The UK government is proposing a new law that could have a major impact on the freedom of Christians to share the gospel. Please pray with those in the UK for God’s intervention. Pray that there will be key men and women in the UK government that will boldly speak out against this proposal.
Thank you,
Dana on behalf of the Watchman Network
Gospel freedom in jeopardy
The King's Centre, Chessington
7.30pm to 9.00pm, Saturday 12 February 2005
We are organising a special 'emergency' meeting because we are so concerned about the Government's proposed incitement to religious hatred crime, which will apply to England and Wales. We would be very grateful for your support at this meeting.
You may have read in the news about two Australian pastors who were found guilty of 'religious vilification' for criticising Islam. One of the pastors, Daniel Scot, is to speak at the meeting. He is visiting the UK to help us campaign against the UK Government's proposals which go much further than the Australian law. In the UK the Government is proposing a maximum 7-year prison sentence for breaking its 'hate speech' law.
Government guidance about the proposed UK law states 'Christians claiming Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, the life and the only way to God' could be a crime if their words were considered 'insulting' and it was a 'likely effect that hatred would be stirred up'. See: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/comrace/faith/crime/faq.html
Sharing the gospel - even very sensitively and thoughtfully - can lead to offence. Under the new law someone might allege that this was 'stirring up hatred'. In a democracy there has to be freedom to say things with which others can disagree. We believe that there is a very real danger that the new law could be used to stop evangelism.
Both Houses of Parliament will soon be voting on the proposed 'incitement to religious hatred offence' contained in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill. As you may have heard, the proposals are widely opposed by lawyers, journalists, actors, and religious and human rights groups. They fear that it will become illegal to criticise a religion. So do we.
In Australia, a court ruled that Daniel Scot's criticism of Islam was illegal under the State of Victoria's 'Vilification Law'. The case has attracted international concern. Daniel Scot was a maths lecturer at Karachi University in Pakistan, but had to flee for his life when he refused to convert to Islam. He settled in Australia and eventually became the minister of a church. A Muslim group took legal action against him under the vilification law for criticising Islam at a church seminar in March 2002. Last December, after a long and expensive legal case, he was found to have broken the law.
Can I invite you to come and hear Pastor Scot's story for yourself and hear more about what we can do as Christian believers to stop Gospel freedom being put in jeopardy? A leaflet for the meeting, with details of how to get to the King's Centre can be found at: http://www.christian.org.uk/incitement2005/12feb2005leaflet.htm .
I hope to see you there.
Yours sincerely,
Colin Hart
Director