Quick Takeaways

• Christian families report being told specific lies about "conversion therapy" outcomes and success rates

• Programs promised change was possible with enough faith, prayer, or commitment, setting up children for failure and shame

• Many families were assured these methods were medically sound, despite universal rejection by health organizations

• Parents discovered programs prioritized profit over truth, charging thousands while delivering no positive results

• Families who recognize these lies can protect other Christian parents from making the same costly mistakes

Christian parents who pursued "conversion therapy" describe a painful pattern. They were told things that sounded true, backed by confident counselors who used familiar faith language. Only later did these families discover they had been deliberately misled. Understanding the specific lies these programs tell can help other families avoid the same harm.

Lie 1: Change Is Possible With Enough Faith

The most common lie Christian families encounter is that sexual orientation or gender identity can change through faith, prayer, discipline, or the right therapeutic approach. Programs frame this as a spiritual issue requiring spiritual solutions, suggesting that failure to change reflects insufficient faith or commitment.

One father shared his family's experience with a church-based program that promised transformation through accountability and prayer. After two years and considerable expense, his daughter remained attracted to women but had added crippling shame to her struggles. The program blamed her for not trying hard enough rather than admitting their methods did not work.

Research spanning decades shows these claims are false. No credible evidence demonstrates that "conversion therapy" can change sexual orientation or gender identity. Every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychological Association and American Medical Association, confirms these practices fail to produce claimed outcomes.

When programs tell Christian parents that change is possible, they are selling false hope. Children who cannot achieve impossible outcomes internalize failure, believing something is fundamentally wrong with them rather than recognizing the program's promises were lies from the start.

Lie 2: These Methods Are Medically Sound

Many "conversion therapy" providers present their approaches as legitimate therapeutic interventions backed by medical expertise. They cite credentials, reference research, and use clinical language to create an impression of scientific validity.

Christian families report being told these programs represent standard mental health care or proven treatment methods. Some providers claim their approaches are simply controversial rather than universally rejected by medical authorities.

The truth is starkly different. "Conversion therapy" has been thoroughly reviewed and decisively rejected by every major medical, mental health, and child welfare organization. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychiatric Association, and dozens of other professional groups state clearly that these practices are harmful and ineffective.

Courts have compared claims about changing sexual orientation to believing the Earth is flat. In landmark consumer fraud cases, judges found "conversion therapy" providers guilty of deliberately misleading families about the scientific basis for their methods.

When providers tell Christian parents these approaches are medically sound, they are lying. No amount of confident presentation or credential-citing changes the fact that the medical community universally rejects these practices.

Lie 3: Pastoral Counseling and "Conversion Therapy" Are the Same

Programs often blur the line between responsible pastoral counseling and "conversion therapy," leading Christian families to believe they are choosing faith-based support when they are actually enrolling in harmful practices.

Responsible pastoral counseling focuses on spiritual formation, family relationships, and helping young people navigate life's complexities through biblical wisdom. It does not promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity. It accompanies rather than pressures, supports rather than shames.

"Conversion therapy" operates differently despite often presenting itself as pastoral care. These programs have predetermined outcomes in mind: changing attractions or identity. They frame young people's experiences as problems requiring fixing rather than realities requiring compassion.

One mother described how her church's counseling program seemed genuinely pastoral until she realized every session focused on changing her son's attractions. What was marketed as spiritual guidance functioned as "conversion therapy" under Christian branding.

Christian families need to recognize this distinction. When programs promise or aim for identity change, they have crossed from pastoral support into harmful territory, regardless of the religious language used.

Lie 4: Success Stories Prove These Methods Work

"Conversion therapy" providers frequently share testimonies from people who claim their programs worked. These stories powerfully influence Christian parents who desperately want to believe change is possible for their child.

Families who later investigate these success stories often discover troubling patterns. Many featured individuals later recant their testimonies, admitting they were never actually attracted to the opposite sex or that they learned to publicly perform heterosexuality while privately struggling. Others remain in "conversion therapy" circles financially or professionally, creating incentives to maintain their stories.

Research examining claimed success cases reveals that most people either never experienced meaningful change, developed serious mental health problems, or eventually returned to their original orientation after years of attempting transformation.

Some of the most prominent "ex-gay" leaders have publicly apologized for promoting lies about change being possible. Alan Chambers, former president of Exodus International (once the largest "conversion therapy" network), shut down the organization and apologized to the thousands harmed by false promises his group made.

