Man arrested for reading bible to people in line at a DMV office

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Do you think it was right for the cop to arrest him?

  • Yes - the cop had a right to arrest him

    Votes: 2 6.9%
  • No - there was no reason to arrest him

    Votes: 22 75.9%
  • Unsure

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I like bacon

    Votes: 6 20.7%

  • Total voters
    29
Aug 2, 2009
24,574
4,262
113
#1
A reverend from a Calvary Chapel ministry in california was arrested for reading the bible to a small group who was waiting for a Dept. of Motor Vehicles office to open in Hemet, Calif. The charge?? The officer says he arrested him because he was preaching to "a captive audience" and "impeding an open business", but the DMV office was closed at the time, and calling it a captive audience is ridiculous (according to the preacher's lawyer).

Link to the article..
Taking Liberties: Arrested For Reading The Bible? | Fox News



What do you think?

Was it right for the cop to arrest him or not??
 
1

1still_waters

Guest
#2
A reverend from a Calvary Chapel ministry in california was arrested for reading the bible to a small group who was waiting for a Dept. of Motor Vehicles office to open in Hemet, Calif. The charge?? The officer says he arrested him because he was preaching to "a captive audience" and "impeding an open business", but the DMV office was closed at the time, and calling it a captive audience is ridiculous (according to the preacher's lawyer).

Link to the article..
Taking Liberties: Arrested For Reading The Bible? | Fox News



What do you think?

Was it right for the cop to arrest him or not??
I don't think the fact that it wasn't technically open, means it wasn't still a captive audience. They may have had jobs to get to, homes to get back to and such. They most likely couldn't afford to 'leave' because they didn't like the preaching. The whole 'the business was closed' argument is bogus. It's quite silly too. It's like a child being told not to eat cookies, so the kid shoves them down their throat fast and then says, "What I didn't eat them, I shoved them down my throat."

Anyways, here is how freedom works in truly free societies.

People have the right to do the very thing you're doing to them.

That means if you're ok with this guy reading the bible to people in a dmv line, then you'd be ok with a Muslim, Hindu, or whatever reading to you in a dmv line as you're waiting for it to get open.

That's how freedom works. Unfortunately freedom can't be one sided, so it's just us Christians who get to exercise religious liberty.
 
Aug 2, 2009
24,574
4,262
113
#3
I would personally be ok with a muslim or hindi preaching to a crowd I was in if I was in that situation (waiting for a business to open). Just because I don't like what's being said shouldn't make it against the law. He was on public property and the crowd was not being restrained in any way. They were free to walk away.

Even if they had personal obligations that meant they had to stay in line, that shouldn't make it illegal in my opinion. Using that same logic, it would make it illegal to have a billboard advertising a strip club along a freeway because people get stuck in traffic and have to see it. And there are actually several of those billboards on the freeway here.
 
1

1still_waters

Guest
#4
I would personally be ok with a muslim or hindi preaching to a crowd I was in if I was in that situation (waiting for a business to open). Just because I don't like what's being said shouldn't make it against the law. He was on public property and the crowd was not being restrained in any way. They were free to walk away.

Even if they had personal obligations that meant they had to stay in line, that shouldn't make it illegal in my opinion. Using that same logic, it would make it illegal to have a billboard advertising a strip club along a freeway because people get stuck in traffic and have to see it. And there are actually several of those billboards on the freeway here.
I do think the arrest was way over the top.

At least you're consistent.
 
1

1still_waters

Guest
#7
Oh you have no bad. It was my bad for not being clear at first. So it's all my bad. You can save your bad for another time, when you can give your bad. :p
 
Feb 16, 2011
2,957
24
0
#8
i was arrested for trying to preach beside the highway. i was waving for cars to pull in and hear me preach. they charged me with trying to jump out in front of traffic. they never proved it and they let me go after about a month in the mental hospital for being a threat to myself. the police report is never 100% accurate. i actually was arrested another time for preaching to the police and the police report said i was trying to start my own religon. i also went to the mental hospital for that for about a week. these kinds of things happen when we evangelize. a man i did pro-life work with was cited for blocking traffic because he walked across the street a couple of times at the abortion clinic. the owner of the parking lot at the abortion clinic once threatened my wife and i for being two inches on his property and not on the public sidewalk. i went to a bible college where we learned to do alot of evangelism and i haven't stopped since. i once tried to do door to door evangelism on superbowl sunday. i was yelled at and had the door slammed in my face. now i give away christian cds when i evangelize. i am focusing on the apartment place where i live. i have made a few friends and i witness to them. i also started a bible study in my apartment on wednesdays. i guess i will see if the police get involved this time. woe unto me if i preach not the gospel.
 

