You know, Bentonville has a lot going for it. A good museum, an art hotel, great places to eat and, yes, you can now get a drink there.
But it has its right-wing magical thinkers, too. The “Word of Life Fellowship” is holding a conference, “Loved2Truth,” Jan. 28 in Bentonville to help poor misguided homosexuals who want to get on the “Road to Freedom from Same Sex Attraction” with the help of pastors and “church leaders.”
It’s hard to understand why people are determined to believe, despite science and the testimony of their own sisters, brothers, children and friends, that homosexuality is something you can, or would want to, pray away. Our vice president is among this segment of the American population who believe that LGBT folks are embracing a lifestyle, rather than living and loving the way their bodies, their neurology, their DNA determines. Do the people who believe in conversion therapy believe there comes a moment in life where you think, “Gee, do I want to be heterosexual or homosexual?”
The website for the event says the conference will help you figure out, “What do you do when your Worship Leader comes out of the closet? What do you do when someone in your church needs help overcoming Same Sex Attraction? How do you best support the members of your congregation when their families are being ripped apart by the effects of homosexuality?”
Answer 1. Say OK, great. Next subject? Answer 2. You ask them, “Why should you want to be anything other than you are?” Answer 3. You suggest the family members who have a problem with LGBT issues to get some help, maybe by talking to someone who understands human biology.