Free speech for all – except Christians!

It is almost impossible to believe, but in 21^stcentury Britain Christians across the country are being vilified, abused, and hounded out of office, simply for daring to voice beliefs drawn from the Bible.  Beliefs, it need hardly be said, that have been the foundation of our culture and laws for a thousand years.   The latest victim of this outrage is Richard Smith, pastor of Immanuel Christian Fellowship, decorated military veteran, and mayor of Ferryhill, Co Durham.

Elected to office in May this year by his fellow councillors – who presumably must have held Mr Smith in high regard to have given him their vote – only weeks into his tenure he has now been targeted and attacked by a local drag artist and, it appears, LGBTQ activist, who goes under the stage name Tess Tickle (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-44593385; http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/16310374.Calls_to_strip_Ferryhill_Mayor_s_title_over_posts_about_gay_people_and_Islam/).   Mark Boyes, or Tess Tickle, depending on your preferred persona, launched into immediate attack because of Richard Smith’s private comments on his Facebook page about homosexuality and Islam.

Were these comments frothing, hate filled venom, condemnation and bigotry, as Mark Boyes claims?  No, they were affirmation and reflection of deeply held Christian belief that acknowledges we are all sinners who can be saved only by repentance of our sin.  And, wholly in line with Christian belief, Mr Smith believes that certain behaviours remain ‘sin’ and most definitely need repentance, even though the greater part of society now appears to think that morality is governed by personal inclination.   In fact the Mayor expressly says, “As a Christian and a minister of the church, anyone regardless of faith, culture, race, gender or sexuality is welcome to my support.”

Does this sound like hatred, or bigotry?  No, it sounds like compassion.

Let us be absolutely clear.  What Mark Boyes (who is gay, but doesn’t, as far as VfJUK can tell, identify as female off-stage) is effectively saying is that you are no longer allowed to express Christian belief in public.  And you are definitely not permitted to express criticism of his chosen lifestyle.

Is this acceptable? No, it is not. It is part of a movement of unparalleled bigotry and intimidation by self-appointed spokespersons for minority groups seeking to impose their ideological beliefs onto the rest of humanity.  With apologies to Oscar Wilde, it is the hatred that dares not speak its name, but which wants to drive Christianity entirely from the public domain. 

Like it or not, this nation is caught in an ideological battle, and at stake is freedom of belief and free speech.   Using the weapons of rebranded morality, secularists and LBGTQ activists are fighting to impose ideological totalitarianism that will only allow expression of their own views.  They must not be allowed to succeed.

In this era of rebranded morality, it is not ‘alright’ for followers of the libertarian god of sexual licence to attack and intimidate those who, without bigotry or hatred, express Christian belief.   Only those who fear they are wrong would go to such lengths to silence and suppress any and all views that express dissent.   For the future of our nation, they must not prevail.

Please sign our petition calling for Ferryhill council to give their unreserved support to Mr Smith as Mayor, and to condemn LGBTQ intimidation and harassment.

Sign here:  https://www.citizengo.org/en/signit/163630/view