A branch of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry in Liverpool, was found offering gay people the chance to ‘rid themselves of their homosexuality’ through a relentless prayer session involving three days without food or water.
An undercover reporter posing as a member of the public ‘questioning their sexuality’ was invited for a private counselling session with the church’s assistant pastor.
He was told that being gay is ‘biologically wrong’, and that by undergoing prayer therapy it could be corrected to ‘allow him to marry and have children.’
The assistant pastor – who called himself ‘Brother Michael’ – said that in order for the so-called therapy to be most effective, our reporter would have to ‘humble his soul’ by starving himself and not drinking water for 24 hours before taking part in a weekly prayer session.
At no point were any physical or medical examinations offered by the church before issuing this advice.
After the church’s pastor Dr Desmond Sanusi was confronted over the investigation, he claimed that the church does not discriminate against anyone’s sexuality, and that Brother Michael was not acting under his guidance.
He also claimed that in 20 years of similar programmes running, ‘nobody has dropped dead’.
He said:
‘If you come to the church to come and pray to come and know god better you are welcome. We don’t discriminate against people.
‘It’s been running for over 20 years and nobody has dropped dead.’
But Dr Sanusi added:
‘What [Brother Michael] discussed with you. It is out of my guidance. I am the pastor of this church. It is not a three-day fasting.’
Experts said the methods recommended were ‘dangerous’ and ‘extremely concerning’.
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