Topic: WorldNetDaily
We've already caught WorldNetDaily editor Joseph Farah spreading the false claim that AB 2943, a proposed law in California that would ban anti-gay conversion therapy for commercial purposes, would also ban the Bible. WND has apparently decided to double down on misinformation about the bill.
An anonymously written May 15 WND article misleads from the get-go, falsely claiming that the bill is designed so "people with same-sex inclinations don’t hear messages challenging them." Then it quotes Mike Huckabee ranting at length about how the bill is "one of the most dramatic ideological shifts away from the First Amendment in our nation’s history" and hyperbolically claiming that "it can easily be interpreted to stop the sale goods and services that promote a biblical worldview!” and that "the sale of ANY book that states the practice of homosexuality or transgender identification as immoral actions would be illegal in California. …This could include the Bible!”
Uh, no. As we noted, the bill's sponsor says it does not ban the Bible or any other book or speech.
The article then quotes an article from the right-wing site The Federalist that appears to put the lie to the idea that conversion therapy is a legitimate thing at all; in it, the author claims it's all about demonstrating how "Christ can empower people not to engage in homosexual practice or not to identify as ‘gay’ or ‘transgender’ because such behaviors and self-identities are morally wrong" or about "efforts to persuade people of Christ’s power to transform in this area."
That's evangelism, not therapy as recognized by any mental health professional.
