Church sign investigated as hate speech

From here:

signA baptist church was at the centre of a police probe after a sign which suggested non-Christians would ‘burn in hell’ was investigated as a ‘hate incident’.

The offending sign at Attleborough Baptist Church in Norfolk, pictured burning flames below words which read: ‘If you think there is no God you better be right!!’.

Now the church has been forced to remove the sign after a passer-by complained to police that it could ‘not be further’ from the Christian phrase, love thy neighbour.

Robert Gladwin, 20, said: ‘It is my basic understanding that Christianity is inclusive and loving in nature.

‘The message being displayed outside of the church could not be further from the often uttered phrase ‘love thy neighbour’.’

Mr Gladwin said he was ‘astounded’ when he spotted the poster by chance as he was walking home.

Robert Gladwin, who makes no claim to being a Christian, has taken up the burden of interpreting what true Christianity is for the benefit of those who actually are Christians. Apparently, true Christianity is “inclusive and loving in nature”; clearly Gladwin is a latent Anglican.

Unfortunately for Gladwin’s prospects for a career in hermeneutics, Jesus mentions gehenna or hell, twelve times in the New Testament, making it clear that it is an extremely disagreeable place of punishment where the unredeemed are liable to spend a very long time. Not to point this out to those who are perishing is hardly an act of kindness. Pretending that hell doesn’t exist and everything is just fine is the most unloving thing a Christian can do; it’s almost a hate crime.

Pascal’s wager makes much the same point as this sign – rather more subtly. I imagine Pascal would be accused of hate speech today, too; although he might be saved by the unlikelihood of today’s doubters having a long enough attention span to read and understand his argument.