If Amazon wants to sell books, maybe it ought to stop banning them!
—Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and the senior writers at FRC—
“These books [that Amazon has banned] have been life-saving instruments to some who have been struggling to find hope. They have been a beacon of light to those of us who hold to traditional Biblical views of sexuality. And in so taking these resources away, (Amazon) has not only become hypocritical to its own values, they have attempted to silence a smaller minority of the population that is represented by those of us who have left the LGBTQ lifestyle.
—Ethan Martin, a former homosexual—
Key points: The effort by Amazon to ban books that present a Christian view of homosexuality and same-sex attraction is about a great deal more than books. Across the cultural and political landscape, the implications for liberty are ominous.
Continued from our most recent post…
In an attempt to shed light on how we should respond to Amazon’s recent decision to ban books that seek to help those dealing with unwanted same-sex attraction overcome it, we have returned to the wisdom of America’s Founders. Liberty is threatened, and because they knew how to preserve it, we are wise to look to them and heed them.
Last time we discussed the first two of five things you need to know. We said,
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- First, without free speech, debate, and discussion, no one truly is free.
- Second, Christianity makes liberty possible.
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Third, freedom of conscience and religion are essential to liberty and must be respected.
Regarding inherent rights, Roger Sherman said, “You are further to declare that we hold sacred the rights of conscience, and may promise to the whole people, solemnly in our name, the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion.”
Of course, it isn’t just religious freedom and rights of conscience that need to be honored here; it’s also the right of individuals to make their own choices and determine their own destinies. As of this writing, so called “conversion therapy” for minors has been banned in the United States in 18 states, two US territories, and 55 counties, municipalities or communities. In addition, The Eau Claire Area School District Board of Education in Wisconsin has set an official policy prohibiting the use of therapy by clinics whose services are provided under an agreement with the school board. Significantly, the Wikipedia article on this topic misleadingly calls conversion therapy “the pseudoscientific practice of claiming to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity using psychological or spiritual interventions.”
Regarding this issue, we must understand the tactics of militant LGBT activists. They derisively use the term “conversion therapy” to demonize all efforts to change one’s sexual desires from homosexual leanings to heterosexual leanings—especially legitimate talk therapy that actually puts the client in the driver’s seat. Authentic
counseling and therapy that address unwanted same-sex attraction are not efforts that have homosexual attractions and activity as their exclusive focus, even though the client’s ultimate goal certainly can be to move from homosexuality to heterosexuality. When a client has other objectives, no competent therapist ever will push the goal of heterosexuality on him or her. Yet when client and therapist agree that heterosexuality is the goal, counseling efforts that achieve it, or that help a client move toward it, focus primarily on the underlying causes of same-sex attraction. These causes often involve deep emotional wounds. When the wounds are addressed, healing occurs over time, and homosexual attraction automatically tends to diminish, often with a corresponding increase in heterosexual attraction. It is in this sense that such counseling is pro-heterosexual. Another important point: Effective counseling never, ever shames or coerces a client.1
Today, increasingly, hormone therapy and even surgery are being used to treat adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria. Such treatments can have lasting and even permanent effects. Moreover,
[p]arents who consent to these treatments are often misled to believe that their child will be at greater risk of suicide if they do not. There is no evidence to support this claim. In Oregon, parental consent is irrelevant: the law allows 15-year-olds to receive state-subsidized hormonal treatments and surgeries without parental knowledge or permission.
Yet, if an adolescent wants counseling to overcome unwanted same-sex attraction and lives in an area where such counseling is outlawed, the governing body apparently has no qualms about denying this help, regardless of the desires of the young person or his or her parents! Mark it down! Most, and probably all, of the individuals who have enacted these laws have no special training in therapy or counseling. They even are refusing to trust the very therapists their own states have certified!
Lawmakers banning therapy to help minors overcome unwanted same-sex attraction likely have little or no training in these counseling approaches, and they aren’t even trusting the very therapists their own states have certified!
Not only are the rights of therapists and potential clients being violated here; but they’re being violated at great risk to those struggling with the issue of unwanted same-sex attraction. Yet, this is how tyrants act. Amazon, take note!
Fourth, error and lies are no match for the truth, but the truth must be recognized and honored. When it is not, people often believe lies.
Benjamin Rush declared, “Temperate, sincere, and intelligent inquiry and discussion are only to be dreaded by the advocates of error. The truth need not fear them.”
Thomas Jefferson said, “It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”
Earlier, in our discussion of the second item, I said that when a nation rejects absolute or objective truth, the people eventually will reach a place where they will hesitate to go against the flow of culture and declare truth, even when it is glaringly obvious. We see many manifestations of this in society today, such as calling a biological male who identifies as a female “she” rather than “he.”
