Friday, April 13, 2012

IN ENGLAND THE PLOT THICKENS

Caroline Spelman, MP for Meriden
From the Guardian:
A Christian charity which sponsored a conference promoting the idea that gay people can be converted to heterosexuality has funded interns for an estimated 20 MPs, including some who are now ministers in the coalition government.

The Christian Action Research and Education charity (Care) has provided staff to the parliamentary offices of Caroline Spelman, Alistair Burt and Steve Webb. In 2009 it sponsored a London conference about homosexuality and Christianity which included sessions on "mentoring the sexually broken". The event in London was also organised by Anglican Mainstream, one of the conservative Christian charities that was blocked this week from showing adverts on London buses that supported the idea that with therapy, homosexual people can become "ex-gay".

The conference featured a keynote by Joseph Nicolosi, a Californian psychologist and founder of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. The organisers said they were "very worried about the continued progress of the gay – and in fact the LGBT – agenda across the board in the UK. Social, cultural, political and religious sectors are being targeted and most of them are capitulating".
Well, well.  The "gay cure" folks under the name of a charity named Care (Oh, the irony!) have infiltrated Parliament by paying to support interns for MPs.  The members of Parliament who had or have interns paid by Care are unavailable for comment.  Surprise!  And the Care conference that included sessions on "mentoring the sexually broken" was organized by Anglican Mainstream.  A question: Where does Anglican Mainstream get its funds?
"It's a complete disgrace that any elected representative would have associations with an organisation that promotes a 'gay cure' in the 21st century," said Phillip Dawson, who launched a campaign when he discovered his local MP, David Burrowes had an intern sponsored by Care. "The Royal College of Psychiatrists has explicitly stated that discussions of a 'gay cure' fuel discrimination and prejudice. MPs should be fighting homophobia wherever it occurs but by associating themselves with Care they are actually helping to fuel it. We have to be clear that there is no place for groups that promote a 'gay cure' in the corridors of power."
 The "gay - and in fact the LGBT" agenda promoting fairness and equality for all is, indeed, worrisome to some, but why?

Thanks to themethatisme for the link to the story.

UPDATE:
Should MPs be accepting financial support from charities that sponsor "gay cure" conferences?

Phillip Dawson from Enfield thinks not -- so when he discovered a Christian charity that sponsored a conference discussing "Therapeutic approaches to same-sex attraction" and "Mentoring the sexually broken" had also since funded interns for 17 MPs, including his own, he was shocked.

Now Phillip has started a petition on Change.org calling for all MPs to sever ties with Care (Christian Action Research and Education). 
Thanks to MadPriest for calling the petition to my attention.  Signatures from outside England are accepted.


13 comments:

  1. Accounts
    Their UK accounts are public document although there is little detail as to sources of finance. Quick glance would suggest that other than funds for specific purposes, the substantive purpose of the charity is to keep a certain Canon in the manner to which he is accustomed; salary, pension, expenses and 'consultancy fees', office & stationery etc..

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  2. And sponsoring conferences such as the GAFCON conference in Jerusalem in 2008 and the FoCA conference in London in 2009/10. I see there is little info on the sources of their funds.

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  3. Alan Wilson described Anglican Mainstream earlier today as a "potty little clique with a pretentious name, right wing cash from the US, and a mission to troll the rest of us into obsessionality over a subject about which there's next to nothing, in fact, in the Bible". Alistair Burt was head boy at my grammar school. Some years ofter my time, tho' I know the type of guy who made head boy in my day.

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  4. As I said on Facebook, someone like Fr Jake needs to follow the money to the source of funding for these 'charities'. I would not be surprised if some of the same sources surfaced as those who provided funding for the breakaways from TEC in the US.

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  5. I hope when ++Rowan Williams reads this "stuff" he weeps for his world class ineptitude in leadership. For promoting bigtory, ignorance, and persecution--well he gets an A+. 100 years ago he might have squeeked by as a world class leader. Today he is a pathetic joke.

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  6. And all in the name of Anglican Mainstream.

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  7. http://revjph.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/endorsed-by-madpriest.html

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  8. Thanks, MadPriest. I added an update with a link to Philip Dawson's petition. Signatures from outside England are permitted.

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  9. Thank you for discussing my petition. I am a member of my church's PCC and sing in the choir, which I love doing! I am not on an anti Christian or anti intern or anti freedom of speech campaign.

    I was utterly shocked that letters to my MP could have been responded to by someone paid by a charity that sponsored two events promoting a gay cure and which has ties at a leadership and governance level to Anglican Mainstream.

    Five MPs have responded positively to the petition since I launched it at the end of February. I am really grateful for the coverage in the national press because it has brought the issue to the attention of a much wider audience.

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  10. Philip, you're quite welcome. I'm glad to help gather signatures for your petition.

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  11. Thanks for the link to the petition - duly signed.

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  12. Cathy, I thank you, and Philip thanks you, I'm sure. Your signature is worth more than mine, because you live in England.

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  13. Thank you both! Much obliged.
    Phillip

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