A federal judge last week struck down a Tampa, Fla., ordinance that prohibited conversion therapy for minors with unwanted same-sex desires, ruling it conflicts with state law and parental rights.

The Tampa ordinance banned conversion therapy for children and teens when it involves a licensed counselor. The goal of such therapy is to assist those who have unwanted desires related to gender expression or sexual orientation/attraction. 

Counselors who violated the ordinance were subject to a $1,000 fine on first offense and $5,000 fines on subsequent offenses. 

U.S. District Judge William F. Jung, in an Oct. 4 decision, chided the city for passing an ordinance that bans something even if an individual “desires to proceed.”

Jung cited the Florida Constitution, which reads, in part, “Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life except as otherwise provided herein.”

“Nothing is more intimate, more private, and more sensitive, than a growing young man or woman talking to a mental health therapist about sex, gender, preferences, and conflicting feelings,” wrote Jung, who was nominated by President Trump. “The Ordinance inserts the City’s code enforcers into the middle of this sensitive, intense and private moment.”

Jung said parental rights – “which the…

Some company owners try to distance their brand from religion and faith. In-N-Out’s president, though, is embracing it. 

In-N-Out Burger owner and president Lynsi Snyder, 37, says in a new interview with The Christian Post that she has expanded a tradition started decades ago when then-company president Rich Snyder printed Bible references on packaging. 

“It was my Uncle Rich who put the Bible verses on the cups and wrappers in the early ‘90s, just before he passed away,” Snyder said according to the Christian Post. “He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand. It’s a family business and will always be, and that’s a family touch. In later years, I added verses to the fry boat, coffee, and hot cocoa cups.”

The verses are discreet – on the bottom of a cup, for example – but easy to find with a quick search. The company has used well-known Bible references like John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world …”) but also less-popular ones like Nahum 1:7 (“the Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”). 

Snyder said in recent years she has added Proverbs 24:16 (“for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes”) to the fries container and Luke 6:35 (“but love your enemies, do…

On his show, The 700 Club, televangelist Pat Robertson warned the President that he may lose the “mandate of heaven” should Kurdish allies be massacred as a result of his decision to pull US troops out of Syria.

“I am absolutely appalled that the United States is going to betray those democratic forces in northern Syria,” Robertson said, according to Relevant Magazine. “That we are possibly going to allow the Turkish to come against the Kurds.

He continued: “The President, who allowed [Washington Post journalist Jamal] Khashoggi to be cut in pieces without any repercussions whatsoever, is now allowing the Christians and the Kurds to be massacred by the Turks. The President of the United States is in danger of losing the mandate of heaven if he permits this to happen.”

Last week, Trump called US troops out of Syria, leading to a bipartisan outcry warning the President that the move could leave Kurdish allies and Christians vulnerable to Turkish attacks. Over the weekend, Kurdistan 24 reported that Turkish bombers attacked an alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) position close to a Christian village. Though no casualties were reported, the attack is the second within three days and has led to the evacuations of many villagers.

Robertson had previously supported the President’s decision to not investigate…

The Minnesota Attorney General has summoned Christian filmmakers Carl and Angel Larsen back to court over their refusal to create a wedding video for a gay couple.

For three years, the Larsen’s have fought in court to defend their freedom of speech, finally achieving victory by the 8th Circuit Court, which reversed Minnesota’s chief federal judge’s dismissal of their claims. The Circuit Court ruled that “the First Amendment allows the Larsens to choose when to speak and what to say,” according to CBN.

But Attorney General Keith Ellison and Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero announced last week that they will take the couple back to court instead of appeal the decision.

In an op-ed in the Star Tribune, the pair stated that they believe the ruling “amounts to a license to discriminate against LGBTQ folks.”

They continued: “People have the right to believe whatever they want to believe. What they don’t have is the right to deny you the same service they’re offering to everyone else. No Minnesotan should be afraid that might happen to them. The Human Rights Act protects all of us from that.”

Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco of the Alliance Defending Freedom, however, believes that the couple “won a great free speech victory.” In a statement, he also said, “This principle protects everyone. It means the state can’t…