“A Christian street preacher has been convicted of a Public Order offence for using the wrong Bible verse in a public conversation with a man who identifies as homosexual. But the preacher was acquitted of two other Public Order charges. District Judge Shamim Ahmed Qureshi found that Michael Overd, who regularly preaches on the streets of Taunton, could have pointed to Leviticus 18:22 which describes homosexual practice as an ‘abomination’, but that reference to Leviticus 20:13 was inappropriate because the chapter refers to the death penalty. Mr. Overd points out that in his use of Leviticus 20 he never referred to the death penalty. ‘I am being punished for words that never passed my lips,’ he commented. ... ‘I am amazed that the judge sees it as his role to dictate which parts of the Bible can and can’t be preached. I did not quote the full text of Leviticus 20 or make reference to the death penalty, but the judge is telling me that I should use other parts of the Bible. This is not free speech but censorship. The judge is redacting the Bible. I have been ordered to pay compensation for causing “emotional pain” to someone who approached me aggressively demanding to debate the issue. There was no harm, injury or theft, just a simple disagreement over theology which I have now been fined for. My motivation for preaching the gospel is my love for Jesus Christ and my deep concern for people who do not know His great love and are heading towards an eternity separated from God.” ... Judge Qureshi imposed a fine of £200 ($300) on Mr. Overd and told him to pay a total of £1,200 ($1800) in costs and compensation.” [Judge Qureshi, who according to a 2009 article in The Brief, chronicling the rise of Shariah law in Britain, serves with the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, the overseer of the nation’s Shariah courts.] “Judge Censors Bible for Public Preaching,” Christian Concern, Mar. 24, 2015 Comments are closed.
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