Of course, in such a society, subtler truths also get buried in the avalanche of larger myths, deliberate deceptions, and lies. Nevertheless, these less obvious truths still align with reality and must be defended. We who see the truth must be unafraid to declare it! We must challenge the myths and lies with the truth! Generally speaking, the need is broad and wide. Many myths must be challenged. Many lies must be debunked. Like the boy in the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale who declared the emperor was wearing no clothes, we must be willing to stick our necks out for the benefit of all—even the “emperor” himself.
Remember, we are speaking here of the benefits of books and competent counseling and therapy for individuals who want them and are willing to do what is necessary to reap their full benefits. Try telling these people they are lying! Or these…
They know better—and they at least should be respected, believed, and treated with dignity. Amazon ought to be listening to them, not just to one man who maligns so called “conversion therapy.” The gentleman who stands in the center on the front row in the above picture says, “Counseling Helped Save My Life.”
On a Multitude of Fronts: Danger Ahead!
There are numerous other manifestations of denying the truth. We see these when we step back and look at the larger cultural landscape. Hear Democrat Joe Biden at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa on August 6, 2019. Biden is campaigning for his party’s nomination to run for president.
We choose unity over division. We choose science over fiction. We choose truth over facts. And so, folks, if you’re interested, join me! I could use the help!
We choose truth over facts.
—Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden—
How does one choose “truth over facts”? A person or group can do this only if he—or they—choose their own, subjective “truth” over reality. This is exactly what Democrats and other leftists have done. Now Amazon is joining their ranks!
Don’t be fooled. This is blatant, prideful arrogance, and arrogance plus power equals tyranny. Life will become suffocatingly oppressive for all who disagree with the leftist agenda if the Democrats regain power. If you doubt me, listen to the Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi herself, say so in her own words. She made these statements on October 14, 2018.
We have to have total clarity about what we do when it comes to everything—a woman’s right to choose, gay marriage. Well we didn’t pass marriage equality, that was in the courts, but hopefully that will be protected. But we passed other LGBTQ legislation. Whether it’s about immigration, whether it’s about gun safety, whether it’s about climate.…I think that we owe the American people to be there for them. For their financial security, respecting the dignity and worth of every person in our country. And if there’s some collateral damage for some others who do not share our view, well, so be it.
[I]f there’s some collateral damage for some others who do not share our view, well, so be it.
—Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives—
Perhaps Speaker Pelosi needs to be reminded that even homosexuals themselves disagree on some of the most important issues of our day. Some even oppose same-sex marriage and oppose Amazon’s bullying. I’m not holding my breath that Speaker Pelosi will “get it,” however. The better option is to make sure she isn’t allowed to remain Speaker! Let us not forget the larger picture, and let us act with resolve on many different levels to uphold the truth. This leads us to our fifth principle.
Fifth, when the truth isn’t recognized or honored, pushback is necessary to preserve liberty—even when, and perhaps especially when, the culture and society’s big players are acting as tyrants.
George Clymer held a strong conviction about what we often call today “fake news.” He wrote, “A printer publishes a lie: for which he ought to stand in the pillory, for the people believe in and act upon it.” We must should realize, as did our Founders, that believing in a free press does not mean one permits an irresponsible press to get away with misinformation and outright lies.
Thomas Jefferson didn’t like newspapers. He said, “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”
John Adams declared, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
—John Adams—
Because reality is unyielding and unforgiving, we need not wonder if it will be victorious in the end. As certain as is tomorrow’s sunrise, if the opponents of truth continue to defiantly deny it, they themselves will be the losers; but harm won’t be limited to them. With liberty at stake, unless the left’s efforts are defeated, truth’s friends and even casual, indifferent observers will be the losers as well.
Our founders pushed back, and so must we. They were so serious in their resolve that “for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine providence,” they mutually pledged to each other their “Lives, our Fortunes, and…sacred Honor.” And they severed ties with Great Britain.
While the issues we are addressing here may not seem as consequential, they are! Our resolve needs to be as firm as that of the men who founded America and in doing so sought to protect and maintain God-given liberty.
Why? Because our mission is very much the same.
Sign this petition, stand up, and speak up!
The time is now!
Copyright 2019 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
top image: Photo by Yuri Efremov on Unsplash
1David Pickup is an authentic therapist and a professional in the finest sense of the word. You can learn more about his work here. Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Jr., son of Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Sr., also is an authentic therapist. You may remember that Amazon’s book ban started with the elder gentleman’s books. Information about the younger Nicolosi’s practice and work is available here.
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