Although the pastor was released without charge after spending a night in jail, he is still under investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service and could be charged at a later date. The UK is notorious for hate-crime laws where authorities will investigate supposed "hate incidents" if the "victim" perceives themselves to have been victimized. -GEG

A Christian pastor in the UK was arrested by police after a member of the public reported him for the "homophobic" comment of saying that marriage was between a man and a woman.

Yes, really.

The incident occurred outside Uxbridge Station in west London. A video clip shows the elderly pastor being confronted by police and forcefully handcuffed before being led away.

"I wasn't making any homophobic comments, I was just defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. I was only saying what the Bible says – I wasn't wanting to hurt anyone or cause offence," said John Sherwood, who has been a pastor for 35 years.