Last year I began to write about the fact that I could see a progression toward a time coming when the Bible will be declared illegal in the UK. Believe you me, I will be only too happy to be proved wrong on this, but what I see is that the evidence actually supports the idea that we are moving toward the time when the Bible will be illegal.

Just this week, (15th August 2009), The Telegraph carried a report about a street preacher being threatened with arrest for reading the Bible in public.

Miguel Hayworth and his Father were reading out the Bible and handing out tracts in Manchester, when he says that:

“I was approached on more than one occasion by several police officers who falsely accused me, stating that I was inciting hatred with homophobic and racial comments,”

He continued… 

“One plain-clothed officer, who was with the other two uniformed officers, said: ‘It is against the law to preach and hand out tracts: preaching causes offence and handing out tracts is harassment and could result in an arrest.’”

I do not know Miguel or his father, and having heard them on YouTube I would have to say that their presentation is probably rather stronger than I would want to do if I was preaching in public, but we still have a situation where reading the Bible is being considered an illegal act in the UK by our own Police force.

“He and his father, John, 55, were unlawfully and unfairly treated as they preached Christianity in the city at the end of July.”

“They were clearly told that reading the Bible and preaching can be offensive and that they could be arrested,”

“Furthermore, they were subjected to abuse and intimidation. They were told that they were being monitored and filmed,”

Andrea Minichiello Williams the director of the Christian Legal Centre.

You can read the Telegraph article here.