In July 2009, the parliament of the European nation of Lithuania adopted a Law on the Protection of Minors, which limits the propagation of information deemed harmful to young people.

This includes, not just graphic violence, pornography, pro-drug propaganda etc., but also restricts information “which promotes homosexual, bisexual, and polygamous relations.”

For their trouble they have been criticised, predictably, by other EU nations and by groups like Amnesty International.

A recent attempt to introduce into Lithuanian kindergartens a fairy tale about two princes falling in love started a national controversy that led eventually the new legislation.

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Basic to the Christian religion is the concept of the virtue of charity — love of one’s neighbour and the desire to do him good – what is really for his good, not just going along with whatever he might want at the time.

What is often called “tolerance” is not always real charity. There is such a thing as false tolerance. Condoning the lifestyle of actively homosexual persons could arguably be so categorised.

Maybe the most charitable thing one can do for homosexually active persons would be to warn them that what they are doing is not good for their own health and happiness, nor good for the society around them, that there are known psychological, medical and social causes for homosexual behaviours — and that there are ways to alleviate them.

If Lithuania is getting all this right, then Australia is getting it wrong.