The sign had said, If you think there is no God, you'd better be right.
Apparently, this youngster's feelings were hurt by the church's sign, despite the fact that he didn't believe part of it, and didn't understand the rest; so the local police gave the pastor a talking to.
A Norfolk police spokesman said: 'Norfolk Constabulary received a report regarding a poster outside a church in Attleborough which was deemed offensive by the complainant.'National guidance required us to investigate the circumstances and the matter has been recorded as a hate incident.'Having spoken to the pastor of the church, it has been agreed the poster will be taken down.'[The pastor] said he changed the posters on his notice board every two weeks.The poster has now been replaced by another one with the message : 'God loves you!' and a picture of a meerkat.
Apasser-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.
He said: 'I was just astounded really. We live in the 21st century and they have put that message - that non-Christians will burn in hell - up to try and scare people into joining their mentality.'So the Gladwin boy knows enough about religion to know what the picture of flames symbolized, but not, apparently, enough to know that non-Christian and atheist are the same thing, (nor did the journalist, who has the marvelous surname of Cockroft, nor his editor.)
Doesn't say much for the state of education in the UK.
(Nor of the fairness in the application of values of free speech, but perhaps the Queen's law is nothing like ours in that regard... Not only is a religious POV not welcome in the public square, it's not welcome on church property?)
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