“It was a shock that something so Orwellian could still happen in 21st century Britain. Silent prayer is not a crime.”
Opinion
This UK woman was arrested twice for silently praying outside an abortion clinic. The police recently awarded her £13,000 for the injustice.
When I talk about human beings being impressionable creatures, this story serves as a prime example. Here we have a harmless, non-violent woman praying for what she believes is right, and she's arrested. Instead of allowing her to follow her conscience, the police followed some version of the secular 'wisdom' of the day.
I've encountered the same kind of societal stupidy in my life. Not necessarily in such pressing matters as praying outside an abortion clinic but whenever the herd mentality judges or tries to control you, it's a disquieting situation.
One pre-Covid example that comes to mind is how Catholics used to look at me as if I was a weirdo when I didn't shake their hands during the Mass. For non-Catholics, there's a part of the Mass where we are asked to give each other a "sign of our peace." Before Covid, this typically took the form of a handshake and a big, superficial smile. (I say superficial because most Toronto Catholics won't give you the time of day after the Mass ends).
We all know that handshaking is more or less passé these days, even if Covid is over. And no one shakes hands during the Mass in 2024. I didn't do it prior to COVID-19 because there are many other viruses you can pick up by handshaking, which seems foolish if you are about to eat something---i.e. the Eucharist.
But the herd was told to do it, so they did. Until they were told otherwise, that is.
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