According to Macworld, Apple approved, and then rejected, an iOS app designed to help people address a range of struggles. The app offered free courses to help Christian disciples deal with such things as overeating, substance abuse, cutting, and gambling. But what got the developers in trouble was the temerity to offer a course option on same-sex attraction. The All Out organization generated an online protest against Apple for listing the app in iTunes, and Apple reversed their decision.
It's irresponsible of Macworld to entitle the post 'Apple pulls app that claimed to "cure" homosexuality.' Putting "cure" in quotes leads the reader to assume the app developers made that claim. And based on the comments below that post, mission accomplished. But the only place I can find the use of that word is on the protest site, not the Setting Captives Free website. Seems to me there's a significant difference between someone claiming to 'cure' unwanted feelings and someone claiming to help you successfully resist acting on unwanted feelings.
Apple's app developer guidelines prohibit "the promotion of hatred toward groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity." No one has asked Apple why they concluded the app "promoted hatred," or Apple hasn't responded to inquiries. I know nothing about the Setting Captives Free organization other than what can be learned from a quick scan around their website. But it seems to me that the organization is operating on the worldview most Christians hold: Jesus expects his disciples to resist acting on certain impulses, and the work of the Word, the Spirit, and the Body can strengthen a disciple's resistance. Could someone get Apple to clarify if this is what "the promotion of hatred" means to them?
Posted with Blogsy
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