Christian missionaries in Russia are worried about what may happen in Russia after a bomb blast that rocked the international section of the country’s busiest airport, killing 35 and wounding some 130 others.

Pavel Tokarchuk, director of Russian Ministries Moscow told Worthy News that people are in a state of panic after the explosion that hit the crowded arrival terminals of Domodedovo airport.

Among those killed are eight foreigners including one from the U.K., a German, two Austrians, two Takiks, an Uzbek and a Ukranian, BBC News said. Some 50 of those injured are in serious condition and receiving hospital care.

Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, immediately fired a number of officials who are responsible for the security of the airport saying, “All the officials responsible for organizing the process must be brought to their senses,” BBC News reported.

Among those who were dismissed are Moscow’s police deputy head Maj. Gen. Vladimir Chugunov, and regional transport chief Andrei Alexeyev, who only took the post last year, BBC News said.

More people may be fired as the investigation by the prosecutor general continues to determine whether transport officials committed criminal negligence, according to BBC News.

Russian authorities had been warned one week earlier that an “act of terror” would occur in one of the capital city’s airports, BBC News said. So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police are on the lookout for three suspects.

Past incidents

According to Reuters, the airport blasts are very similar to past work by Islamic rebels from the troubled Northern Caucasus region.

During New Year’s Eve, militants from the region planned a suicide bombing in the busy streets of Moscow. However, the bombs set off prematurely in the house that the bomber was renting, because her phone had received a spam text message, BBC reported.

In March last year, twin suicide bombings blamed on North Caucasus militants took place at two separate train stations in Moscow, killing 40. In Nov. 2009, a luxury express train from Moscow to St. Petersburg was bombed, killing 26, for which a North Caucasus Islamist group claimed responsibility, BBC said.

Heightened hatred, tensions

Ruslan Kurbanov of the Islamic Cultural Center of Russia in Moscow said, “With this attack, I think the alienation, fear, even hatred between people from the Caucasus and the rest of the residents in Russia will only grow stronger,” Reuters reported. Muslims comprise one seventh of Russia’s populace.

Days before the attack, hundreds of ethnic Russians took to the streets in support of a football fan who was killed by a native from North Caucasus. When police tried to contain the group, the latter began to attack people in a train who did not look Slavic, Reuters said.

Glen Howard, president of the Jamestown Foundation told Reuters, “The attacks in Moscow are going to further exacerbate the tensions created by the right-wing demonstrations in Moscow, and may result in further pogroms against and people from the North Caucasus.”

According to Worthy News, missionaries continue to monitor reports from militants who plan to step up the violence as Russia is preparing for its presidential elections in 2012.  

Russian Ministries told Worthy News that they have missionaries both in Moscow and the Northern Caucasus region, and in the latter case, they have delivered New Testaments and Christmas gifts to the area’s needy children.

Sources:

http://www.worthynews.com/9929-russias-missionaries-worried-as-suicide-blast-rocks-moscow-airport

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12284088

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70P31920110126?pageNumber=2

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Jordan is fighting to take possession of some 70 books that may, if authentic, precede the writings of St. Paul.

The books, which were found in a Jordanian cave, that tell of how Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and details the birth of Christianity, The Daily Mail said.

A number of rare documents from the same era were discovered in the same cave in the past. However, these books are different. They were discovered between 2005 and 2007 when a flash flood took place in the valley, which led to the exposure of two alcoves inside the cave. One of the alcoves bore the sign of a menorah, or the Jewish religious candlestick symbol, BBC News said.

Historically, Christians fled Jerusalem in 70 AD after its fall, and sought refuge in Jordan, The Daily Mail said. According to BBC News, a Jordanian Bedouin found the books in the alcoves, then an Israeli Bedouin got possession of them and illegally smuggled them into Israel.

The Israeli however said the books were kept in his family line for over 100 years, BBC News said. A British team that is examining the books fears the Israeli might sell some of the books in the black market—or worse—might end destroy them, The Daily Mail said.

David Elkington, a British archeological and religious history expert is spearheading British efforts to get the books to a Jordanian museum. He told The Daily Mail, “It is vital that the collection can be recovered intact and secured in the best possible circumstances, both for the benefit of its owners and for a potentially fascinated international audience.”

