“California lawmakers are fast-tracking a bill that bans counselors from helping adults with unwanted same-sex attraction but there is growing evidence the legislation is more much ominous. Assembly Bill 2943, which has passed in the State Assembly, is now in the California State Senate.
“If passed and signed into law, the bill would ban ‘advertising and any tangible goods or services for personal, family, or household use, offering or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual.’
“In other words, if a good, such a book or a service, such as a Christian conference, claim to help someone with unwanted same-sex attraction, those goods and services would be illegal in California.
“‘This legislation is so broad,’ warns Pacific Justice Institute attorney Brad Dacus, ‘it would ban books – actually ban books – in the United States of America.’” But, such claims are being “dismissed or ignored by the bill’s supporters as right-wing fearmongering.”
Homosexual-rights group Human Rights Campaign trumpeted the bill in a press release because it declares so-called “conversion therapy” a fraudulent practice and bans the practice in the state for adults. A law already on the books bans “conversion therapy” for children.
“Explaining why conservatives are right to be alarmed, attorney-writer David French explains in a National Review story that the bill’s own language states that goods and services are deemed unlawful, and so “goods” include books and “services” include a bookstore that sells it.
“French goes on to point out that the bill’s language defines ‘sexual orientation change efforts’ as fraudulent to the State of California, and others are pointing out the biblical belief that homosexuality is sinful yet salvation can change that person from homosexual to straight.
“‘This is a dramatic infringement on First Amendment rights,’ warns French, ‘rendered even more pernicious by its functional declaration of certain kinds of religious speech and argument as the equivalent of consumer fraud.’
“French’s warning was buoyed by video of a California lawmaker, Al Muratsuch, suggesting during debate that the Church must ‘evolve with the times.’
“‘It looks like the State Senate is going to likely pass this,’ Dacus predicts. ‘And then it will go to the governor’s desk and it will be up to Governor Jerry Brown to decide whether or not he chooses to respect the Constitution’s First Amendment right of religious freedom.’
“Asked about the bill on American Family Radio, longtime conservative activist Gary Bauer said the Left has run the board in California, where it controls the legislature and the governor’s office, and dominates Silicon Valley and Hollywood. ‘And what they’re building in California,’ he said, ‘looks more like Venezuela than it does the United States of America.’”
When Jesus said, “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed,” (Luke 17:28, 30). He wasn’t kidding.
“And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.” Genesis 19:9.