The Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021, which went into effect in the Australian state of Victoria in August 2022, scripts which prayers are allowed and which are banned – in any setting, with or without a "gay" person hearing the prayer. Abe Hamilton, who hosts "The Hamilton Corner" on American Family Radio, talked about the law recently.
"Forbidden prayers include petitions to God that ask for healing, or ask for a person to change, or ask for a person not to act on their attractions, or talk about a person's brokenness or need to repent," he explained.
But prayer in general isn't banned: the Victorian Government is telling its citizenry they can still pray for their gay friends and neighbors. As Hamilton pointed out: "The prayers that are suggested includes prayers that are supporting and reassuring that the person is – quote – 'created in God's image and perfect the way that they are; prayers that acknowledge that God loves the individual.'"
Fellow AFR show host Alex McFarland contends woke regressives in the U.S. would love to implement the same restrictions here. "The LGBTQ-trans agenda is about obstructing the gospel," he tells AFN.
He has a message for any authorities who try to push the same agenda on American believers: "Woke government, thanks very much – but our Lord has already taught us how to pray … and so we don't really need your coaching."
In McFarland's view, the U.S. government is already infringing on people's religious freedom – if not their specific prayers. "The time is here where you have to decide: Will I stand for Christ no matter the cost?"
Jesus, warning his listeners to count the cost: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" (Luke 14:28)