Elkington, one of the few who examined the books, told The Daily Mail they are “the major discovery of Christian history. It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church.”

Ziad al-Saad, director of Jordan’s Department of Antiquities told BBC News the books may have been made by Jesus’ followers within decades of the crucifixion. If so, “They will really match, and perhaps be more significant than, the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Saad told BBC News, “[I]t seems that we are looking at a very important and significant discovery, maybe the most important discovery in the history of archaeology,” although he said more verification is needed.

Each of the 70 books contain between five to 15 pages cast in lead, the size of a credit card, and bound with metal rings. The text is in an Ancient Hebrew code. Elkington told BBC News that if the books are truly of early Christian, rather than Jewish, origin then they are extremely rare and valuable.

Elkington saw indications of early Christian origin, including Christian symbols of Jesus alongside symbols of God on the covers and some pages of the books. He told BBC News, “It’s talking about the coming of the messiah.”

Elkington told BBC News, “In the upper square [of one of the book covers] we have the seven-branch menorah, which Jews were utterly forbidden to represent because it resided in the holiest place in the Temple in the presence of God. So we have the coming of the messiah to approach the holy of holies, in other words to get legitimacy from God.”

Philip Davies, an Old Testament expert from Sheffield University noted a map of Jerusalem, the holy city, and a cross in the foreground. He told BBC News, “I was dumbstruck. That struck me as so obviously a Christian image.”

Davies told BBC News, “There is a cross in the foreground, and behind it is what has to be the tomb [of Jesus], a small building with an opening, and behind that the walls of the city. There are walls depicted on other pages of these books too and they almost certainly refer to Jerusalem.”

The cross is shaped like a capital T, (the crosses of Roman crucifixions). Davies told BBC News, “It is a Christian crucifixion taking place outside the city walls.”

Margaret Barker, Society for Old Testament Study, said many of the books are sealed adding, “The Book of Revelation tells of a sealed book that was opened only by the Messiah. Other texts from the period tell of sealed books of wisdom and of a secret tradition passed on by Jesus to his closest disciples. That is the context for this discovery,” The Daily Mail reported.

A translation of one part of the text with a menorah says, “I shall walk uprightly,” which appears in the Book of Revelation, and which may refer to the resurrection, BBC News said.

Timing of artifacts

Metallurgical tests of some books indicate the first century AD, The Daily Mail said, although this does not mean that all the books come from the same time period.

Corrosion of some of the pages, experts told The Daily Mail, would be impossible to produce artificially. If the dating is correct, these books could predate St. Paul’s writings and be some of the earliest Christian writings.

BBC News said, “Never has there been a discovery of relics on this scale from the early Christian movement, in its homeland and so early in its history.”

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An inconspicuous church in an English village discovered recently that it possesses a great treasure.

The St. Laurence Church in Hilmarton, England possesses an original copy of The King James Bible, of which only 200 are known to be in existence, CNN News said.

The discovery was made because residents of the village wanted to learn more about the history of the church. Geoff Procter, who is with the St. Laurence church council said they came across a reading about a “fine chained bible in a glass case,” BBC News reported.

That led them to think about an old bible that had been on a shelf in the church for years. Procter looked further into the matter and was able to confirm that the old King James Bible was 400 years old, BBC News said.

In plain view

The irony is that for years the bible had been in plain view of parishioners all along. It sat under a handwritten sign that said it was original, but no one believed it was true, CNN News said.

According to the sign, the ornate bible was discovered in 1857, inside “the parish chest.” It was, the sign said, the second of two copies that were published in 1611, the first year that the King James Bible was printed, CNN News said.

Procter said that the council decided to investigate the matter because the 400^th anniversary of The King James Bible was approaching. He told CNN News, “We had no way of knowing whether it really was a 1611 bible so we had to get it verified somehow.”

The bible was brought to Rev. David Smith, a specialist from the Museum of the Book in London. Immediately, Smith said it was genuine. He based his assessment on a printing error in the book of Matthew, CNN News said.

The bible should have said that Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane to speak to his disciples. Instead, it said “Judas” in place of “Jesus,” CNN News said. The copy did not contain another error in the Book of Ruth, which other copies have.

