UK Prosecutor Called Bible Passage ‘No Longer Appropriate in Modern Society’

[Chris]

The story is from England, but is this coming to America.

To me there's catch-22 involved: If you have faith, then you accept the Bible, but if you don't, why's it matter?

UK Prosecutor Called Bible Passage ‘No Longer Appropriate in Modern Society’

A Christian street preacher faced charges of violating the Public Order Act by engaging in “threatening,” “abusive,” and “insulting” speech in telling a lesbian couple that homosexuals will not “inherit the kingdom of heaven,” citing the Bible. In defending the case against him, a prosecutor wrote that “there are references in the bible [sic] which are simply no longer appropriate in modern society and which would be offensive if stated in public” (emphasis original).

The court dismissed the case against the preacher, John Dunn, because the lesbian couple declined to testify, but a prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, the office of England’s government prosecutors, claimed before the trial that some Bible passages are “no longer appropriate in modern society.”

...The United Kingdom does not have a First Amendment to protect free speech, although the Christian Legal Centre cited the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights in defending Dunn’s free speech and religious freedom. The prosecution argued that Dunn impinged on “the similarly protected rights of the aggrieved parties.”

...Williams, the Christian Legal Centre CEO, argued that “The view from the CPS was that the Bible is offensive and contains illegal speech which should not be shared in public.”

England’s government prosecution office had the opportunity to disavow the statement and clarify that it does not consider the Bible offensive and illegal, but it declined to do so.

[carolina73]

The lesbian couple did not testify. Can we guess why? We can expect they would claim t be atheist. Heaven would not be something they would believe in so it could not be offensive to them.

[Street Glider]

The lesbian couple did not testify. Can we guess why? We can expect they would claim t be atheist. Heaven would not be something they would believe in so it could not be offensive to them.

That's pretty myopic. I know of plenty of gay people who believe in Heaven, God, etc...

[Tahuyaman]

I can see a future where Christian church services will need to go underground as government will say Christian services spread hate speech.

They will be a religious “speak easy.” A “preach easy.”
The western world is becoming increasingly Orwellian.

[RMNIXON]

Is this a threat anymore than telling a child Santa won't come by the house if they misbehave?

[carolina73]

That's pretty myopic. I know of plenty of gay people who believe in Heaven, God, etc...

Yes we know. They are Spiritual. LOL

The Bible and Koran are quite clear on homosexuality so what religion do they pretend to be?

[RMNIXON]

Yes we know. They are Spiritual. LOL

The Bible and Koran are quite clear on homosexuality so what religion do they pretend to be?

Even if they are religious (in whatever form) you still don't need to take everyone who claims to speak for God seriously. I don't see claims about what could happen in an afterlife as "threatening" and insults are part of life everywhere. Just look at what protesting lefties are yelling at people all the time.

It is more like a Safe Space demand on behalf of LGBTQ who need to be less of a snowflake.

[Carl Young]

The story is from England, but is this coming to America.

To me there's catch-22 involved: If you have faith, then you accept the Bible, but if you don't, why's it matter?

UK Prosecutor Called Bible Passage ‘No Longer Appropriate in Modern Society’

In fact that this is "no longer appropriate in modern society" may be right.

These sort of restrictions on free speech are more appropriate to a medieval society, not a free and modern one.

[Standing Wolf]

... These sort of restrictions on free speech are more appropriate to a medieval society, not a free and modern one.

In Medieval Europe, the one denouncing the lesbian couple would most likely have been a church and/or State official, and the women would have been punished with mutilations or burning.

[Carl Young]

In Medieval Europe, the one denouncing the lesbian couple would most likely have been a church and/or State official, and the women would have been punished with mutilations or burning.

And in each the State had restrictions on free speech and then, thusly, thought. Only the punishments varied.