Jail for Calling Homosexuality A Sin

Political Realities ^ | 07/10/13 | Charles M. Phipps

[LD Jackson]

Tony Miano is a retired deputy sheriff and former chaplain with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A little over a week ago he went to London with the ministry group called Sports Fan Outreach International to do street preaching outside the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. While doing this, he was arrested. When a woman heard Miano mention that the Bible was clear about homosexuality being a sin she cursed at him, then called the police who arrived shortly thereafter and arrested him. The charge was "using homophobic speech that could cause people anxiety, distress, alarm or insult."

Upon arriving at the police station he was fingerprinted, had a DNA sample taken, then was interrogated. After a thirty minute interrogation and seven hours in jail, Miano was released when police decided to not pursue charges against him. A transcript of his interrogation can be found here. It is a bit lengthy but I highly encourage it be read. It appears Miano's interrogator was open to his purpose in London and came to understand that Miano was not promoting fear or hatred of homosexuals. Miano said he did not focus entirely on homosexuality, but addressed all forms of sexual immorality using I Thessalonians 4:1-2 – a biblical passage that mentions sexual immorality.

After being released Miano expressed concern that the same thing could happen here in the United States. He said, "I believe that's what our government is going to eventually do here. I believe homosexuals or others who are sensitive to their point of view will be visiting churches to listen to what preachers say from the pulpit. And I believe that pastors will be arrested in their pulpits for teaching what the Bible says about homosexuality and other sins."

This is not the first time a preacher has been arrested in the United Kingdom for speaking negatively about homosexuality and probably not the last. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the British Christian Legal Centre, said a clampdown on religious free speech regarding Christian views on sexual ethics is already under way.

How long will it be before such a clampdown begins here in the United States? Will preachers begin to be arrested for preaching against homosexuality? I agree with Miano that one day it will happen here under the guise of 'hate speech.' Homosexuals do not like to be told their choice (yes, choice) of lifestyle is wrong and sinful. Silencing the opposition has always been a staple in the leftists playbook and being able to use the threat of arrest for 'homophobic speech' is something I'm sure that homosexual activists are already examining.

Naysayers will probably scoff at my belief, but I would ask if just twenty or thirty years ago would anyone have believed gay marriage would one day be legal in parts of the United States? Or that gays would be openly serving in our military? Or that gays would have prominence in movies and television shows? Or that corporations would offer employee benefits to same-sex couples? Any honest answer would be no to all the above. And yet all these things have happened. Can it be much longer before our country 'progresses' to the point where speaking negatively about homosexuality earns you some silver bracelets and a free ride in a police car? If it can be done in the United Kingdom then it could one day happen here. That day is coming; it's just a matter of when.

[miss marmelstein]

It isn’t smart to go to a foreign country and break their admittedly disgusting laws. The United Kingdom also arrests people who say nasty things on Facebook - how could this preacher not know that?

[0.E.O]

I would think that if that was in danger of happening here then Fred Phelps and his mob would have been in jail long ago.

[logic101.net]

Coming soon to a totalitarian country near you.

[Viennacon]

Let’s stop saying ‘gay’. It’s homosexual or Sodomite.

[muir_redwoods]

It would be fun to get a muslim street preacher to start spewing against sexual immorality and see what the cops in Londonistan do. I suspect a different outcome

[Telepathic Intruder]

The problem was that he isn’t Muslim.

[TMA62]

One of the reasons why the prilgrims left England in 1620 was that one could be arrested and throw in jail for simply having an opinion different from the crown or the government. Free thought was, and still is, dangerous in England.

[miss marmelstein]

Oh, yes. I’m surprised they haven’t criminalized comments on Facebook. I guess that pesky 1st A. still gets in the way...

[IbJensen]

The same thing could conceivably happen to him here in the land of the free and home of the homosexuals.

[Gen.Blather]

“Oh, yes. I’m surprised they haven’t criminalized comments on Facebook. I guess that pesky 1st A. still gets in the way...”

There are at least two teenagers currently in jail awaiting trial for threats made on forums. Admittedly, threats are threats. But if you’re going to arrest there should be some corroborating evidence. But, apparently, you can get arrested for being stupid. (Who among us didn’t do something stupid as a teenager?)

[NRA1995]

Why hasn’t Mark Knopfler of Dire straits been pilloried for singing about “that little faggot with the earring and the makeup?” He should be held to the same standard as Paula Deen!

[SoConPubbie]

It isn’t smart to go to a foreign country and break their admittedly disgusting laws. The United Kingdom also arrests people who say nasty things on Facebook - how could this preacher not know that?

And yet our history and the history of England are replete with examples of brave men and women who have done that because they would rather obey God than the laws of men.

One of the most famous of English preachers, John Bunyan (who wrote "The Pilgrim's Progress" while in prison) was imprisoned more than once because he was preaching without a license.

In 1655, Bunyan became a deacon and began preaching, with marked success from the start. In 1658 he was indicted for preaching without a license. The authorities were fairly tolerant of him for a while, and he did not suffer imprisonment until November of 1660, when he was taken to the county jail in Silver Street, Bedford, and there confined (with the exception of a few weeks in 1666) for 12 years until January 1672. Bunyan afterward became pastor of the Bedford church. In March of 1675 he was again imprisoned for preaching publicly without a license, this time being held in the Bedford town jail. In just six months this time he was freed, (no doubt the authorities were growing weary of providing Bunyan with free shelter and food) and he was not bothered again by the authorities.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

The Pilgrims were arguably even more oppressive than the government they left behind. They simply wanted religious oppression on their terms, not somebody else’s.

[G Larry]

“...HOMOPHOBIC speech that could cause people anxiety, distress, alarm or insult.”

Well....that’s an easy charge to beat!

“phobia” means “irrational fear”.

Once you make it clear that your speech conveyed no “fear”, the charge carries no weight.

[John O]

I would think that if that was in danger of happening here then Fred Phelps and his mob would have been in jail long ago.

I have no doubt that phelps is bankrolled by the faggots as he makes Christianity look bad. The faggots can't get what they want as long as the church is here. So part of their program is to discredit the church.

Fortunately most people with a brain recognize phelps as a looney.

Unfortunately there are fewer and fewer people with brains these days

[Wurlitzer]

I see our great friends in England need the same instruction as we do on the word “Homophobic” as at no time are we afraid of those with SSAD (Same Sex Attraction Disorder) but what should all be very afraid of is government regulating speech so tightly that even truthful speech is not only suppressed but made illegal.

It would seem the self anointed “Enlightened” people have mastered the fine art of wordsmithing so that they can create words which sound good for their purpose but have either no meaning or mean exactly the opposite.

[cuban leaf]

The first ammendment is a big deal. People forget they are in a foreign country at their own peril.

I’d be careful in Canada too, even with the recent overturn of the speech law.

[cuban leaf]

Let’s stop saying ‘gay’. It’s homosexual or Sodomite.

---

I feel so strongly about this that about six months ago, during our church service, our pastor used the word “gay” to refer to them. Literally instictively, I yelled, “It’s ‘homosexual’.” I said it without even thinking.

[miss marmelstein]

Yes, I’ve heard that story. It’s interesting but threats go on all the time on Facebook. It’s why I’m increasingly sorry I have an account.