Part of the narrative espoused by LGBT activists is that they are a powerless group that is oppressed by society, but the opposite appears to be the case.
That certainly seemed to be true Saturday in Reading, Pennsylvania, where a Christian was arrested for holding up a sign at a “pride” event that contained a famous Bible verse.
The whole incident was captured on video by another Christian who, according to the Lancaster Patriot, is named Matthew Wear, who in the video, says that he was preaching for about 12 minutes before being told by the police to stop.
Then, another preacher named Damon Atkins approached with a sign that contained the famous words of Christ in the Gospel of John, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11), a verse that is often ignored by leftists who like to use the rest of the story as a way to make Jesus seem like he would be accepting of sin.
Less than a minute after arriving, Atkins is approached by Police Sergeant Bradley McCune who told him to respect their event, while Atkins responded that it was public property and therefore he had a right to be there.
McClune then walked away, but Atkins continued to preach, at which point McClune and other officers return and handcuff him, while the people celebrating the “pride” event cheer as he is led away.
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According to the Lancaster Patriot, McClune submitted a criminal complaint against Atkins, recommending that he be charged with “disorderly conduct” and alleging that he “yelled derogatory comments at an organization that was holding a permitted event.”
Atkins, for his part, has responded to this claim by saying he was at the event to share the Gospel with those who need to hear it.
“The main reason I was there was because of love,” he said. “Because Jesus has taught me to love my neighbor as myself.” He also hit back against the claim that his statements were “derogatory,” saying that he was only quoting the Bible.
The Lancaster Patriot reported that Atkins’s court date is scheduled for June 16, and he is hoping that the Alliance Defending Freedom will represent him at the proceedings.
Sadly, none of this is new or surprising anymore. In February, a Catholic student in Ontario, Canada, named Josh Alexander was suspended from school after saying that there were only two genders and was then arrested when he tried to attend school in violation of his suspension.
In April, Alexander was arrested again after handing out Bibles at a protest in Calgary, Alberta.
Meanwhile, also in Calgary, a pastor was arrested and spent Easter in jail after protesting a drag queen story hour event aimed at children.
While these examples may have taken place in Canada, the fact that Atkins was arrested for peacefully protesting a “pride” event shows that the same thing is starting to happen here in America as well.
Far from being a powerless and oppressed group, the LGBT movement in America, and indeed across the West, now enjoys the protection of the police and the government, while Christians preaching the Gospel are harassed for their beliefs.
While the left is allowed into schools to indoctrinate our children, Christians are met with brute force while trying to stand up to these evils, this does not bode well for the future of our country.
America needs our prayers now, more than ever.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
