Formerly known as Repent UK, is an organisation based in the United Kingdom which claims to be striving, through prayer and public campaigning, for 'national repentance'. Christian Voice claims to follow the Word of God and the teachings of the Bible. It is led by Stephen Green (a former Chairman of the Conservative Family Campaign), with Lord Ashbourne as its patron. Christian Voice mixes politics and religion in a manner and style similar to Christian organisations in the Bible Belt of the Southern United States. It also opposes the tolerance and inclusiveness of much of modern Christianity, including a more accepting attitude to other religions. Its policy positions lean towards the far Right of the political spectrum. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Many religions have religious texts which are sometimes described as the Word of God. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Christian Voice (UK). ... Baron Ashbourne is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... The relationship between Christianity and politics is a historically complex subject. ... The approximate extent of the Bible Belt, indicated in red The Bible Belt is an informal term for an area in which socially conservative Christian Evangelical Protestantism is a dominant part of the culture. ... This article is 88 kilobytes or more in size. ... It has been suggested that toleration be merged into this article or section. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into far right. ...

In its publication "Britain in Sin" it uses social trend statistics to contrast Britain today with the 1950s, attempting to relate many problems, from rising crime statistics and infertility to inflation and lack of social cohesion, to a departure from the Laws of God. It claims that older, more traditional society created a far more stable, safe, 'God-fearing', and wealthier lifestyle for rural Middle England. Christian Voice opposes many aspects of twenty-first century British society, such as abortion, tolerance towards homosexuality and no-fault divorce. They would like to see divorce fault-based, with divorce settlements dependent upon conduct and they call on the monarch to base British law on the Bible. For example, they object to the proposals to end the practice of male-preference primogeniture for the succession to the Crown of the United Kingdom ^[1].They advocate British withdrawal from the European Union, claiming that British membership of the EU prevents Queen Elizabeth II from exercising her Coronation oath in which she pledged to be God's sole representative in the United Kingdom. It has been suggested that Crime rate be merged into this article or section. ... Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a man or a woman to contribute to conception. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Middle England originally indicated the central region of England, now almost always referred to as the Midlands. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... For the record label, see Divorce Records. ... Armenian king Tigranes the Great. ... The law of the United Kingdom consists of several independent legal systems which use common law principles, civil law principles, or both. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... The coronation of Empress Farah, of Iran in 1967. ...

The group calls for reduced rates of tax, which they believe will encourage fathers to provide and mothers to care for their own children. Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Banking   Regulation        A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on...

Christian Voice deeply opposes 'safer sex' education, claiming that it is ideologically and politically driven, not based on the welfare of people and that condoms do not provide complete protection against all sexually transmitted infections ^[2]. The group also argues that the availability of contraceptives encourages promiscuity, which in turn leads to sexually transmitted infections and infertility.^[3] Christian Voice believes in restorative justice although they also believe in reintroducing the death penalty for murder. They demand that convictions be based on the evidence of two or three witnesses, regardless of forensic evidence, after the Biblical pattern. The group has been highly critical of the English legal system for allegedly allowing conviction on the evidence of a single witness. They cite the Sally Clark case and other convictions of the mothers of deceased children, believing the conviction was excessively based on the evidence of a single influential witness, such as Roy Meadow.^{[citation needed]} Safe sex (also called safer sex or protected sex) is a set of practices that are designed to reduce the risk of infection during sexual intercourse to avoid developing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). ... A condom is a device, usually made of latex, or more recently polyurethane, that is used during sexual intercourse. ... Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), are diseases that are commonly transmitted between partners through some form of sexual activity, most commonly vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex. ... Promiscuity is the practice of making relatively casual and indiscriminate choices. ... Restorative justice is a theory of criminal justice that focuses on crime as an act against another individual or community rather than the state. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... This article or section should be merged with Forensic science Forensic evidence consists of anything that can be used in a court of law to convict a person of a crime. ... English law is a formal term of art that describes the law for the time being in force in England and Wales. ... For other persons named Sally Clark, see Sally Clark (disambiguation). ... Professor Sir Samuel Roy Meadow (born 1933) is a former British paediatrician. ...

Membership details for Christian Voice remain vague, with the organisation unwilling to provide information regarding numbers. It is unclear how far its membership extends beyond Green and Ashbourne.

