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Street Preachers Convicted for Quoting Bible [UK]
JL Press Agency ^ | 3/3/17

Posted on 03/03/2017 5:55:38 PM PST by marshmallow

Two street preachers have been convicted of public order offences, after a public prosecutor claimed that quoting parts of the King James Bible in the context of modern British society "must be considered to be abusive and is a criminal matter".

The prosecutor had argued that free speech must yield to multicultural reality in modern Britain, and that there was a clear threat to violence due to the words of the preachers and the criticism of Islam.

Michael Overd and Michael Stockwell were convicted today (28th February) at Bristol Magistrates' Court. On Friday (25th February) the court dismissed the case against a third man, Adrian Clark, ruling that there was no case to answer.

During the four-day trial, State Prosecutor Ian Jackson, claimed:

"To say to someone that Jesus is the only God is not a matter of truth. To the extent that they are saying that the only way to God is through Jesus, that cannot be a truth."

The men were found guilty under Section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, for using "threatening or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress, thereby, and the offence was religiously aggravated."

Michael Phillips, who represented the street preachers, said:

"This prosecution is nothing more than a modern-day heresy trial – dressed up under the public order act."

Free to criticise Islam?

Mr Stockwell had quoted a Bible verse in which Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life" and that he is the only way to heaven.

Mr Stockwell said:

"If you are trying to come through Catholicism, through Jehovah Witness, through Mormonism, the Bible says you're a thief and a liar and a thief comes to steal and destroy. But Christ......."

(Excerpt) Read more at jlpressagency.com ...


TOPICS: Current Events; Evangelical Christian; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: christianpersecution; hatecrime; preachers

1 posted on 03/03/2017 5:55:38 PM PST by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

The end is near and it isn’t because of “global warming”.


2 posted on 03/03/2017 5:56:39 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it. - Clint Eastwood)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

There’s a reason it is no longer known as “Great” Britain....


3 posted on 03/03/2017 6:00:25 PM PST by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

So God is officially barred from the U.K, but Allah and Satan are free to enter.


4 posted on 03/03/2017 6:02:35 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: JBW1949

I pray America will be spared this. We’re inching close. But hopefully it won’t happen under President Trump’s watch.


5 posted on 03/03/2017 6:02:39 PM PST by freepertoo
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To: Telepathic Intruder

Same here. The fascist “democrats” kicked God out a long time ago.


6 posted on 03/03/2017 6:04:05 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it. - Clint Eastwood)
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To: marshmallow

There goes freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Great Britain does not have a bill of rights. When the first gun control laws were passed in England and Wales, it was acknowledged that there was a traditional and historical right to bear arms for self defense.

Only a couple of British legislators said anything about it, and they were ignored.


7 posted on 03/03/2017 6:05:24 PM PST by marktwain (We wanted to tell our side of the story. We hope by us telling our story...)
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To: marshmallow

Truly frightning.


8 posted on 03/03/2017 6:09:09 PM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear (****happy dance**** BIGLY!!!! Shadilay!)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Democrats have their reward in this life, but I doubt the next. “Whoever denies me before man, I will also deny before the Father”.


9 posted on 03/03/2017 6:09:42 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: marshmallow

I got thrown out of a store from a self professed Christian for quoting this same verse.


10 posted on 03/03/2017 6:09:49 PM PST by LukeL
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To: marshmallow

Maybe we could “Lend Lease” then a backbone...


11 posted on 03/03/2017 6:11:28 PM PST by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-pk2vZG2M)
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To: All

Click The Pic

12 posted on 03/03/2017 6:16:13 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo (MAGA!)
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To: marshmallow

The prosecutor deserves the death penalty.


13 posted on 03/03/2017 6:24:10 PM PST by samtheman (http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/3524434/posts)
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To: marshmallow

Britain needs a Muzxit.


14 posted on 03/03/2017 6:28:31 PM PST by Paladin2 (No spellcheck. It's too much work to undo the auto wrong word substitution on mobile devices.)
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To: marshmallow

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”


15 posted on 03/03/2017 7:02:03 PM PST by CitizenUSA (Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.)
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To: marshmallow

Unbelievable!


16 posted on 03/03/2017 7:36:45 PM PST by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Woe to those who call good evil, and evil good.


17 posted on 03/03/2017 7:42:24 PM PST by Dogbert41 (Jerusalem is the city of The Great King! Forgive my misspelling when on my tablet)
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To: marktwain

> Great Britain does not have a bill of rights.

Well, the British do have bills of rights, some very old — the Magna Carta (1215), the Bill of Rights of 1689 (which contains such things as the right of Protestants to bear arms), and later additions that expanded them, both in number of rights and persons to whom they applied, e.g., the Catholics. The American Bill of Rights represented an advance on what was permitted at the time, though.

Obviously the preaching of Christianity as the only way to salvation was widely done in Great Britain for centuries. (Prohibiting it sounds unjustified to me — let the listeners make up their own minds about what to believe.) Whether in this instance civil disturbance laws are being used legally in forbidding it is doubtful. (In my opinion doing so rewards persons who threaten violence to silence opposing points of view.) I don’t know which laws and rights pertain to private worship and which to public preaching, but rejecting public expression of that traditional Christian view represents a major departure from English tradition.

> Only a couple of British legislators said anything about it [the right to bear arms], and they were ignored.

As you point out, sometimes it’s just a matter of governments ignoring rights previously guaranteed. Rights can be exercised only to the degree that people are willing to defend them (and, in the final analysis — if necessary — with force).


18 posted on 03/03/2017 11:39:56 PM PST by GJones2 (Public preaching of Christianity as the only path to salvation banned in Britain?)
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To: marshmallow

Our oldest ally is toast.


19 posted on 03/04/2017 6:58:55 AM PST by ealgeone
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