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Nigel from London wrote: -
Why does a church need amplified music? Do they think that God won't hear them if they sing just using the voices which I presume they think God gave them?
Have you ever heard the level of amplification a pop concerts? Deafening, but they are not singled out. The biased magistrates are meeting out reverse discrimination on church congregations that are just doing what they have done for generations. SEE IF THEY DARE ISSUE THE SAME DRACONIAN RESTRICTIONS IF A PARTICULAR SECT [AT 6 AM STARTS TO BLAST OUT OVER LOAD SPEAKERS, A CALL TO PRAYER????] IF THEY DID I GUESS THERE WOULD BE RIOTS IN THE STREETS. Maybe it's high time Christians made their disgust known by marching in the streets as many other (got at) groups do. Or will such action be deemed, UNLAWFUl & banned????? RBear.

- Rupert Bear, York

The 'church' repeatedly lied in court, they said they had soundproofed the hall, when they didnt, they also said they had bricked up the windows when again they didnt. Surely if these evangelical churches were so righteous they wouldn't have lied in court would they?...Whatever happened to love thy neighbour?

- Paul Phoenix, Walthamstow Baby!

Over thirty youth attends the youth group in this church rather than roaming around the streets of London commiting crime, my son attends this group it had to stop because the neighbour complaint about music noise from a BBQ we need to balance things here' he bought the vicarage of the church from its previuos owners, how can you buy a house next to the bakary and say you dislike the smell of bread. please let the church meet the needs of its community once a week is not alot we need more, remember the church itself is not the building but the people in the community go there to worship and needs are met.

- Sally, waltamstow

This is very worrying. Its so obvious the council are working from an appeasement agenda here. I don't recall though seeing churches with loud hailers pointing outwards from the top of the church steeple declaring loudly that all Christians must come to a service..... Dual standards reign supreme here, thats for sure.

- Tim, Somerset

Great - can we now see the same rule applied to mosques who insist on broadcasting their prayer sessions to the rest of the street? No? I didn't think so..........

- Nowan King, London

poor britains, you will be one of the first which have to live under the seewt of sharia with nice beheadigs, cutting off hands and feet and stoning!

- Hph53, cologne, Germany

Welcome to religious bias Britain.Muslims can scream at the top of their voices at ridiculous hours of the day and politically correct councils are fine with this,but a British christian church must worship in silence.The councils are breeding hatred within.

- Dave, london

Julie from Essex says that Christianity is an indigenous religion. It is not. Christianity is a Middle Eastern religion same as Islam, and Jesus did not speak English, it might shock her to know.

Added to the fact that very few people in this country now actually practice Christianity.

I think there is a highly anti-Muslim tone to this story. The fact is that the church was a noisy congregation with the sort of loud evangelical services you would find in parts of Africa. These places are springing up all over London.

This is not Africa. We have laws here to protect the peace. This includes shutting down noisy churches and mosques also are not allowed to do the call to prayer either.

- Bilal Patel, London, UK

Well, if the Christians are disturbing the Muslims on Sundays mornings, then I would like to lodge a formal complaint against the Muslim community for the noisy calls to prayer. It offends me and disturbs me

- Laura, London, Canada

People in Germany should look more carefully at what's going on in Britain and I do have hopes that the islamization of (at least continental) Europe can be stopped before it's too late.

- Heiner, Berlin, Germany

I think there is a balance to be struck between not creating excessive noise and being able to practise one's religion. Limiting the church to 20 minutes' music on a Sunday is far, far too restrictive. Church worship has always involved singing and it is unreasonable to restrict it so much. How would an Immam react if prayers from the Mosque were allowed for only 20 minutes once a week?

- Kathryn, London

I think it is very sad that in modern day Britain people can not be a little more tolerant of one another and the way in which people wish to express their beliefs. After all the service is only for a few hours a week.

- Rebecca Hunt, Hampshire, UK

"Waltham Forest council had told them to keep
quiet so as not to offend the Muslim community".

This is a Christian country, which welcomed muslim people and gave them shelter from all sorts of negative things in muslim countries. I wonder what would happen if a Cristian complained in Saudi Arabia after something muslim was said loudly in mosques.

- Al Montoya, London, UK

Why does a church need amplified music? Do they think that God won't hear them if they sing just using the voices which I presume they think God gave them?

- Nigel, London

To be fair I think I'd complain if I had to listen that racket too, the difference is that because I'm an aethesit I'd undoubtedly be ignored. I bet the pc council soiled themselves when they had to deal with a complaint from someone with a Islamic sounding name, not of course that any government agency or local authority is in any way biaised towards minority groups, oh good "creator being" no.

- Bob, Cheam

as a christian I am appalled at the constant unremitting reports of the state placing restrictions on the christian church in this country and abroad
what would people preferr a thriving church and christian community which provides all people with an available means of spiritual and practical support what ever their religion might be,or an empty and derlict building at risk of becoming a place used for drug addicts and or drinkers etc , did the person who complained actually speak with the church his or her self? as a first step, its called communication!!

- Andrew Hines, Rotherham

Julie - if you read the article properly, it was the pastor of the church, and the solicitor who mentioned "upsetting Muslims". Not the council, or any other party. All very one-sided, and I'd be interested to know if the "Muslim" claim was quoted in a letter. The only gripe one of the neighbours had was in not being able to get their one-year-old off to sleep. Perhaps you are the racist one? And before you say anything, I'm white, indigenous, and my politics are middle to right. And I know how to read things and interpret them.

I used to live beside a church like this in Balham. The racket on a Sunday meant I had to go out while the sermons were held. I respect peoples right to worship, but I'd ask them to respect people around them, and not force their dogma on their neighbours via loudspeakers. Some Sundays, it was like listening to a lot of wailing banshees.

- Jock, London

I dont think this has anything at all to do with religion, its about noise, and if Julie in Essex lived anywhere near the many evangelical churches springing up all over London but more so in the East End, she would get a very good idea of the noise levels involved.

I do live near to one of those churches and the noise and traffic levels are horrendous, and our local council took the church to court as well to get a noise abatement notice. I have to say that since then things are better, not all of the time, but still better than it was.

- Toby, East London

Truly appalling that people cannot practice the religion that the queen represents.

I am disgusted that an incoming religion appears to have greater rights than the indigenous religion.

The council should be pilloried and voted out of office for taking this racist stance

- Julie, Essex

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