1Peter 4:12-14 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

Important Takeaways:

• Wake-Up Call: Second Person Faces Criminal Record For Silently Praying In The UK
• A man from Southampton, U.K., has been fined for praying near an abortion facility in Bournemouth.
• Adam Smith-Connor, a British army veteran, stood still and silent on Ophir Road, a public street, for a few minutes before being approached by “community safety accredited officers,” according to an article at adf.uk
• The officers warned him he was in an area under a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which establishes a “safe zone” around abortion clinics and prohibits “engaging in any act of approval/disapproval,” including praying. The abortion clinic in Bournemouth is the fifth one in the country to have this type of censorship zone, according to local news reports.
• After repeatedly being asked what the nature of his prayer was, Smith-Connor told authorities he was praying for his son who died by abortion 22 years ago, a decision that still haunts him to this day.
• “I’m sorry for your loss,” the council officer told Smith-Connor. “But ultimately, I have to go along with the guidelines of the Public Space Protection Order, to say that we are in the belief that therefore you are in breach of clause 4a, which says about prayer, and also acts of disapproval …”
• He would never have imagined that praying silently would put him at risk for criminal record.
• “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,” he said. “Most of all, I’m moved to pray because of what happened to my son.”
• “Nobody should be criminalized for what they believe—especially not when they express that belief silently, in the privacy of their own minds,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK

Read the original article by clicking here.