More Appalling Christophobia

There is only one thing more alarming than the concerted attack on Christianity all over the Western world. That is the tragic truth that the Christian church is sleeping through its own execution. It seems most Christians have no clue that war has been declared against the Christian faith.

Indeed, most believers don’t seem to know or don’t seem to care that everywhere in the West we have case after case of ugly anti-Christian bigotry. Christians are being arrested, jailed, kicked out of school, fired from jobs, and threatened with fines and other penalties for daring to be Christian.

All over the West every particular group and lobby is allowed to do whatever they want whenever they want. But if Christians dare seek to exercise their faith in any way in public, you can be sure that increasingly the law will come knocking on the door.

A whole raft of laws effectively designed to silence Christianity are being passed around the Western world. Sure, they sound innocuous enough: anti-discrimination, anti-vilification, equal opportunity, hate speech, and so on. But who are they being used against?

Are they being used against angry atheists who berate, blaspheme and badmouth Christians on a regular basis? Are they used against militant homosexuals who mock, vilify and pour a steady stream of public abuse and hatred on Christians? Are they used against those promoting stealth jihad and creeping sharia in the West?

No, they are being used mainly against just one group: Bible-believing Christians who think they have as much right as anyone else in society to publicly exercise their faith. But of course such believers are sadly mistaken. Every day they are losing these rights.

I have documented countless examples of this on my site, and there looks to be no end in sight. Each new day brings new cases of blatant anti-Christian bigotry. Consider the latest, this time from the UK: “Police have threatened a Christian cafe owner with arrest – for displaying passages from the Bible on a TV screen.

“Jamie Murray was warned by two police officers to stop playing DVDs of the New Testament in his cafe following a complaint from a customer that it was inciting hatred against homosexuals. Mr Murray, 31, was left shocked after he was questioned for nearly an hour by the officers, who arrived unannounced at the premises. He said he had turned off the Bible DVD after an ‘aggressive inquisition’ during which he thought he was going to be arrested and ‘frog-marched out of the cafe like a criminal’.

“But he added: ‘I have now checked on my rights and I am not going to be bullied by the police and the PC lobby out of playing the Bible silently in my cafe. It’s crazy. Christians have to stand up for what they believe in.’ The Salt and Light cafe in Blackpool has for years repeatedly played the entire 26-hour-long Watchword Bible, a 15-DVD set produced in America in which a narrator reads the whole of the New Testament, on a small flatscreen TV on the back wall.”

This is utterly insane – but it is utterly typical of what we find occurring over and over again. Was this guy selling crack cocaine? Was he filming child pornography? Was he planning a bank robbery or a terrorist attack? Was he engaged in a violent robbery?

No far, far worse than that, apparently: he was actually showing the Bible in his own cafe! Wow, put him away and throw away the key! Lock up this horrible anti-social miscreant for life! Strip him of all his rights, close down this evil cafe, and make an example of him for everyone to see!

This is where law has degenerated to in the Western world. This is the madness which rampant political correctness and a militant and vicious homosexual lobby have brought about. Thus today every single committed and public Christian is at risk. It is only a matter of time before we all get similar visits from the police.

At least a few people have not gone completely nuts. Some people were rightly gobsmacked by all this, and raised their voices about it all. As the article continues: “The Christian Institute, which is supporting Mr Murray, said its lawyers had told him he is free to display the Bible in any way he chooses, and they are preparing a complaint against the police.

“The Institute’s spokesman Mike Judge said: ‘I have no problem with the police looking into a complaint, but once they realised it was just the words of the Bible being shown on the screen then they should have walked away. They did not even look at the offending DVD. They simply told Mr Murray that he had to stop showing the Bible and warned him that they would continue to monitor what he was doing. This is intimidatory and completely unacceptable. It is a problem right across the country that the police are under huge political pressure to be seen to respond to anything homophobic.’ Lancashire Police said they had received a complaint on Saturday afternoon from a female customer who was ‘deeply offended’ by the words she had seen on the screen.”

Another article says this: “Mr Murray said: ‘I couldn’t believe the police were saying I can’t display the Bible. The officers were not very polite, in fact they were quite aggressive. It felt like an interrogation. I said “surely it isn’t a crime to show the Bible?” But they said they had checked with their sergeant and insulting words are 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’re always being told that we’re a tolerant and diverse nation. Yet the very thing that gave us those values – Christianity – is being sidelined.’

“‘I’m not looking to make a name for myself, I’d rather be quietly getting on with running my café. But there comes a time when you have to say enough is enough.’ The Christian Institute’s Head of Communications, Mike Judge, said: ‘We’ve all seen the police stand by while extremist Muslims hold placards calling for infidels to be beheaded, but woe betides a Christian café displaying Bible texts. Yes, the Bible speaks about morality, of course it does. But the Bible isn’t hate speech. Disagreement isn’t hatred. If a café customer dislikes parts of the Bible, the right response is to take their custom elsewhere – not dial 999’.”

It concludes, “Sam Webster, the Christian Institute’s in-house Solicitor-Advocate, said: ‘We will be advising Mr Murray of his legal options. He may well have grounds for a legal action against the police for infringing his rights to free speech and religious liberty.’