Fragment

Technically, the St. Laurence copy is considered a “fragment” because although most of it is intact, some pages are missing, such as the first three chapters of Genesis, and the first part of Genesis’ chapter four (up to verse 17), CNN News said.

Also, some parts of the top of the copy were trimmed off because in 1857 Rev. Francis Fisher carved an oak cover for the book and trimmed off the top part to fit the cover, BBC News said.

Moira Goff of the British Library told CNN News that it is possible that other village churches may have original copies as well. Commonly as a church bible became old it was replaced with a new copy and the old one was stored and kept as a treasure.

Phrases and concepts

Goff said a number of phrases that are commonly used today came from the King James Bible, including “born again,” “God forbid,” “an eye for an eye,” and “eat, drink and be merry,” CNN News reported.

It is also partly a product of editing, having been based on “at least two earlier major English translations,” Goff told CNN News. It also influenced the language of great English writers and was of greater influence in the culture than was Shakespeare.

Goff told CNN News, “It’s the Bible that was read to people in church every week,” influencing the work of 17^th century writers like John Milton and John Bunyan, among others. “[T]his was their daily reading. It passed into their works.”

Beyond literature is the fact that the bible is the word of God, however. Goff told CNN News, “[T]hat makes it a different sort of book than the great works of literature. It will be read by people who will possibly never read Shakespeare or Milton.”

Procter told BBC News that this is what is most important about the King James Bible and what sets it apart from other books of literature—the fact that “it was meant to be a living working book for people to live by.”

St. Laurence is now raising funds to have a glass case made for the bible, to keep it safe and protect it from the elements—and because the history books say that that was the way that it had been kept, BBC News said.

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An 85-year-old man in Spain, who has no formal training in construction, has singlehandedly completed two-thirds of a 131-foot tall cathedral that he has been working on for the past 50 years, using scrap, on a piece of land that he owns.

Justo Gallego has been working on the cathedral since 1963, using rejected bricks, wood, metal, oil drums (for the pillars), broken tiles, plastic food tubs and cardboard that he collects every day from yards and factories nearby, BBC reported.

So far Gallego has singlehandedly put together a huge central dome which he had worked on for 20 years, more than 24 unfinished cupolas, a sacristy, cloisters, a spacious crypt, walls with biblical, albeit gaudy paintings, and perhaps 1,000 stained glass windows, BBC said. 

He built it without any experience in architecture, construction and no building plan, although he read a lot of construction books on his own, TravelDudes said. In fact, he doesn’t even have a license for its construction, making the cathedral illicit, BBC News reported.

But the former Trappist monk who calls his work in progress Catedral de Nuestra Senora del Pilar continues to work with no interference from the city council—perhaps, because it has become a singular lure for tourists to the small town, Mejorada del Campo, which is very near Madrid, according to Tales of a Brit Abroad.

Work of faith

Gallego told BBC the cathedral is a work of faith. “My mother was very pious. She taught me my faith and I love the church. So I put everything into this.” Born in 1925, his education was disrupted by the Civil War in 1936.

“You don’t need to study. You just need strength. It all comes from above,” he told BBC News. And as for his building plan, he said it is all “in my head,” although he adds that he has gained inspiration from St Peter’s in the Vatican, a number of castles, other churches and the White House.

A normal day for Don Justo begins at 4 a.m. when he collects scrap material from nearby factories and junkyards. By 6 a.m. he is at the site, and starts his work. He rests every Sunday and on holidays, BBC News said.

With barely any funding, he relies largely on donations from tourists (there is no entrance fee to the cathedral). He does welcome donations whether through money or materials, however, TravelDudes reported.

And according to Tales of a Brit Abroad, he has hired a Romanian who lives in the town and a man from Toledo to work “part time on the windows and more intricate aspects of the job.”

TravelDudes noted that “everything has been started, but nothing has been finished. The central dome is uncovered, revealing a patch of sky, and the cathedral’s towers stop abruptly.”

 BBC News mentioned the bare floor, and spiral staircases that lead nowhere, ending in mid-air. Pablo Queralto, an architect with Mejorada council told BBC, “The bricks don’t meet minimum standards, either in themselves or the way they’ve been laid.”

But Don Justo told the BBC he has no regrets, and if he lived again he would do the same, only larger. “People have called me crazy and insulted me. But they’re ignorant. When I look at what I’ve created, it overwhelms me and I give thanks to the Lord.”

