James Campbell Bowe, 80, is defending himself after he was removed by police from a church on Grand Bahama while attending services.  The incident was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.

Campbell Bowe told ZNS News that he was attempting to deliver a message from God.  “They did the same thing for Jesus when he got in the church and tell them about their wickedness and sin, ain’t no difference.  Who don’t like me ain’t nothing I could do about that, they didn’t like Jesus.”

The eighty year old explained that he raised his hand during the service to repeat what the Lord told him to testify to the church.  He said, “the pastor she got up and she began to carry on about not this morning, this, that and the next thing.”  He went further, “they begin to talk about oh they have guests coming.  Well you have guests coming in but I’m a member of the congregation so I shouldn’t be thrown out because you have guests coming in and you refuse to let me testify what the Lord tell me to say in the church which is his word not mine.”

Campbell Bowe said he decided not to leave and the police were called. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Advardo Dames confirmed that the church’s pastor indeed contacted police and Campbell Bowe was asked to leave which he did.

President of the Bahamas Christian Council, Bishop Delton Fernander spoke to the legality of church disturbances.  He said, “the Bahamas penal code which governs police officers or any law enforcement you can be arrested for disturbing a place of worship.  Also convention says that churches are alysum they are save spaces that whether you are a parishioner of a pastor you can confess in a church, you can come in with a weapon in a church and turn it over to the pastor and there is no ramifications for it until that person passes it on to the law enforcement.”

Campbell Bowe admitted this was no the first time police were called to remove him from the church.  No charges have been filed.