“‘It ought to go without saying that reading the Bible out loud in a public place, or displaying Bible texts in a Christian café, is not of itself a criminal offence. I am alarmed that I even have to point that out. On the face of it, officers of Lancashire Constabulary appear to have said that such behaviour may fall within the scope of Section 5 of the Public Order Act. As a lawyer and a Christian, I find that deeply disturbing’.”

It is deeply disturbing alright. But it is happening more and more all over the West. Yet the really disturbing thing is how few believers are even aware of this crackdown on Christianity, or even care. If they don’t get aware soon, and start caring, they soon may not be able to make any public stink about this at all.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041504/Police-tell-cafe-owner-Stop-showing-Bible-DVDs-arrest-you.html#ixzz1Yy923q8j
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/video-police-ban-bible-from-christian-cafe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20christianinstitute%20%28The%20Christian%20Institute%29&utm_content=FaceBook

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23 Replies to “More Appalling Christophobia”

  1. This is certainly a dire statement against the British nation when its foundational heritage is a crime. It may not be long at all until sites like your own would have to be only available through a VPN with subscribed readers.
    Aaron Downs

  2. Thanks Aaron

    Hey, soon sites like mine will be banned altogether – all in the name of tolerance and inclusion of course.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  3. The best comment I read about this story on another blog was this:
    “Well, looks like they’ll just have to display some hardcore gay porn instead, so that only the right people will be offended.”

    This sort of thing would be truly worthy of the utmost derision and mockery if it wasn’t such a blatant infringement of basic rights and freedoms. I hope this guy takes the police to the cleaners.

    Mark Rabich

  4. Thanks Mark

    Yes quite right. But two problems here. If Christians complained, they would likely be ignored by the police. Also, it is not so much the police I suppose as the knucklehead PC bureaucrats who invent such idiotic laws in the first place.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  5. Another case, woman was arrested in her home, for holding a Bible study without permits. I cannot remember if it was in America or Briton. Sounds rather communist in my reading.

    Neil Waldron

  6. The vast majority of Christians aren’t aware, because they haven’t discovered news outlets that will truly broadcast the news. Instead they get a steady diet of politically-correct news– from which attacks against Christians and Christianity are carefully edited out.

    If one does try to point out to members of our general culture, that these kinds of attacks upon Christians are becoming a daily thing, then they respond with the PC retort, “Oh, the poor Christians crying about persecution! It’s getting really old, when there are so many groups who are really being persecuted!”

    Obviously, those of us who are aware of the cultural war we’re in need to do more to enlighten our brothers and sisters. And we need to spread the word about blogs and news outlets that don’t hide these stories.

    If you’re on Twitter, you might try following these Christian legal groups who defend believers on a regular basis. Ask your friends to follow them as well. Groups like the Alliance Defense Fund here in the States put out press releases on their cases. @Manhattendec also tweets regularly about stories on these issues.

    Ronin Akechi

  7. Thanks Bill
    Oh what will it take for the sleepy church to stand up? I told a very good friend this week about the 14yr old Texan student who was suspended from school (last week) for saying to a friend that he believed ‘homosexuality was wrong’. She exclaimed ‘that would never happen here- how ridiculous’. I have enclosed the article and also another one about Christians being sacked for wearing crosses and other such ‘crimes’.

    http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/texas-honors-student-suspended-for-saying-homosexuality-is-wrong

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041519/Persecuted-Christians-Government-European-Court-express-beliefs-work.html

    Annette Williams

  8. Thanks Bill.
    A very disturbing development in an already advanced pogrom against Christianity. It IS persecution, quite clearly, but it takes a different form, and for somewhat different reasons, than say, in North Korea or China. The in Islamic countries it is because Christians are dhimmis and even infidels in lands where (Islamic) “truth” reigns. But in Western countries it is persecution just the same.

    As you say, this is catching unawares a sleeping church, a church comfortable in the bosom of liberalism, secularism, and the ideological left.This persecution will only advance, and it makes the old hymn all the more poignant:
    Who is on the Lord’s side?
    Who will serve the King?

    And the last verse goes as follows:

    Chosen to be soldiers
    In an alien land,
    Chosen, called, and faithful,
    For our Captain’s band,
    In the service royal
    Let us not grow cold;
    Let us be right loyal,
    Noble, true, and bold.
    (Frances Ridley Havergal)

    What you describe will only intensify, and the question is how many will crumple under the pressure, because they have already compromised so much.
    And yes, I must pose the question as to whether this may well be the final battle before our Lord returns? I do not believe that this is an improper question, since our Lord Himself instructs us:
    “But when these things begin to take place, lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)
    If that is “defeatist” and “pietistic”, as one blogger suggested a few weeks ago, then so too was/is our Lord. That is our hope in times such as these.

    Murray R. Adamthwaite

  9. “…and the jackboot of Political Correctness”
    And that jackboot is worn by judges; likewise their political masters make the “non-discrimination” laws to line those jackboots with steel.
    Never has the Devil invented such a ruse: bigotry, intolerance, intimidation, injustice, and repression – all under the sweet guise of “tolerance”, “equality”, and “concern for rights”.