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A tree in Glastonbury, U.K., that is believed to have grown from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea was vandalized recently, triggering a police investigation.

The Holy Thorn tree on Wearyall Hill is a historic and religious landmark with tourists coming to see the tree that is believed to be 2,000 years old, BBC News said.

The tree, once among the most famous trees in Christian tradition, sat on a bare incline on a hill beside a footpath, until its branches were cut off by vandals, leaving only a part of the trunk, the Guardian said.

The iron rail that surrounded it is still there, covered with ribbons and prayers, the Guardian said. Glastonbury Thorn is said to flower twice a year, every Christmas and Easter.

There are other Holy Thorns located in Glastonbury’s Abbey, St. John’s Church, the rural life museum, the Chalice Well garden and other gardens around the town, but the Glastonbury tree is said to be the very spot where Joseph visited, making it the most significant one of all, the Telegraph said.

The Guardian said many people felled tears at the sight. Katherine Gorbing of Glastonbury Abbey told the Telegraph, “The vandals have struck at the heart of Christianity. Like the whole town, we are shocked and appalled.”

Motive

The Guardian said some suspect the day of the attack, Dec. 8, was intentional, as it is the day when a sprig cutting ceremony from St. John’s Holy Thorn tree takes place.

The sprig is sent to the Queen and is placed on her dining room table on Christmas Day, a tradition that is over 100 years old, BBC News said. The Holy Thorn tree was vandalized after the cutting ceremony, the Telegraph reported.

A possible religious motive has not been ruled out, the Guardian said. Police have trailed the surrounding area and made house-to-house inquiries for possible witnesses.

The owner of Wearyall Hill, Edward James, 70, was arrested this week for the Crown Currency Exchange collapse, where he is a major shareholder. The company has 8,000 creditors and owes over $25 million. Asked if the vandalism could be a vendetta against him, James told the Telegraph, “This was a very holy tree. It’s weird.”

Legend

Joseph of Arimathea, believed to be the uncle of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is said in the bible to have given his tomb to bury Jesus’ body. The Guardian said it is believed that Joseph went to the West Country after the crucifixion.

Legend says Joseph reached the Isle of Avalon by boat, then climbed up Wearyall Hill where he thrust his staff into the ground, then it blossomed. The Telegraph said he was believed to have brought the staff from the Holy Land.

The Guardian cites other versions saying the staff came from the wood of Jesus’ cross, or that it was the actual staff of Jesus. Many Christians consider the tree to be sacred.

In the Middle Ages pilgrims traveled to the Holy Thorn. Some legends link it to the Holy Grail (Joseph is believed to have hidden the Holy Grail in the Chalice Well), others to King Arthur and Guinevere (their graves are believed to be within Glastonbury Abbey), the Guardian said.

During the English Civil War Parliamentarians chopped it chopped down, but it was re-grown by townspeople who saved some of the cuttings, according to the Guardian.

Paul Fletcher, who is a trustee of the Chalice Well, told the Guardian, “People in the town have felt this like a physical blow. It’s an act of violence, really, against a living thing, a tree which was so special and symbolizes the very origins of Christianity to so many people. There has been a vigil at the site all through the day, and I am sure people will come together to replant the tree.”

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A newly-ordained bishop in China may be excommunicated because he was proclaimed without papal approval by China’s state-run Catholic Church.

According to BBC News, Pope Benedict XVI learned of the ordination of Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai “with deep regret,” and called it a “grave violation” of the laws of the church.

The Vatican said the ordination “offends the Holy Father, the Church in China and the universal Church, and further complicates the present pastoral difficulties.” Guo was ordained at Chengde’s Pingquan Church, CNN reported.

The Vatican also decried “grave violations of freedom of religion and conscience,” noting that Vatican-approved bishops were forced to participate in the ceremony, BBC News said.

Priests from several dioceses said they had no communication with their bishops since early last week, when they were picked up by government officials, according to The Wall street Journal. Guo was ordained in the presence of high security, BBC News said.

The Vatican issued several warnings this year that Guo, who is the deputy leader of the China’s Catholic Patriotic Authority, (which does not recognize the pope), should not be made a bishop.

