where am I? home >> news >> news headlines

Get facts right to act against new Bill,
says Paul Weaver

As the Government’s Incitement to Racial and Religious Hatred Bill heads for the House of Lords, AoG General Superintendent Paul Weaver is asking Christians to make sure they understand the facts before joining his call to oppose the Bill.

Paul, who describes the Bill as "very complicated", urges Christians to get informed and then get active. He says that, although the Bill will restrict Christian freedom of speech, it won’t prevent evangelism: "This Bill has had a lot of publicity, and some inflamed Christian comments have not helped the fight.

"One such false claim is that this Bill, if passed, would prohibit us preaching the Gospel. We must oppose this Bill, but in the right way."

James Gray, Conservative MP for Chippenham and North Wiltshire and an Anglican believer, opposed the Bill on its first reading. He says that if it is passed in its present form, it will indeed restrict the liberty of religious groups. He also pointed out that current legislation already covers incitement to religious hatred, so there is no need for the Bill.

And Head of Affairs for the Evangelical Alliance, Dr Don Horrock, adds, "The Government has been insistent on passing this legislation despite the very reasoned warnings of a whole range of groups worried about the erosion of civil liberties...
It will have the effect of stifling robust religious debate, both oral and written, at a time when people of all faiths need to be able to discuss ideas and concepts freely without fear of prosecution."

For the full story, see the October issue of JOY Magazine.