UK pastor arrested after sermon on marriage 'between man and girl'

(Wikimedia Commons/Mauro Cateb)A pair of marriage ceremony rings

A71-yr-historic pastor from a North West London church become arrested and detained overnight recently for sermonizing about what the Bible says about marriage being between a man and a woman and changed into accused of constructing "homophobic comments."

Pastor John Sherwood was arrested on April 23 after speaking on the last verses in the Bible booklet of Genesis 1, where it says that God created mankind in his personal photo, growing them male and feminine, Christian situation stated.

Sherwood changed into held under the United Kingdom's Public Order Act for allegedly making "homophobic feedback" right through a public sermon, video shows.

at least one uk-based neighborhood, Christian problem, which defends individuals of religion, described the incident as a "brutal arrest" that units a nasty precedent for non secular freedom of speech throughout the nation, Newsweek reported.

"After speakme on the last verses in Genesis 1, where it says that God created mankind in his own photograph, growing them male and female, a couple of cops seemed on the scene," Christian subject stated.

"Reportedly, three complaints had been obtained about the pastor's educating, and the police accused him of causing 'alarm and misery' to the public.

"What right away followed turned into a brutal arrest, where an officer took away the pastor's Bible and pulled him from the steps the place he had been preaching. Three officers gathered round him to handcuff him and take him away."

After speaking to the police, Sherwood resumed his preaching, talking on freedom of speech.

although, a few bystanders in the crowd apparently shouted that John's preaching become "homophobic" and "hate speech."

"i used to be preaching from the Holy Bible from Genesis Chapter 1," Sherwood noted, Newsweek pronounced.

"About God developing man in his photo, being male and feminine...i used to be speaking concerning the husband and spouse relationship and youngsters, and the great thing about the household. And it changed into construed with the aid of some as being homophobic even if I never outlined anything about homosexuals."

however native police stated they'd got numerous complaints that Sherwood had been making bigoted remarks directed towards homosexual people, which the nameless caller described as abusive or insulting phrases.

A representative for Christian concern told a U.ok. news outlet remaining week:

"there is a concept that if individuals are offended, you should arrest a person, however in this nation, we even have freedom of speech...however everything he stated became Bible-based. He turned into now not saying anything abusive."

The Conservative girl web site commented after the incident, "This arrest of a faithful minister for doing nothing other than declaring what the Bible teaches about one of the most crucial moral considerations of our time reveals a deadly assault upon freedom of speech and, now not least, upon the liberty of Christian pastors to declare in public all that the Bible teaches. The State has no right to designate that some components of God's note aren't any-go areas."