Mrdll

Senior Member
Jan 15, 2011
127
5
0
#9
Only going to get worse.
 
M

mycle

Guest
#11
What happened to "sir could you please stop doing that at this time", but even if he refused to stop reading the bible the cop didn't have a right (in most states) to arrest him.

The only way the cop might have had probable cause to arrest the reverend would be if it was causing a problem at the scene, but even then the cop could have had the other people could have left instead.
 
Jul 25, 2005
2,417
34
0
#12
Being forcibly removed from the DMV is a bad thing?
 

loveme1

Senior Member
Oct 30, 2011
8,083
190
63
#13
I would not like to hear any false teachings preached while waiting in a line... but i would not want to see anyone arrested for it either...

If this man was speaking the Word of Almighty Yahvah God then it was a blessing to those people in that line, it may have been intended for someone in that line.

Being arrested is only a worldly matter, Prophets, Disciples were often thrown into prison.

He may well of been delivering the message to someone that was suppose to hear it.
 
J

jkalyna

Guest
#14
Only going to get worse.
:eek::) YOU ARE RIGHT ONLY WILL GET WORSE, THERE IS A DAY COMING WHERE JESUS MIGHT BE AN OFFENCE AND A FINE TO TALK ABOUT .
 
J

jkalyna

Guest
#15
i was arrested for trying to preach beside the highway. i was waving for cars to pull in and hear me preach. they charged me with trying to jump out in front of traffic. they never proved it and they let me go after about a month in the mental hospital for being a threat to myself. the police report is never 100% accurate. i actually was arrested another time for preaching to the police and the police report said i was trying to start my own religon. i also went to the mental hospital for that for about a week. these kinds of things happen when we evangelize. a man i did pro-life work with was cited for blocking traffic because he walked across the street a couple of times at the abortion clinic. the owner of the parking lot at the abortion clinic once threatened my wife and i for being two inches on his property and not on the public sidewalk. i went to a bible college where we learned to do alot of evangelism and i haven't stopped since. i once tried to do door to door evangelism on superbowl sunday. i was yelled at and had the door slammed in my face. now i give away christian cds when i evangelize. i am focusing on the apartment place where i live. i have made a few friends and i witness to them. i also started a bible study in my apartment on wednesdays. i guess i will see if the police get involved this time. woe unto me if i preach not the gospel.
WHAT A STORY, THEY DID THE SAME THING TO CHRIST, THEY SAID HE WAS A LUNATIC AND CHAINED HIM BEAT HIM CRUCIFIED HIM JUST BECAUSE HE BROUGHT CHANGE. JUST SHOWS WE ARE SET APART.:)
 
K

kujo313

Guest
#16
A reverend from a Calvary Chapel ministry in california was arrested for reading the bible to a small group who was waiting for a Dept. of Motor Vehicles office to open in Hemet, Calif. The charge?? The officer says he arrested him because he was preaching to "a captive audience" and "impeding an open business", but the DMV office was closed at the time, and calling it a captive audience is ridiculous (according to the preacher's lawyer).

Link to the article..
Taking Liberties: Arrested For Reading The Bible? | Fox News



What do you think?

Was it right for the cop to arrest him or not??
This could be handled one of two ways:

1) If one person asked him to stop, then stop.
2) Let him read it quietly. If somebody wants to talk about it, then talk.

In America, we have the Freedom of Religion. Even if it's the wrong religion or no religion at all.
 
S

shekaniah

Guest
#17
He should not have been arrested, if the crowd was being negative, don't through pearls before swine!
There is a time for everything, maybe this was to get our attention...for the things to come.
 
F

fantasiafelice

Guest
#18
whatever happened to freedom of speech. i thought that was what America was all about, the land of the free and all that, sounds a bit dumb but i guess if it is innapropriate then that is different, some would say that it should be kept inside the church but i think it would be good if we all went out to theses queues and did this kinda like they can't arrest every last able bodied Christian in the land that can talk that would certainly show the authorities who really is in charge, take care.

alex
 
I

Ice00Man

Guest
#19
:eek::) YOU ARE RIGHT ONLY WILL GET WORSE, THERE IS A DAY COMING WHERE JESUS MIGHT BE AN OFFENCE AND A FINE TO TALK ABOUT .
This is awesome news !! its all the signs that the coming of Jesus is nearer than we all think !!

Preacher ! Go back and do it again !!
 
S

suriturbo

Guest
#20
This is awesome news !! its all the signs that the coming of Jesus is nearer than we all think !!

Preacher ! Go back and do it again !!
That's kind of how i feel about any christians who are being hated on.and how the majority of the world has accepted the abomination,that is homosexuality.people are calling good evil and evil good.the world is getting more wicked and looking more like the days of noah.yet i take comfort in this because the rapture can happen in any moment.