A leaflet has been distributed in Devon calling on gay people to “control their urges”
A leaflet distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses has caused widespread offence after suggesting that gay people should “control their urges.”
The leaflet which is entitled “How to harness your habits” has been described as “anti-gay” after a section of the text told readers that the bible condemns ‘homosexual acts’. The LGBT charity Stonewall called the leaflet “damaging vitriol”.
The leaflet has been examined by the Devon and Cornwall police who considered that the material did not meet “the threshold to be considered a crime”.
The leaflet seemingly compares gay people to animals by suggesting that “unlike animals, they can choose not to act on their impulses”.
Passages highlighted by the religious group also quoted,
“A person who has homosexual leanings can control what he allows his mind to dwell on, just as he would control any other wrong desire, including leanings towards anger, adultery or greed.”
ALSO READ: This video released by Jehovah’s Witnesses suggests that gay people can be changed
In the leaflet Jehovah’s Witnesses distributed to people in North Devon claim that the,
“Bible tells Christians to be respectful of all kinds of people. (1 Peter 2:17) But that does not mean that Christians must accept all kinds of conduct.
“Consider a comparison: Suppose you view smoking as harmful and even repugnant. What if you have a workmate who is a smoker? Would you be considered narrow-minded just because your view of smoking differs from his?
Would the fact that he smokes and you do not smoke automatically mean that you are prejudiced against him?
If your workmate were to demand that you change your view of smoking, would that not make him narrow-minded and intolerant?
The leaflet explained that whilst Jehovah’s Witnesses choose to live by a moral code set forth in the bible and do not approve of actions not set out by the bible as ‘moral’ they will not “mock nor mistreat” people who don’t follow that code.