Controversy

Jerry Springer: The Opera

Christian Voice was behind much of the controversy in the UK surrounding the BBC and the broadcast in 2005 of Jerry Springer: The Opera. The group claimed that the production was blasphemous in its depiction of religious figures such as Jesus, Mary and God. The group maintained a presence outside the Cambridge Theatre in London where it ran, attending on the last four weekends giving out evangelistic leaflets.^{[citation needed]} The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... Look up blasphemy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In protest at the BBC's decision to broadcast a performance of the show, Christian Voice started a campaign for people to send complaints to the corporation and published the home addresses and telephone numbers of several BBC executives on their web site, including Jana Bennett (Director of Television), and Roly Keating (Controller of BBC Two). Mr Keating received death threats as a result.^[4] Jana Bennett joined the BBC as Director of Television in April 2002 having previously been Executive Vice President and General Manager at Discovery Communications in the USA. External link BBC Website Categories: Substubs | People stubs ... Roly Keating is the current controller of British television channel BBC Two as of 2004. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

When at tour of the show was announced for 2006, the group vowed to disrupt performances at any regional theatre which stages the show, and have been blamed by the producers for the postponement and reduction of a scheduled autumn tour, and its cancellation on New York's Broadway.^{[citation needed]} Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ...

In recent times, more UK theatres signed up to host Jerry Springer - The Opera due to popularity and enthusiasm from the public. 'Ticketmaster UK reports very good ticket sales for the 2006 UK Tour, and talks have resumed in regards to a Broadway run after the 2006 UK Tour.^{[citation needed]} David Soul stars as Jerry Springer. ... Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ...

On 8 January 2007, submissions were made on behalf of Stephen Green at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court in an attempt to pursue private prosecutions for blasphemy against the Director General of the BBC Mark Thompson and the show's producer, Jonathan Thoday.^[5] A summons was refused on 30 January 2007, as a result of lack of prima facie evidence that a crime had been committed, and the provisions of the 1968 Theatres Act, which enshrines the right of free expression in theatrical works.^[6] The Director-General is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC. The position is appointed by Board of Governors of the BBC. Sir John Reith (1927-1938) Sir Frederick Ogilvie (1938-1942) Sir Cecil Graves and Robert W. Foot (joint Director-Generals, 1942-1943) Robert W. Foot (1942... Mark Thompson has been the BBC Director-General since May 2004. ... Look up prima facie in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Theatres Act (1968) abolished censorship of the stage in Great Britain. ...

A judicial review of the decision was granted at the High Court on 26 April 2007. Mr Justice Underhill stated: "I consider that the District Judge was wrong to take the view that s 2 4 [of the Theatres Act] applied to the offence of blasphemy" and that he "consider[ed] it arguable that the [District Judge's] assessment that the facts alleged disclose in effect no case fit to go to the jury was wrong in law". Judicial review is the power of a court to review a a law or an official act of a government employee or agent for constitutionality or (in some jurisdictions) for the violation of basic principles of justice. ... High Court usually refers to the superior court of a country or state. ... The Theatres Act (1968) abolished censorship of the stage in Great Britain. ...

The Judge emphasised, however, that his decision meant "no more than that the challenge to the District Judge's decision was arguable. That does not necessarily mean that it will succeed; still less that any eventually prosecution would succeed."^[7]

Maggie's Centres

The group has been criticised for its role in causing a cancer charity, Maggie's Centres, to decline a four-figure donation that came from the proceeds of a special performance of Jerry Springer - The Opera. The charity had been due to receive £10 per ticket for an afternoon gala - the total amount being around £10,000 (although CV claims it would only have been £3000). Christian Voice contacted Maggie's Centres, informed them of their dislike of the opera and stressed the offence that would be caused to some Christian donors. A statement by Maggie's claims that Christian Voice had threatened to "picket our centres" and that the action by Christian Voice would be "effectively blocking our work" [1]. As a result, Maggie's Centres decided not to accept the donation and to raise money "ethically and in ways which do not cause offence".^{[citation needed]} Christian Voice responded to criticism in the press by saying that they had helped Maggie's Centres avoid a "PR Disaster of profiting from filth and blasphemy".^{[citation needed]} Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... David Soul stars as Jerry Springer. ...

Homophobia and transphobia

The group has been involved in a number of campaigns against the Gay Police Association (GPA). Their website banner proclaims: 'The site the GPA wants to ban!'. Christian Voice are particularly opposed to police officers participating in gay pride marches, and in 2003 wrote to the Chief Constable of every force which allowed its officers to march in uniform at Pride events. The organisation published the replies on its website.^[8] They included: The Gay Police Association (GPA) is a British police staff association with members in all 52 UK police forces. ... Gay pride is a world wide campaign or movement believing the history and diversity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people is of importance to all. ... Chief Constable is the title given to the commanding officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except the two responsible for Greater London. ...