There are some 10 million Catholics in China, half of whom follow the pope. Clergy loyal to the pope commonly undergo persecution and are frequently detained, according to AFP.

China’s Catholics have been steadily increasing in number, causing the Communist Party to more strongly assert their control, with Guo’s ordination as their latest move. He is the first unsanctioned ordained bishop in China since 2006, WSJ said.

The furor brings to a halt a recent softening of Vatican-Beijing relations. Although the Vatican excommunicated two bishops who were ordained in 2006 without papal authority, it has since either accepted Beijing’s choices of new bishops, or offered apostolic mandates to those without papal approval. To date, 90 percent of CPA bishops reconciled with the Vatican, WSJ reported.

The WSJ said that out of 97 state-approved dioceses in China, only 57 have a bishop, and 30 of these bishops are over 80 years old. The shortage of church leaders has led many to worship in “underground churches” that are loyal to the Vatican.

Vatican statement

In a strongly-worded statement, the Vatican decried the ordination and the forced attendance of bishops loyal to the pope adding, “Such constraints, carried out by Chinese government and security authorities, constitute a grave violation of freedom of religion and conscience,” BBC News reported.

The Vatican said Guo “finds himself in a most serious canonical condition before the Church in China and the universal Church, exposing himself also to the severe sanctions envisaged… [by] the Code of Canon Law,” according to BBC News.

China’s response

Hong Lei, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said any interference by the Vatican would signify “restriction of freedom and non-tolerance,” according to CNN.

Liu Bainian, vice chair of the CPA said he didn’t believe Guo would be excommunicated, adding, “There are so many followers in China. I believe the pope loves China. I believe just a handful of people in the Vatican are hindering the improvement of relations,” the WSJ reported.

However, Hong Kong’s Cardinal Joseph Zen, who was in Rome recently when Benedict elevated 24 new members to the College of Cardinals, said that Guo’s ordination was practically an act of war by China against the Catholic Church, BBC News reported.

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An Algerian court acquitted recently two Christians who were arrested for eating their lunch in the daytime during Ramadan.

A judge in a court at Ain el Hamman, about 93 miles east of the capital city, Algiers, quashed the case against Salem Fellak, 34, and Hocine Hocini, 33, saying that “no article (of law) provides for a legal pursuit” against them, according to The Star.

Fellak and Hocini were working on a building site last August when the incident occurred. During lunch hour, they ate at a discreet corner of the site, The Star said. However, they were arrested and charged with offending public morals, Reuters reported.

Prosecutors were requesting for a prison sentence of three years each for the Christians, BBC News said. However, Hocini and Fellak noted that they ate in a nonpublic place. Their lawyer added, “Algeria has ratified international conventions on the freedom of religion” and called the charges “a violation pure and simple of the constitution,” The Star reported.

As the verdict was read, a group of some seven Protestant Christians who were standing on the courthouse steps shouted, “Hallelujah!” Fallek told Reuters, “I am happy. I have not done anything wrong. I am a Christian and I do not fast.”

Some critics noted that although the government supports free practice of religion, minority faiths are often subject to pressure, Reuters said. Two similar cases will be heard in the coming weeks, according to BBC News.

While Islam is the main religion in Algeria, there are about 11,000 Christians, mostly protestants, among its population of 36 million, the ministry of religious affairs told BBC News.

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A Zambia government official called recently for a better working partnership with the church, and noted that it has a major role in helping country in its programs for progress and development.

Daniel Kalenga, minister of the Northwestern Province, said during the men’s breakfast fellowship of the Open Doors Pentecostal Assemblies of God, held at Kansanshi Hotel, Solwezi, that the church could show Christian virtues by engaging in active dialogue with the government, Times of Zambia said.

Kalenga assured the group that the government is committed to holding discussions with all stakeholders and noted, “Indeed, it is gratifying to note that while some sections of society are engaged in strife and malicious talk, there are still people like yourselves who can gather around a table and discuss development of the province,” Times of Zambia said.

Zambia, once one of Africa’s richest economies in 1964, is today among the poorest due to the falling prices of copper (its main industry) in 1975, and aggravated by mismanagement, illness and debt. Its multi-party government system has been in place since the 1990s, BBC News said.

