Church leader urges PM to reconsider a law that would “criminalise Christians”.

Conversion therapy is a contentious practise in the UK, and the government plans to outlaw it in November during the King’s Speech.

But a lot of Christian leaders are against this ban because they think it would limit parents’ freedom to talk to their children about traditional Christian sexuality teachings. Treatments that make the claim that they can alter a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation would be prohibited by law. In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Graham Nicholls, the director of Affinity, a network of 1200 churches and Christian organisations, claimed that a ban would be an unreasonable restriction on the freedom of thought and religion and that it would criminalise Christians and church leaders for expressing mainstream beliefs.

The prohibition would forbid discussions in which a pastor, parent, or other Christian leader suggests that it is preferable to abide by the Bible’s teachings than not to. The prohibition would particularly forbid discussions in which a parent or Christian leader asserts that something is taught in the Bible and that following that teaching is preferable to disobeying it.

According to Nicholls, the government is moving forward with the ban because of politics and ignorance, with some people thinking it is a good idea to outlaw bad behaviours and others more ideologically devoted to preventing anyone from challenging someone is gender identity or sexual orientation. Additionally, the Association of Christian Teachers has stated that it is against any new legislation pertaining to conversion therapy.