{"id":6975,"date":"2014-02-06T20:46:20","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T20:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/?p=6975"},"modified":"2025-06-27T11:23:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T10:23:46","slug":"2014feb06ukip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/2014feb06ukip\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Gay marriage’ row UKIP councillor sacked"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Councillor<\/a>
Councillor David Silvester<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A UKIP Councillor has been sacked for comments linking the recent floods with ‘gay marriage’.<\/p>\n

Henley-on-Thames\u00a0councillor David Silvester was suspended by the party on 19 January after blaming David Cameron for the floods and storms which have hit England and Wales.<\/p>\n

UKIP initially said\u00a0Mr Silvester’s views were “not the party’s belief” but defended his right to state his opinions.<\/p>\n

But after protests from the party’s LGBT group he was suspended. Today he was expelled<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

His house has been pelted with eggs and had a six-colour homosexual rainbow flag draped on it.<\/p>\n

Ironically, Mr Silvester left the Conservative Party over David Cameron’s determination to force ‘gay marriage’ through Parliament. \u00a0He made similar remarks during his time as a Conservative. \u00a0He remains a Henley Town Councillor. \u00a0UKIP, it must be said, opposes gay marriage and Councillor Sylvester has been accused of using party facilities to promote his views.<\/p>\n

But was he right to make the link?<\/p>\n

In Egypt, God sent hail on Egypt as one of the ten plagues:<\/p>\n

Exod 9:23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.<\/p>\n

Elijah prayed for a drought and then prayed for rain upon God’s instruction:<\/p>\n

1Kings 18:1And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.<\/p>\n

King Ahab blamed Elijah for the drought, although the prophet put him right about where the real responsibility lay:<\/p>\n

1Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw\u00a0Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.<\/p>\n

Solomon heard from the Lord himself that God was both responsible for adverse weather and could be prevailed upon to lift it, \u00a0but only as a result of heartfelt national repentance:<\/p>\n

2Chronicles 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.<\/p>\n

The Psalmist said that all our protection schemes and counter-terrorist measures are a waste of effort unless God himself is watching over us as a corporate group:<\/p>\n

Psalm 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.<\/p>\n

So Mr Silvester is not out on a Biblical limb but soundly in accord with Scripture in principle. \u00a0God can bring disaster on a land as a result of disobedience to his laws, rulers do bear responsibility, and they should lead the people, not into sin, but to repentance if they want stability and prosperity on their watch.<\/p>\n

Whether the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013 is enough on its own to move the Lord to send storms and floods, whether it was the last straw after all the other legislation passed in our land in rebellion from God over the last sixty years, or whether the storms have just been an over-the-top part of our natural weather cycle and, in the case of the Somerset levels, bad management, only God knows.<\/p>\n

But he was right to remind us that Goid is not mocked. \u00a0The words of 2Chr 7:14, Psalm 127:1\u00a0and a host of other scriptures remain to warn us that we cannot expect God’s blessing as a nation, a family, a business or as an individual, if we hold his laws in contempt and walk in rebellion from him.<\/p>\n

As for UKIP, many Christians will be wondering whether they are the haven of free speech and the natural home for disaffected Bible-believers that they seemed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Find out how to join Christian Voice and stand up for the King of kings (clicking on the link below does not commit you to join)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please note that persons wishing to comment on this story must enter a valid email address. Comments from persons leaving fictitious email addresses will be trashed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A UKIP Councillor has been sacked for comments linking the recent floods with ‘gay marriage’. Henley-on-Thames\u00a0councillor David Silvester was suspended by the party on 19 January after blaming David Cameron for the floods and storms which have hit England and Wales. UKIP initially said\u00a0Mr Silvester’s views were “not the party’s belief” but defended his right […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,82,184],"tags":[988,984,633],"class_list":["post-6975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homosexuality-trans","category-politics","category-uk-christian-constitution","tag-david-silvester","tag-henley","tag-ukip"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t