When programs tell Christian families about success stories, they are often presenting carefully curated narratives that do not reflect actual outcomes or long-term realities.

Lie 5: Your Child Will Be Rejected Without This Intervention

"Conversion therapy" providers frequently exploit Christian parents' legitimate fears about their child's future. They suggest that without their intervention, children will face rejection from family, church, and God. They paint dire pictures of lives marked by loneliness, sin, and spiritual separation.

This lie works because it taps into genuine parental concerns. Christian parents worry about their child's relationship with God, their place in faith communities, and their overall well-being. Programs position themselves as the only path to avoiding negative outcomes.

Families who resist "conversion therapy" often discover the opposite of what they were warned about. Their children thrive when accepted, maintain meaningful faith lives when not pressured to change, and build strong relationships when authenticity is welcomed rather than condemned.

The real risk of rejection comes not from who children are but from how families respond. Research shows that parental acceptance dramatically improves outcomes for young people navigating questions about sexuality or identity, while rejection increases risk for depression, substance abuse, and suicide attempts.

When programs tell Christian parents their child needs "conversion therapy" to avoid rejection and harm, they are lying. The intervention itself creates the very problems it claims to prevent.

Lie 6: Investment Proves Commitment to Your Child

Many "conversion therapy" programs charge substantial fees, framing high costs as necessary investments in a child's future. They suggest that true parental love requires financial sacrifice for transformation efforts.

Christian families report paying hundreds per counseling session, thousands for intensive programs, or tens of thousands for residential interventions. When outcomes do not match promises, programs often suggest additional sessions, deeper commitment, or more intensive (and expensive) approaches.

This financial exploitation operates like classic scam patterns. Providers extract maximum payment while delivering nothing of value, then blame clients when results do not materialize. Consumer fraud lawsuits have held "conversion therapy" providers legally accountable for this deceptive business model.

One family shared spending over thirty thousand dollars on various programs for their teenage son over three years. None produced the promised change. When they finally stopped, their son's relationship with them and his faith began healing. They wish someone had warned them that real investment in their child meant presence and acceptance, not expensive programs built on lies.

What Christian Families Want Other Parents to Know

Parents who experienced "conversion therapy" firsthand consistently share similar advice for other Christian families. They wish they had questioned confident claims more carefully, sought out independent research rather than trusting provider assurances, talked openly with their child before pursuing outside interventions, and consulted diverse Christian voices instead of those promoting "conversion therapy."

These families emphasize that recognizing lies does not require abandoning faith. Scripture calls believers to truth alongside love. Protecting children from deceptive practices honors both biblical values and parental responsibility.

The lies "conversion therapy" programs tell are not innocent mistakes. They are deliberate strategies to extract money and trust from vulnerable families. Christian parents deserve truth so they can make informed decisions that genuinely protect their children while honoring their faith.

FAQs

What lies do conversion therapy programs tell Christian families?
"Conversion therapy" programs commonly claim that sexual orientation can change with enough faith or effort, that their methods are medically sound (despite universal rejection by health organizations), that success stories prove effectiveness, and that children need these interventions to avoid rejection and harm. All of these claims are false.

Are conversion therapy success stories real?
Most "conversion therapy" success stories either misrepresent outcomes or come from people who later recant their testimonies. Research shows that claimed successes often involve people learning to hide their true feelings rather than experiencing actual change. Many prominent "ex-gay" leaders have since apologized for promoting false narratives about change.

How much do Christian families spend on conversion therapy?
Christian families report spending anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars on "conversion therapy" programs. Some pay several hundred per counseling session, while residential programs can cost $30,000 or more. Courts have found some providers guilty of consumer fraud for charging these fees while delivering no legitimate outcomes.

Is conversion therapy the same as pastoral counseling?
No. Responsible pastoral counseling focuses on spiritual growth and family relationships without promising to change orientation or identity. "Conversion therapy" has predetermined outcomes of changing who someone is attracted to or how they see themselves, even when marketed as pastoral care.

Why do conversion therapy providers lie to families?
"Conversion therapy" providers lie to Christian families for financial gain and ideological reasons. These programs operate like scams, extracting payment for services that cannot deliver promised results. They exploit parents' fears and faith to maintain business models built on false claims that no credible research supports.