Zambia has been the host of some tens of thousands of refugees who fled their home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, to escape from the fighting caused by the Angolan civil war, BBC News said.

The World Bank has encouraged Zambia to widen its sources of revenue to include agriculture and tourism. Of late, improved copper prices and an increased investment in mining have augured auspicious possibilities for the country, BBC said.

Kalenga expressed hope that better understanding would be fostered between the church and the government, and asked the assembly for a clearer understanding about the government programs that have been set in place, Times of Zambia said.

Kalenga added, “My government is more than ready for an improved partnership with the church, whose focus is development and the welfare of masses.” He called upon Open Doors Assembly to become more involved with the government aim of delivering services to the growing number of towns, Times of Zambia said.

Kalenga noted that no country in the world has ever achieved development without getting its citizens involved in government efforts, Times of Zambia said.

Rueben Banda, senior pastor of Open Doors Assembly noted that at times, the government had been opposed out of ignorance, and said the church is willing to try to understand government programs, Times of Zambia said.

Banda also said national leaders are due the respect of the populace as they are leading on God’s behalf. He called on men to take on leadership roles and to always be accountable to each other and ultimately, to God, Times of Zambia said.

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A Ukrainian Orthodox church was damaged by a bomb blast recently that killed a nun and wounded eight others.

The blast occurred at the Intercession Church in the city of Zaporоzhyе, southern Ukraine. The bombing occurred on the country’s celebration of its conversion to Christianity in 988 A.D., BBC News said.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill came to the country for an eight-day visit to mark the event. This caused a stir among some nationalists. Kirill also heads the biggest branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox church. Some Ukraine clergy, however, have chosen to be independent of Moscow, the BBC said.

The blast occurred on the second to last day of Kirill’s visit. However, no official word has been issued regarding motive, the Associated Press said.

An 80-year-old nun, Sister Lyudmila from the Holy Protection of the Virgin church was fatally injured and died later in the hospital, the Global Times said. The nun’s church falls under the Ukranian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, BBC said.

Five of those injured were hospitalized, Interfax said. Some of the church’s windows and floor were also damaged by the blast. The police and security continue to explore the area of the blast, the Global Times said.

The church that was bombed is located beside a marketplace. According to the Global Times, a small bag was seen near the entrance, but no one paid heed, a church priest said. An investigation of the damaged site revealed a homemade explosive with the equivalent off 500 g of TNT, the BBC said.

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Charges were dropped recently against a Christian preacher in Cumbria, England who was arrested after he told a police officer that homosexuality was a sin, according to the BBC News.

Dale Mcalpine, 42, was charged with breaching section 5 of the Public Order Act by allegedly using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, the BBC said.

The arrest occurred while Mcalpine was preaching to shoppers in Workington, Cumbria on April 20.  He was approached by a public community support officer (PCSO), who told him he was a liaison officer for the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, the BBC reported.

“He told me he was homosexual, [so] I said ‘the Bible says homosexuality is a sin’. He said ‘I’m offended by that and I’m also the LGBT liaison officer within the police.’  I said ‘it is still a sin’,” according to BBC News.

Three uniformed police officers then appeared.  Mcalpine said, “Then they said it is against the law to say homosexuality is a sin.  I was arrested.  It’s crazy isn’t it?”  Although he was scheduled for trial this year, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now confirmed they will not be prosecuting, the BBC reported.

Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell condemned the arrest, calling it “heavy handed” and “a step too far.”  He urged the home secretary to issue new guidelines to the police, according to EDGE.

Tatchell said, “Although I disagree with Dale McAlpine and support protests against his homophobic views, he should not have been arrested and charged,” said Tatchell. “Criminalization is a step too far. Despite my opposition to his opinions, I defend his right to freedom of expression,” EDGE reported.

Tatchell went on, “I am surprised and shocked that the CPS allowed the case to proceed at all. The Public Order Act is meant to protect people from harm. The police should concentrate on tackling serious, harmful crimes, such as racist, homophobic and sexist violence,” according to EDGE.

Of the dropped charges, Mcalpine said, “This is a victory for freedom of speech.  I hope we are not going down the road towards a police state and the thought police.” Added Mcalpine, “I can’t wait to get out on to the streets again and preach the word of God,” according to EDGE.

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