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A new Christian group can now be added to the list of influential religious organizations in Japan who perpetuate harmful discourse against LGBTQ+ people. Joining the likes of the Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership and the Unification Church, this new Christian group founded last month openly justifies practices related to conversion therapy. We as followers of Christ feel compelled to raise our voice in protest as we begin this petition.

 “Nashville Statement” translated into Japanese

The Network for Biblical Understanding of Sexuality (NBUS) has translated into Japanese the “Nashville Statement” which was released in August 2017 by Evangelical leaders mainly in the U.S. and has since been used to deny the rights of sexual minorities to authentically live out their true selves..

The NBUS claims that they will “walk alongside those suffering from being LGBTQ+, sharing the love and salvation of God in the Bible, and help minorities within sexual minorities to transform if they so desire." However, sexual orientation and gender identity cannot be changed either by coercion or spontaneity. These claims by NBUS and the contents of the “Nashville Statement” lead to the dangerous territory of “conversion therapy” which has caused immeasurable harm, even death.

Christianity teaches that our very being is a gift from God. Changing someone’s sexuality amounts to rejecting that gift. We are deeply concerned by this stance and strongly protest against NBUS’s activities. Our hope is that persons of all sexualities can find the rightful respect that is afforded to everyone, both in church and in society.

 Conversion Therapy in the Church

Conversion therapy has been rampant in right-wing Evangelical churches in the United States especially since the 90s, and is still practiced today. Proponents claim that homosexual persons can become heterosexual, and transgender persons can remain in the sex and gender assigned at birth. Many LGBTQ+ Christians, already carrying so much hurt, have been severely victimized by these heinous programs. 

Conversion therapy has zero psychiatric/psychological evidence for their claims. “Aversion therapy” has often been performed by unlicensed physicians, applying electric shocks to the hands or genitals or administering nausea-inducing drugs while giving sexual stimulating through homosexual images.  

"Aversion therapy" has now been banned, yet coercive practices under the banner of “counselling” or “mental healing” continue in churches where sexual minorities face spiritual pressure to change through “social skills training” which include forced acceptance of gender-roles and self-suggestion.. Of course there is no evidence for “cure” in any of these “therapies”.

Canada has banned conversion therapy nationally, and in the U.S. Pennsylvania became the 26th state to ban it statewide in August 2022. Medical practitioners, scientists, and government agencies in the U.S. and the U.K. have expressed concern over conversion therapy as "potentially harmful." David Satcher, then-U.S. Surgeon General, published a report in 2001 stating "There is no scientific evidence that [conversion therapy] can alter sexual orientation."

Conversion therapy is a matter of life and death.

Many conversion therapy survivors claim to have converted to being heterosexual or "cured of transgender feelings" for a short while, until the effect of self-suggestion wears off and the heavy stress forces them to confront their true identity once again. The guilt of failing their “conversion therapy” along with the amplified homophobia/transphobia by the church causes further suffering. The conflict between their own faith crisis and the inner desire to live out their true identity can lead to depression, personality disorder, and other heavy mental illnesses. A high rate of suicide is also reported among those undergoing conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is about life and death (see the Netflix documentary "Pray away" for more information). God loves you just the way you are. Using the Bible to destroy a person's true identity under the pretense of a “new creation” has nothing to do whatsoever with the Gospel.

God loves you just the way you are.

God loves you unconditionally without requiring you to become someone else, because God loved us first. There is no need for you to change your sexuality or gender identity. The ones who need to change are those who reject your sexuality or gender identity created by God, and falsely claim God's name and arbitrarily quote Bible verses to justify themselves.

Your signature gives hope to those who are hurting.

Joining this petition will not disclose your identity nor lead to your sexuality being outed. You may use any name to express yourself, even your Twitter username or baptismal name. Our desire is to put an end to people being harmed by those using the Bible. We will continue to expose NBUS's harmful and problematic words and actions. We believe that our actions will allow many people to arise from their pain and join together to create an environment where everyone can rejoice in the richness of God’s creation, including the diversity of sexuality and gender. We, as followers of Jesus, are invited to rejoice and weep with each other. Please pray for LGBTQ+ individuals who are hurting and also for our work. Peace in Christ.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15 NRSV)