Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Freethinker

Home
Nonreligious
God is the ‘cure’ for homosexuality says N Ireland educationist

God is the ‘cure’ for homosexuality says N Ireland educationist

Last updated on: January 27, 2021 at 5:49 pm by Barry Duke

God is the ‘cure’ for homosexuality says N Ireland educationist 2021-01-27T17:49:54+02:00 Barry Duke

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Image via YouTube

NELSON McCausland, above, a board member of Northern Ireland’s Education Authority, opened up a huge can of worms on Monday when he tweeted about an American who, in 2009, ‘stopped being homosexual’ after encountering a bunch of Bible-thumpers in a Los Angeles cafe.

McCausland wrote:

A powerful testimony of a life changed by God and some important insights into the whole ‘gay movement’ from someone who has been there.

He was referring to Becket Cook, who had featured in a 2019 article – “From Gay to Gospel: The Fascinating Story of Becket Cook” – published by US-based The Gospel Coalition.

Image via YouTube/Focus on the Family

Cook, above, exuberantly gay and “practically an atheist” until he met the cafe Christians, was subsequently lured into their Reality Church and swallowed its “homosexuality is a sin” garbage hook, line and sinker. He later published a book entitled A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption.

Fury followed after McCausland posted his tweet, and according to the Belfast Telegraph, some are now demanding he be sacked for his homophobia and for promoting dangerous and discredited “pray away the gay” interventions.

Alliance councillor Eoin Tennyson, who is gay, said McCausland’s post was shared without:

Any regard for the devastating impact this ex-gay nonsense has on young LGBT+ people. Being gay is not a disease, it can’t be cured.

He added:

‘Gay conversion’ has been consistently discredited and denounced. It has absolutely no basis in scientific fact. It’s clear you’ve never been 11 years old, crying yourself to sleep at night praying to be ‘cured’ because you’ve internalised the nonsense. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Meanwhile Conor Houston, who is a director for the LGBTQ+ group Shout Out and is also the chair of Belfast’s Fleming Fulton special school, said he was:

Horrified by the deeply offensive post.

He called for Mr McCausland’s removal from the Education Authority board and added:

Compassion and education are the antidote to such ignorance.

McCausland – a creationist and former science teacher who became Northern Ireland’s Secretary of the Lord’s Day Observance Society – denied that the article he posted was related to gay cures.

Councillor Tennyson must have misread or misunderstood the article that I posted as it was not about ‘gay conversion therapy’. It was a testimony from The Gospel Coalition website and was in the form of an interview about the life-transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The person interviewed had not undergone any therapy.

In 2010, McCausland wrote to the Ulster Museum requesting that it display a range of creationist and other anti-Evolution material, claiming that it was the Museum’s job to “reflect the views of all the people in Northern Ireland” rather than to reflect the understanding of modern science.

In response to McCausland’s letter, Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and noted atheist, said:

If the museum was to go down that road then perhaps they should bring in the stork theory of where babies come from. Or perhaps the museum should introduce the flat earth theory.

What Cook did experience was a “transformation” when “some random straight dude” in the church prayed for him. Shortly after “the Holy Spirit flooded him” – and the “scales dropped from my eyes.”

Image via YouTube/Focus on the Family

His experience was pounced upon by Christian hate group, Focus on the Family – headed by its evangelist President Jim Daly, above – which posted an interview with Cook last year on YouTube.

Focus on the Family aggressively promotes conversion therapy, according to The Human Rights Campaign. In a 2014 article it quoted the outfit as saying:

Just as there are many paths that may lead a person to experience same-sex attractions, there are likewise multiple ways out.

The article continued:

Focus On The Family has raised over $515-m over the past five years, making it one of the most well funded anti-LGBT organisations in America. It invests in public education campaigns against LGBT equality, while their related organization CitizenLink supports radical anti-LGBT candidates who work against basic civil rights and legal protections.

In fact, even after the leading national organization promoting ‘conversion therapy’ – Exodus International – shuttered their doors and apologized for the harm they had caused, Focus On The Family continues to endorse junk science rejected by every major medical and mental health organization to this day, blaming molestation, divorce, and straight up ‘rebellion against societal norms’ for people’s sexual orientation.

By allowing himself to be used as a Focus on the Family puppet, Cook signals his support for conversion therapy. And by tweeting, and posting on Facebook about Cook McCausland appears to show equal enthusiasm for faith-based attempts to change the gay people’s sexual orientation.

The man has to go – and go quickly.

• Please report any typos/errors to [email protected]

If you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee – and boy, do I get through a LOT of coffee keeping this site active – please click the link below.

I’d love a cup of coffee

Previous Post

January 26, 2021

Mega-rich pastor flouts lockdown rules & savages 'corrupt' preachers

Next Post

January 27, 2021 Man at the centre of a Catholic row over life support is dead

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Archive My Atheism News Opinion Reviews Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 March 2007 April 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Paul instructed Philemon to receive Onesimus back as more than a slave, as a dear brother.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE

Books by This Author Books by The Freethinker

See All Titles »