what it forbid, which is why I described it at the time as banning the Bible.

However, it was limited to applying to people licensed by the state. It has never been tested whether or not it applies to pastors or not, but there is reason to believe it could. Just depends on the judge that hears the case. But so far the city has only applied it to counselors.

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LGBTQI+ groups as well?

This is such an important point, and it doesn’t just affect what people like you or me are allowed to say, it affects people who struggling with these issues. All they hear, all that they are allowed to hear, is how “transitioning” is the way to happiness.

There are numerous examples of the impact this is having on society. One is Walt Heyer’s story, where he says

Had I not been misled by media stories of sex change “success” and by medical practitioners who said transitioning was the answer to my problems, I wouldn’t have suffered as I have. Genetics can’t be changed. Feelings, however, can and do change. Underlying issues often drive the desire to escape one’s life into another, and they need to be addressed before taking the radical step of transition.
You will hear the media say, “Regret is rare.” But they are not reading my inbox, which is full of messages from transgender individuals who want the life and body back that was taken from them by cross-sex hormones, surgery and living under a new identity.
After de-transitioning, I know the truth: Hormones and surgery may alter appearances, but nothing changes the immutable fact of your sex.

For a laundry list of examples of how these laws fuel pressure for people to become transgender, Abigail Shrier’s new book is full of them.

The impact laws and attitudes like the ones being discussed are going to have in a few years is going to be truly devastating to a lot of people. People who have body modification scars and drastic hormone imbalances.

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Yes. And I’ve noticed the rage that transgender men have, generally.

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I watched this thirty minute documentary about regret with my teens two years ago.

As men of God, we would assert revealed Truth. So we would produce a different film. But many entrapped in this rebellion are enamored with the hero story of a fringe voice being silenced by a powerful cultural majority. This film shows how alphabet activists harm and silence each other.

Last year, Jerry Armelli at Prodigal Ministries came under fire from NKU, the city of Cincinnati and local news outlets.

City councilman Chris Seelbach’s tweet, the Change.org petition, and Disney news coverage did not happen on the same day by coincidence

Jerry is the first enforcement of the law passed in 2015, Cincinnati was the first city to ban conversion therapy for teenagers and children. Since then, 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 72 counties, municipalities or communities, along with Washington, D.C., have banned conversion therapy.

https://prodigal-ministries.com/leadership.html

Jerry is not a fighter. He just wants to quietly help people free from the sin that once entangled him.
He asked me if I could help get any positive comments on his social media. We broadcast about this on Answers News as an opportunity to stand up for a brother being cancelled in our back yard.

Jerry ended up changing the name of his ministry to try to reduce the hate and shaming.

How would our congregations respond under the coordinated multi-front onslaught (loss of employer, political accusations, writing teams from multiple activist groups, hate army flaming every social media account, web form, email and phone line, newspaper articles, television news coverage)?

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Sadly, Victoria has Cincinnati beat. Their law applies to anyone, including parents telling their boy they are not a girl or vice versa.

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What everyone needs to focus on is that it is Evangelical muckety-mucks like Al Mohler and Russ Moore who paved the way for these laws. Read the chapter on reparative or conversion therapy in our “The Grace of Shame.”

Few of us have have done anything inside the church to expose Mohler and other famous leaders’ betrayal of God on this issue. We cry “foul” over laws of the civil authority, but refuse to take any part, let alone any painful part, in reforming our own churches and leaders. Judgment today never begins among us.

This is not to say this law down under is anything but wicked, of course. But every person on Sanityville should read The Grace of Shame. If you can’t buy a copy, send me an email and I’ll send you a copy. Love,

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