"For your information, I have not allowed my officers to attend this event on 26 July 2003 for the simple reason that I believe that uniform should only be worn when on duty. As a lifelong practicing Catholic... I must advise you that I find your views morally offensive and totally reprehensible and I would be grateful if you would cease any further communication with me." Mr Terence Grange, Chief Constable, Dyfed-Powys Police.

And: Dyfed-Powys Police (Welsh: Heddlu Dyfed Powys) is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire (which make up Dyfed), and Powys in Wales. ...

"Owing to the unreasonable, inaccurate, and abusive nature of your letters, I am afraid I am unable to provide you with a comprehensive response. Your voice is not Christian." Clive Wofendale, Assistant Chief Constable for Mr Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable, North Wales Police."

Christian Voice believes that homosexuality is an objective psychological disorder and treatable, and encourages lesbians, bisexuals and gay men to contact various controversial "ex-gay" organisations. This belief is not supported by the medical establishment^[9]. There are normally between one and four assistant chief constables in British police forces, depending upon force size and whether or not civilians have been appointed at chief officer level. ... North Wales Police (Welsh: Heddlu Gogledd Cymru) is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the preserved counties of Clwyd and Gwynedd in north Wales. ... This article is about homosexual women, not inhabitants of the Greek island of Lesbos A lesbian (lowercase L) is a homosexual woman. ... Bisexuality is a sexual orientation which refers to the romantic and/or sexual attraction of individuals to other individuals of both their own and the opposite gender or sex. ... The ex-gay or exodus movement claims that homosexuals can become heterosexual or otherwise leave homosexuality behind through counselling, prayer, and other therapies if they choose to do so. ...

In December 2005 Christian Voice attacked the new civil partnerships for same-sex couples in the UK. Stephen Green said: A civil union is one of several terms for a civil status similar to marriage, typically created for the purposes of allowing homosexual couples access to the benefits enjoyed by married heterosexuals (see also same-sex marriage); it can also be used by couples of differing sexes who do not... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Christian Voice (UK). ...

"Ordinary people will be revolted by the sight of these couples embracing and the recognition in our law of what the Bible describes as an abomination and 'vile affection' will bring judgement on our land from the same Almighty God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah." [2] Sodom can refer to: Sodom and Gomorrah, Biblical cities Sodom (band), a German thrash metal band Sodom, an album by the band Sodom Sodom (Final Fight), a character from Street Fighter and Final Fight Il Sodoma, an Italian Mannerist painter (1477-1549) Sodom, South Georgia, a song by Iron & Wine... Sodom redirects here. ...

The group also created a spoof of True Vision, a third party incident reporting website created by the police to report homophobic and racial hate crime incidents. As of July 2006, after action from the police, the website has been banned for plagiarism and for being misleading.

Christian Voice have also campaigned against gender recognition legislation, in accordance with their belief that gender reassignment surgery represents unacceptable interference with the human body as God's creation. They state that people who identify as transsexuals suffer from psychological disorders and imply that they have been abused and neglected as children.^[10] The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is an Act of Parliament of the British Parliament which allows transsexual people to change their legal gender. ... Look up Transsexualism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

For the past 2 years, a small group led by Stephen Green have held protests during London's Pride Parade but the numbers of demonstrators (usually grouped behind a police officer outside the Institute of Directors on Pall Mall) is on a steady decrease. The Institute of Directors (IoD) is a UK based organisation, incorporated by royal charter in 1903 to support, represent and set standards for company directors. ...

In January 2007, the group issued a press release characterising attempts to combat homophobic bullying in schools as "forcing homosexuality on children".

Views on Abortion

Christian Voice has been the subject of criticism over its stance on abortion. The group claims to draw on both the Bible and modern medical knowledge in regarding abortion as the wilful murder of a living human being and comparing it to the Nazi genocide. It calls on the church to offer 'hospitality' to women who allegedly feel pressured into having an abortion, and has stated an intention to hold vigils outside abortion clinics to pray for those entering, "as soon as the Lord wills." medicines, see Medication. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man or knowing man) in the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Genocide is the mass killing of a group of people as defined by Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or...

