Street Preacher

[marveld]

They don't necessarily need a police station, but a Bobby on the beat ~10pm might be useful!

[amazon]

Well I personally would like him to preach in the Memorial Park around 10pm each evening when our lovely local youths are vandalising the toilets, setting fire to the rubbish bins,  hurling beer bottles at each other and damaging the children's play area Maybe this preacher can preach about hell and damnation or bringing back the birch.  I would rather listen to him when I am walking my dog than the abuse and vulgarity I and others are often subjected too

           Don't know why they had to close the police station Ianthe park .what they saved probably wasted on something else

[alan@marple]

Well said-Miss Marple

[Miss Marple]

Well I personally would like him to preach in the Memorial Park around 10pm each evening when our lovely local youths are vandalising the toilets, setting fire to the rubbish bins,  hurling beer bottles at each other and damaging the children's play area  Maybe this preacher can preach about hell and damnation or bringing back the birch.  I would rather listen to him when I am walking my dog than the abuse and vulgarity I and others are often subjected too

[admin]

Section 44 was, I believe, used to stop many perfectly innocent photographers (both amateur and professional) from taking photographs (or video) in our towns in case the culprits were using the images to plot acts of terrorism (against buildings etc). As usual with laws like this it seems that the authorities had trouble applying it sensibly and just stopped everyone with a camera.

[alan@marple]

Thanks for  the info: Diane, I checked up and found what section 44 was, I do assume you were referrring to the terrorism act, sorry if I appear "thicker" than most

[Osdog]

Section 44 has now been withdrawn.......

[Howard]

Have you tried preaching Howard, I think you would be good at it with your literary skills!, I really feel put down.

It wasn't a put-down Alan. However, I've read a lot on the subject of religion v secularism and the Weinberg quote sums it up best for me.

I dislike people deciding that I'm missing something in my life because I don't subscribe to the same supernatural beliefs that they do when those beliefs are responsible for more deaths and misery than anything else in human history.

[Taurus]

No big deal to me. I've just been on you tube and looks like the preacher also visits other parts like Stockport, Buxton and Coventry. If people are worrying about petty things like this then they seriously need to get out more and educate themselves on issues that are really affecting peoples lives around the world.

[tina]

I have never seen this man but just watched youtube.....   I personally think if you want to learn about God and be preached to then there are places you can go like a church... there is no need for shouting in the street and trying to force your beliefs on people doing their shopping!

[alan@marple]

Have you tried preaching Howard, I think you would be good at it with your literary skills!, I really feel put down.

[Tricky]

Some of you may have come across the street preacher who visits Marple on a Saturday morning occasionally. His partner stands next to Boots and films him preaching and engaging with members of the public, clips of these exchanges have been posted on youtube. I don't know how legal this practice is but I feel people should know that this is what is going on.

It's perfectly legal to take photographs or film in the street. If you're doing it for commercial purposes then you need a permit from the local council. There is the awful Section 44 of the Terrorism Act which allows senior police officers to designate sections of their constabulary as stop-and-search areas. I can't see Marple town centre as being one of those areas.

This is true.. as long as you are not causing an obstruction etc.

Preaching in the street is lawful, even if it is contentious, unwelcome or provocative, and police officers may not ask preachers to be silent, according to a landmark ruling made in the Supreme Court in July 1999 as detailed here. This is the law of the land in England and Wales.
http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/activistinf/speak.html

[Howard]

Is he not trying to make our good people better?

I fail to see the link between "goodness" and religious preaching. "Good" is a relative term and one person's "good" is not the same as another's. Let me quote Stephen Weinberg: "With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

[Howard]

Some of you may have come across the street preacher who visits Marple on a Saturday morning occasionally. His partner stands next to Boots and films him preaching and engaging with members of the public, clips of these exchanges have been posted on youtube. I don't know how legal this practice is but I feel people should know that this is what is going on.

It's perfectly legal to take photographs or film in the street. If you're doing it for commercial purposes then you need a permit from the local council. There is the awful Section 44 of the Terrorism Act which allows senior police officers to designate sections of their constabulary as stop-and-search areas. I can't see Marple town centre as being one of those areas.

[alan@marple]

I am not sure what you mean by "what is going on"

I have no objection to him or the All Saints team preaching to the local community and quoting the Holy Bible, or even the Koran or Torah.

Is he not trying to make our good people better?

If it's the filming you are worried about, just ask the camera operator, to please not zoom in on you!