Are Christians being persecuted in the UK? Errr … no. You wouldn’t believe it reading some websites though, including the Christian Institute’s. (I was nice to them yesterday and I’m sure being balanced is important, don’t you?) Indeed listening to some, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, you’d think that the state is executing a grand plan of sweeping the faith away from public sight.

Street preacher from Cumbria

But that just isn’t the situation, is it? And to add to my case against believing such nonsense here’s a story published by a news organisation that regularly includes reports of the Christians-thrown-to-lions-in-the-UK variety, Christian Today. It’s a story about a Cumbrian street preacher who was arrested by the police and kept in custody for seven hours because he preached against homosexuality. Well there you are, I hear some of you say, proof positive that persecution is rampant in our dear country! Except that this guy sued the police for wrongful arrest, won his case, and received damages totalling £7,000. He settled before going to court apparently, but in another case Birmingham County Court awarded damages of £4,250 to a guy in similar circumstances. Included in his complaint against the police was what must be the most ironic statement of 2010 – ‘the infringements of his human rights’. Isn’t the Human Rights Act something conservative Christians are constantly complaining about? Well it seems to have its uses after all.

Common sense prevails

What is even more ironic is that the Christian Institute seems to think both these cases are proof of how anti-Christian this country is becoming. But surely they say nothing of the sort. In fact they say quite the opposite – if there are over zealous police officers who act beyond their powers on occasion then their superiors or the courts will see to it that common sense prevails.

So there we have it: you’re free to publicly harangue homosexuals all you like. Of course, it’s another question entirely why you should want to.