Christie to sign ban on gay conversion therapy, says homosexuality is not a sin

[afleitch]

Good. It's psychological harm of the deepest and most disrespectful kind. The very fact that these places exist to feed off the fears of parents who then coerce their child into going there, or leaving scared young people with no choice is disgraceful. Telling young people the fact they feel like sh-t is because they are gay rather than the fact that everyone around them is moronically homophobic and sending them into an environment full of repressed religous queens who all pretend it's working is just pathetic. Pathetic, sad and lonely people run these organisations who all say 'it works look at me!' while they are in the programme and like any quackery or cult, the moment they leave they admit that it was all a load of damaging and often expensive crap.

[afleitch]

Religion, by definition, is idiotic psychological abuse. We're all sinners in the hands of an angry God.

Not all religion is as obsessed with sin and rage as the Fundamentalists tend to be.

But American Christianity (and I have to talk in an American context simply as that is pertinent) in general does have a particular problem with non hetero normative expressions of sexual and gender identity. For example on the basic question posed by Pew 'Homosexuality should be accepted by society' is agreed by 71% of those non-affiliated, 84% of minor faiths, 82% of Buddhists, 79% of Jews, Hindus were low on 48% but Christians as a whole could only muster 44% approval. Only Muslims did worse. So it's not necessarily a religious problem (as some faiths outperform those non affiliated) and it doesn't seem to bother American Jews, so what is it about Christianity as a faith in Amer icathat either collectively affirms negative views or attracts those with negative views to it?