Britain is really leaning into the whole Orwellian thing lately.
A few weeks ago, police in Britain arrested a woman for silently praying while outside of an abortion clinic (even though it was closed) because apparently praying quietly to God Almighty is super harmful and offensive.
Hard truth: This is one of those obvious cases where God's law has to take precedence over the laws of man.
We are commanded to "pray without ceasing" and there is no built-in exception for when you're outside an abortion clinic and the government wants you to stop.
The police interrogates this man, an Army veteran named Adam Smith-Connor, about the "nature of his prayer" (YES, THEY ASKED HIM WHAT HE WAS PRAYING ABOUT IN HIS OWN HEAD) since he's already admitted that he is engaging in prayer in a supposed "prayer-free zone."
Police: What is the nature of your prayer today?
Adam: What is the nature of my prayer? I'm praying for my son.
Police: I don't want to probe, I don't want to ask you to, sort of, elaborate, but, at the same time it would be remiss of me to, sort of, not mention the area of the activity. In terms of that there is a clause within the Public Space Protection Order around prayer... and disapproval around activities at the (abortion) clinic here.
So, this man is praying, and if you pray outside an abortion clinic you are breaking the ordinances and subject to legal fines and arrest.
The obvious reason is that they do not want prayer to God to interrupt or disturb the competing religious practice taking place in the abortion clinic.
Adam answers:
Adam: I'm praying for my son who is deceased.
Police: So again, I'm sorry for your loss, but ultimately, I have to go along with the guidelines of the Public Space Protection Order to say that we are in the belief, therefore that you are in breach of the PSPO which says about prayer and also acts of disapproval around the activities at the clinic-
Adam: I'm just standing, praying.
Police: I understand that but the PSPO is in place for a reason, we do have to follow through on those regulations.
They're just following orders, guys!
The police will arrest you, fine you, and harass you, all because you're praying in a public space. But orders are orders!
From The Alliance Defending Freedom UK's press release:
Smith-Connor has now been issued a fine on the basis of the PSPO. The Council stated in their email that the fine is based on his statement that he had been "praying for his son, who is deceased".
ADF UK is supporting Smith-Connor and has engaged a legal team to challenge his fine.
Adam's story is absolutely heart-wrenching.
He is praying for his deceased son because his son was killed through abortion.
Reflecting on the penalty, Smith-Connor said:
"22 years ago I drove my ex-girlfriend to a facility and paid for her to have an abortion. It was a pivotal moment in my life. The consequences of my actions that day came back to grieve me years later, when I realized I had lost my son Jacob to an abortion I had paid for. Recently, I stood outside a similar facility and prayed to God for my son Jacob, for other babies who have lost their lives to abortion, for their grieving families, and for abortion clinic staff."
"I would never have imagined being in a position to risk a criminal record for praying silently. In the past, I assisted with abortions in hospital as part of my army medical training, but now I pray for those who perform abortions because I realize how harmful abortion is to women and families, and that every single human life is valuable – no matter how small. Most of all, I'm moved to pray because of what happened to my son, Jacob," he continued.
Britain has completely lost its way.
People are being persecuted for publicly practicing their faith. They don't even have to SAY anything. If you have the wrong internal thoughts, they will send you away.
Here's a primer on how to respond to such dystopian rulers:
Then [the chief priests] called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
