LONDON (VI) — In northern European countries (and in the United States), the laws relating to discrimination and gender equality, especially those relating to homosexuality, are creating the basis for increasingly frequent conflict with Christianity.
This is especially so with those who explicitly uphold the negative stance taken by the Old Testament regarding homosexual acts, which St Paul adopted particularly fervently.
The owner of a café in Blackpool, Great Britain, was warned by police to stop flaunting “offensive” Bible verses in his establishment.
The police visited Jamie Murray, owner of the Salt & Light Coffee House, in Blackpool on Monday September 26 following a complaint concerning “insulting” and “homophobic” material.
The café has a television installed, showing verses from the Bible from a DVD device that transmits content from a site called Watchword Bible. The DVD offers texts and audio from the New Testament, but the sound in the café is turned off.
Police said Murray had received a complaint regarding “insulting” and “homophobic” material displayed in the café; even if the agents did not refer to specific texts cited in the complaint.
According to the Christian Institute, Murray was ordered to stop displaying verses from the Bible, because in doing so he violated Section 5 of the Public Order Act, which prevents the display of offensive or insulting words.
Jamie Murray said: “I could not believe that the police told me I could not show content from the Bible. Moreover, the agents were not very kind at all, they were quite aggressive in fact. I felt as if I was being interrogated.
“I said: ‘Surely it’s not a crime to show the Bible?’ They told me they had checked with the sergeant, and offensive words were a breach of Section 5 of the Public Order Act. I was shocked.
“I’m not here to insult or offend anyone, but the Bible is the Bible. We have always been told that we are a tolerant and diverse nation. However, what actually gave us these values, that is, Christianity, is being discriminated against. I don’t want exposure to public opinion, I prefer to quietly manage my café. But there comes a time when enough is enough,” Mr Murray said.
The Christian Institute is asking that the word “insulting” be removed from Section 5 of the Public Order Act. The institute spokesman, Mike Judge, criticised Lancashire police for the way they handled the complaint; their warning contradicts the right to freedom of speech and religious freedom.
“We all saw the police stand aside while Muslim extremists displayed signs encouraging the beheading of infidels, but woe if a Christian café displays the text of the Bible.
“The Bible speaks of morality, of course it does,” said Mr Judge. “But the Bible does not incite hate. Disagreement is not hate. If the customer does not appreciate verses from the Bible, the correct response is to become customers of other premises, and not call 999.”
Jamie Murray stopped showing verses from the Bible as he sought legal advice, but began to run the DVD again after receiving assurance that showing verses from the Bible in public is not a crime.
Sam Webster, a lawyer for the Christian Institute, said there the police may have endangered Jamie Murray’s freedom of speech and religion.
This is an example of the situation, according to Ivan Patterson, the new Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland when he said that “Christians have their wings clipped in our politically correct world”.
Patterson was referring to the case of a Christian doctor in England who faced disciplinary action by his professional body for speaking about his faith with a patient.
The case of Dr. Scott made the headlines when the General Medical Council said that talking about Christianity had caused stress in his patients, and threatened to bring discredit to the medical profession. However, Dr Scott said he only discussed faith after obtaining their permission.
“During the conversation, I said that I personally found that having faith in Jesus has helped me; and that perhaps it could be of help to them. At that time the patients did not appear to be offended in any way, and showed no signs of wanting to stop the interview.
“In that case I would have immediately ended the conversation.”
In recent months Britain has seen other cases like this; from the case of a nurse suspended from work for wearing a cross on a chain around her neck, to that of a truck driver who was placed under investigation by his company because he had a 20cm long crucifix made of palm leaves on the dashboard of his car.