Liberty Counsel warning: California about to ban Bible sales

Liberty Counsel, which defends religious and civil rights, Friday warned that the state of California effectively is about to ban the sale of Bibles.

A bill in the legislature, approved 50-18 in an Assembly vote this week, would forbid counselors from telling a gender-confused male client that he is actually a man.

The law would allow, however, a counselor to advise a male he should identify as a woman.

The legislation, AB 2943, “is so far reaching that it also prohibits printed materials and even books,” Liberty Counsel warned.

An affirmative vote in the Democratic-controlled state Senate appears to be likely.

Liberty Counsel explained the bill “would prevent so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ sometimes called Sexual Orientation Change Efforts, and add it to the list of fraudulent schemes under the states’ Consumer Legal Remedies Act.”

The bill declares “advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual” is fraudulent business practice.

“If approved, victims of sexual abuse can no longer get counseling if they develop (as often happens) unwanted urges to engage in same-sex behavior or become gender confused,” Liberty Counsel said.

“This bill would also make it unlawful for any person to sell books, including the Bible, counseling services, or anything else that directs people to trust in Jesus Christ to help them overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion.”

Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, a leading pro-family group, criticized the bill.

“How can any legislator voting for this call themselves pro-choice when they’ve voted to wipe out a person’s own choice of a counselor?” Thomasson asked.

“How can any legislator voting for AB 2943 say they support religious freedom when they’ve just threatened church bookstores that sell self-help books about overcoming unwanted same-sex desires? AB 2943 is anti-free-speech, anti-religious-freedom, anti-free-choice, and has no place in a free society. This intolerant bill contains no exemption and no protection at all for religious entities.”

He said the claim that counseling to overcome same-sex attraction is “harmful” is built on unfounded reasoning.

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http:// www.wnd.com/2018/04/liberty-counsel-warning-california-about-to-ban-bible-sales/