The group often undertake actions with the UK Life League, a group led by a former Orangeman, James Dowson, with convictions for breach of the peace and possession of an offensive weapon^[11][12]. The group has stood accused of using abusive and intimidatory tactics described by the police National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit as "akin to those of animal rights extremists" and of fabricating images of aborted foetuses^[13]. UK Life League is a British pressure group that opposes abortion[1], contraception[2], sex education[3], euthanasia[4], stem cell research[5], gay rights legislation[6] and some modern approaches to medical ethics. ... The Orange Order is a Protestant fraternal organisation largely based in the province of Northern Ireland and in western Scotland but which has a worldwide membership. ... Breach of the peace is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries, and in a wider public order sense in Britain. ... The National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit is a unit of the British Home Office, set up around May 2004 to coordinate intelligence and police action against extremist groups in the UK. The unit is believed to have been set up with particular reference to animal rights activists. ...

Views on Islam

Christian voice states that Islam is not an Abrahamic religion: For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

"... in the Qu'ran, Allah denies the Crucifixion and denies that Jesus Christ ever was and is the Son of God. Whoever it is that Muslims worship, he sure is not the God whom Jews and Christians acknowledge as the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth."^[14] Green has also stated that Christian Voice will attempt to use racial and religious hatred laws in an attempt to ban the Qur'an. He commented to The Guardian: "If the Qur'an is not hate speech, I don't know what is. We will report staff who sell it. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that unbelievers must be killed. ^[15] The Quran ( Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; its literal meaning is the recitation and is often called Al Quran Al Karim: The Noble Quran, also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Other

On 24 June 2005, Christian Voice's bankers, the Co-Operative Bank, told the organisation to take its account elsewhere as Christian Voice's anti-homosexual policy was in conflict with the bank's own policy of support for diversity. In response, Christian Voice have issued a statement calling for Christians to boycott the Co-operative Bank. ^[16] June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Co-operative Banks head office, 1 Balloon Street, Manchester. ...

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August 2005, the group issued a statement claiming that this was the result of God's wrath and had brought "purity" to the city, even though several Bible colleges were gutted and the gay-favoured French Quarter suffered only minor wind damage and flooding. ^[17]. Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

On Saturday 2 September 2006, Stephen Green of Christian Voice was arrested while handing out anti-homosexual leaflets at the Cardiff Mardi Gras. He was detained for four hours, charged with public order offences and the case was remanded until 28 September, when all charges were dropped^[18]. Following his arrest, Green slammed the police as 'a partisan unit whose job is to round up Christian dissidents, treat[ing] them like thought criminals and trampl[ing] on freedom of speech' and called on supporters to 'safeguard our historic freedoms'. September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... A prisoner who is denied, refused or unable to meet the conditions of bail, or who is unable to post bail, may be held in a prison on remand until their criminal trial. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... In George Orwells dystopian novel 1984 the government attempts to control not only the speech and actions, but also the thoughts of its subjects, labeling disapproved thoughts with the term thoughtcrime or, in Newspeak, crimethink. In the book, Winston Smith, the main character, writes in his diary: He also...

Christian Voice advocate the prosecution and stoning of 'blasphemers' as 'a matter of due process'^[19].

Media coverage

Since attempting to censor Jerry Springer, the Opera, the group, through their "National Director", have enjoyed increased coverage in the national media, though this has not always been to their advantage, particularly on the BBC's Today Programme. As a result of the appearance of Green on Question Time in September 2005, the group has been condemned by the Rev Dr David Peel, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church (URC) and by a number of other church bodies. Dr David Peel, said: Question Time is a topical debate television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. It is currently shown on BBC One at 22:35 on Thursdays, and typically features politicians from the three major political parties and other public figures who answer questions put to them by the... The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is an honorary role, held for 12 months. ... Logo of The United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Christian denomination (church) in the United Kingdom. ...

It is a matter of some regret that … the BBC should choose to undermine the reputation of Question Time by giving a platform to a small, self-selecting group distinguished mainly by its absurd claim to represent Christians in this country.

As a result of similar complaints from members of the public, the BBC reviewed its policies towards the group and stopped inviting it on its programmes.

Opposition to Christian Voice had resulted in a Google bomb for "ignorant bigots" being created, which directed to their website. [3] However, due to changes to Google's ranking algorithms in January 2007, this no longer works. A Google bomb (also referred to as a link bomb) is Internet slang for a certain kind of attempt to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine, often with humorous or political intentions. ... Google Inc. ...

See also

• Jerry Springer: The Opera
• Anti Christian Voice - spoof of the Christian Voice homepage
• Radical Christians to target abortion clinics - The Sunday Times article

References

External links

• Christian Voice homepage
• Times Report on the Harry Hammond trial
• Listening to the Voices resource of links on Christian Voice's activities as reported by the media (includes pictures).