    It should be clear, however, that the principal agent and leading force for this ribald injustice and repression is socialism with its ‘nanny-state’, social-engineering, totalitarian agenda. Thus the Labor Party, and its increasingly vociferous allies, the Greens, lead the charge for these types of laws.

    In this whole scenario there is a breed of erstwhile ‘Christians’ who support the Labor Party – even the Greens – and are serenely unconcerned about the erosion of freedom, and even scoff at those like ourselves who try to raise the alarm. Some of these people inhabit academia, and also the Christian school movement. This I find the most distressing thing of all: we are being sold out by those who profess to be our friends.

    Murray R. Adamthwaite

  10. Oh dear. Uh oh. Holy moley. A few phrases that come to mind.

    Then Andrew Bolt is found guilty. We’re in a lot of trouble.

    Simon Kennedy

  11. Thanks Simon

    Yes quite right – we are in real big doo doo indeed. And the worst part is the church is sleeping through it all.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  12. Bill,
    Thank you for once again delivering a great blog. Of course the Church in Australia (probably all over the western world) is not only asleep – it is snoring! I see and hear some Churches making a lot of noise with their bands, and jumping around with hands waving in the air, but somehow, there appears to be very little teaching of Gods’ Word. When injustice of the sort which has been raised in your column is brought to the notice of the congregation, they almost literally yawn and ask if it wasan’t really the fault of those Christians who are so much “in your face”. There are times when I despair, then I remember, that no matter what – GOD is still in control.

    Joan Davidson

  13. I think I have mentioned it before Bill – as individuals we can do little in this and in many anti-christian activities. The church leadership is lacking in courage to rally their congregations to demonstrate against this attempt to annihilate Christianity. I hope at one of their leadership gatherings you are able to make the point they need take the leadership in rallying the sheep.

    Patrick Brahams

  14. A year ago I was sitting with my wife and married friends on a cliff top, eating fish and chips, looking at the moon shining on the sea, when suddenly two, women, community police on their women community police bikes stopped in front of us whilst on their community police patrol and spoke to us in their community police way. They warned us of ‘goings on’ that take place at this time of night in this type of place.
    In other words, though we might be enjoying our fish and chips, looking at the moon on the sea, we had to be on our guard. So I offered (in case the women community police were too refined and sensitive to speak plainly) that what they were talking about was ‘dogging’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogging_(sexual_slang)
    “Oh, well, if you see it going on, do not in any way interfere; but you may report it to the police if you find it offensive.” I wish I had asked at the time, what should I do if I saw a murder taking place or a child being sexually molested and didn’t find it offensive – in fact enjoyable and satisfying to watch? But I was too slow witted.
    One of the community police women then offered that everyone accepted homosexuality today – indeed, she herself was a lesbian and that her mother was comfortable with this. At which point I said, “In that case I must hand myself in because I am a homophobe. I was born like it, it is in the genes; I have no choice but to be homophobic bigot. You had better arrest me”. At that point, somewhat at a loss for something to say, they cycled off along their community police patrol route. But what if I had complained to the police? Wouldn’t I be arrested for harbouring feelings of hatred?

    The point I should have made was that instead of doing their job, which was to arrest anyone who was creating a public disturbance and thereby stopping my wife, friends and myself from innocently enjoying an evening out, these two, gay, Police women were saying that the responsibility of maintaining old fashioned law and order was no longer the remit of the police, since behaviour like murder, indecent behaviour, rape and violence were no longer crimes. Any policing was going to be the responsibility of the public policing their own feelings. If we are not rejoicing over the depraved conduct that we see around us of lawless people, we are the ones who are criminal.
    How soon before signs such as these, saying, SOME PEOPLE ARE GAY, GET OVER IT, that have appeared at railway stations and in schools in Britain are in every street? http://www.stonewall.org.uk/education_for_all/news/current_news/2043.asp
    legalising of sex in public parks
    http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08031409.html
    Vigilante who filmed gay dogging in attempt to shame men into stopping is spared jail
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1184254/Vigilante-filmed-gay-dogging-attempt-shame-men-stopping-spared-jail.html
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1318499/Doggers-indulging-outdoor-sex-protected-victimisation.html

    David Skinner, UK

  15. Not long ago I complained to a Policeman about an offensive tee shirt prominently displayed in a shop window on Flinders Street. The Policeman said there was nothing he could do about it. I took the matter up with the Melbourne City Council who seemed a bit more interested. It would seem we have “lost the plot”.
    Peter Coventry

  16. In the words of a Rosetta Tharpe song “there are strange things happening every day”.
    Thank God for encouraging old songs like ‘Dare to Be a Daniel’ and for Bible snippets that remind us “..but we are risen and stand upright..” (Psalm 20:8). And thanks to you Bill for your ever-faithful ministry. May the Lord refresh you and your loved ones.
    Terry Darmody

  17. Interesting that the “old” songs were written when it was fashionable to at least attend church in England and now few of the modern hymns get past how good it is to be accepted.
    Correct me if I’m wrong.
    Katherine Fishley

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