Presbyterian Church doesn’t back gay ‘cure’ canada goose Montebello Parka
The Presbyterian Moderator (elect) Dr Ivan Patterson has said his church does not support a therapy that claims to convert people away from their homosexual tendencies, the News Letter reported yesterday.
The report continued:
The minister was forced to defend his church’s position yesterday after it was claimed that the college that trains Presbyterian ministers had invited Jim Reynolds from the Core Issue Trust group [which claims to offer reparative treatment] to a conference.
Dozens of gay rights campaigners turned out in protest at the weekend at another conference in Belfast hosted by Mr Reynolds entitled The Lepers Among Us.
Speaking on Radio Ulster’s Sunday Sequence programme yesterday morning, Dr Ivan Patterson distanced himself from the Core Issues Trust. “The Presbyterian Church in Ireland does not have any connection with Core Issues. It does not endorse Core Issues,” he said.canada goose Mountaineer Jakke
He did however defend the Union Theological College’s right to have Mr Reynolds as a speaker.
“To have every point of view represented, this is only one, that doesn’t say you endorse Core Issues.”
On the subject of reparative therapy he said: “I am not going to say that nobody can change but I don’t want them to go through some kind of psycho-therapy process.”
When asked on a theological basis if homosexual people would be condemned to hell by God, he replied: “No I don’t believe that … I have no reason to believe that this is the case.”
Californian preacher Mr Reynolds, who organised the weekend conference at Orangefield Presbyterian Church, said he wanted to work with gay people who wished to change their sexual preference.
John O’Doherty, director of the Rainbow Project, said: “There is no evidence to suggest that a change in sexual orientation is possible.
“Therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation has been repudiated by virtually every reputable psychiatric organisation across the world.”
Green Party MLA Steven Agnew said: “I am concerned such events promote the idea there are only two ways the church can approach homosexuality – condemn or convert.”
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/church_doesn_t_back_gay_cure_1_3445910