The Christian Coalition and more than a dozen other conservative religious groups have launched a $200,000 advertising campaign against homosexuality, describing it as a sin, a mental illness and a choice.

Whether or not it is a sin is a matter for philosophers and theologians. Virtually every major scientific organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, does not regard homosexuality as a mental illness. Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence supporting the claims of some conservatives that gays can be “cured.” The ads portray people who claim to have become heterosexual, but as the scientist’s dictum holds: “The plural of anecdote is not evidence.”

Neither science nor logic fits into the Christian Coalition’s ad campaign. For even as they brand homosexuality as a mental illness, the ads also claim homosexuality is a choice. Those suffering from depression, anxiety attacks and other real mental illnesses will no doubt be surprised their suffering was a matter of choice.

The only thing clear in this muddle of illogic is the political motivation behind the ads. Newspaper ads are not the method people of faith usually choose to express their views on sin. They are a way to score political points.

If members of the Christian Coalition are really concerned with saving the souls of gay people, they should refrain from making unfounded and inflammatory statements. If the ads are meant as election-year propaganda, however, they are probably doing exactly what they set out to do — not to heal but to divide Americans for political advantage — which is the saddest commentary on the matter.

Charles Godwin

Davenport