Police ban Bible in Christian café (Blackpool, England)

[Psalm 51:17]

Lancashire Police have told the owner of a Christian café in Blackpool, England, that he is not allowed to display Bible verses because they breach public order laws. The owner, Jamie Murray, is being defended by The Christian Institute.

[Mark]

Police pounce on business for showing Bible
Now cops facing fire for threatening prosecution

Police officers who interrogated and threatened a restaurant owner over the text of the New Testament he played on a screen in his business could face trouble – again – for their apparent attempt to prevent the presentation of the message of the Bible in public.

The controversy developed over the weekend in Blackpool, England, where police officers told Jamie Murray, the owner of the Salt & Light Coffee House on Layton Road, that displaying "offensive" or "insulting" words was a violation of Section 5 of the Public Order Act. The officers warned Murray that if he didn't stop, he could be prosecuted.

Murray had a DVD player connected to a television hanging on the wall that was playing the "Watchword Bible," which potrays the complete New Testament on 12 DVDs.

A woman who had been in the restaurant complained to police. A statement from the Lancashire department said officers were "duty bound" to investigate, and they concluded the business could be in breach of the law. The law warns "people who play images or sounds that stir up hatred again homosexuals could be guilty of an offense," according to a London Daily Mail report.

"The constabulary is respectful of all religious views. However, we do have a responsibility to make sure that material that communities may find deeply offensive or inflammatory is not being displayed in public," the station told the newspaper.

(Story continues below)

Read more: Police pounce on business for showing Bible http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=349105#ixzz1Z9MNGYPN

[Mark]

Police say sorry to cafe owner threatened with arrest over Bible DVDs

Police have apologised to a Christian cafe owner they threatened with arrest for displaying passages from the Bible on a television screen.

The Mail on Sunday told last month how Jamie Murray was visited by two officers who warned he was breaking the law by showing the DVDs.

But after our report appeared, another officer from Lancashire Constabulary visited Mr Murray’s cafe and admitted the force had misinterpreted the Public Order Act, which bans the use of insulting or abusive language – but allows the reasonable expression of religious beliefs.

Mr Murray, 31, welcomed the apology but said he would pursue an official complaint against the force because, he claims, it still refuses to admit he was threatened with arrest.

The two original officers visited his Salt and Light cafe in Blackpool after police received a complaint that Mr Murray was inciting hatred against homosexuals by showing New Testament DVDs.

Mr Murray said: ‘I accept the police apology as far as it goes, and I forgive them. But some things need to be cleared up


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2046959/Police-say-sorry-cafe-owner-threatened-arrest-Bible-DVDs.html#ixzz1aOZXh3Zp