Freedom of Speech - For Whom?By Paul Hayden March 20, 2017“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” (Quote from Network, a movie from 1976.) “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God!” (James 1:20) Conservatives, including many Christians, are reaching the limits of their patience. I have heard it said that an aspect of being conservative is simply wanting to be left alone. Far from being left alone, our lives are being flooded with distasteful and uninvited influences. When the deluge of attacks becomes unbearable, the counterreaction is almost inevitable. There is a growing voice, becoming louder and more clear, that must necessarily rise up to be heard. Certain agendas heralded by the ‘liberals’ in our country are becoming overwhelming in their intensity as they flood our lives. I am especially concerned about the homosexual agenda, which seems to demand not just to be accepted and equal, but rather to be exalted as more than equal. Especially in entertainment, which is a stronghold for the spreading of this lifestyle, it seems you can’t hardly watch a TV show or a movie for an evening without seeing some man kissing another man, or two women getting married. And in public “pride” parades, and theater, and other venues, it is flaunted openly in a most disgusting and distasteful display for all present to see. It just gets disheartening for many of us who believe such behavior and lifestyle is morally wrong. “Equal rights” should not equate out to “more than equal rights.” The homosexual population, at the very most, is a miniscule 3-4% of the whole. Yet, they seem to be crying for 100% of our attention, and especially in legal consideration. In poll surveys people wrongly estimate that 23% of the population is ‘gay.’ This is largely because of the enormous face time they command with their vocal agenda. Quite understandably, the legal attacks of the left are largely against Christian conservatives. The laws and morals in our country have been based largely on Christian (Biblical) teaching. What if our country’s laws were based on the Muslim Sharia law? While there is ‘zero tolerance’ from the Left for Christian conservatives, there is very little outcry from them against the fundamentalist Muslims. Muslims take an enormously stronger intolerant stance against homosexuality, sexual perversions, alcohol, and other perceived vices of western culture. There are liberal voices in some communities desiring to incorporate or allow Sharia law alongside our existing laws. The wise know that this could never happen. The same liberal voices who cry out for homosexual freedom, are also vocal about letting Muslim refugees into our country by the droves. If that were to happen, it could be interesting how that would work out. For simply not baking a cake for a homosexual wedding, a Christian couple lost their business and were fined harshly by a liberal judge, all for holding firm to their Christian faith and moral convictions. The homosexual couple said they were harmed mentally and emotionally by the denial of a cake – worth $135,000 in punishment! Give me a break! We will watch to see how this plays out in the battle that is going to the Supreme Court. Another baker in Colorado suffered the same fate in 2015, politely declining to make a cake for two men who were celebrating their ‘marriage.’ The baker also claimed he would not decorate and sell any cake that violated his beliefs, including depictions of profanity, hate, Halloween, racism, anti-American, or anti-family themes. Well, here is another victim of the homosexual attack agenda! So why don’t the homosexual couples simply go to a different baker who would meet their needs, and leave the Christians alone? We as Christians generally don’t go into homosexual bath houses or bars, and try to force them to play Christian music or stop whatever activity might offend us – do we? It is clear why homosexuals choose Christian establishments in their bullying efforts to advance their ‘rights.’ Why don’t homosexual couples go to a Muslim bakery to bake their ‘same-sex marriage’ cake, or to a Muslim florist or photographer or mosque to provide services for their un-Biblical union? The answer to this rhetorical question is obvious. How many Christians have you heard of attacking, dismembering, or calling for physically punishing homosexuals for their beliefs? Such relatively harmless Christian displays as nativity scenes or plaques depicting the Ten Commandments are decried by the Left as unbearable and offensive, but their cries for ‘freedom’ demand that grotesque, scantily clothed homosexual parades are perfect expressions of tolerance and ‘free speech!’ So, free speech and freedom of religious expression are for homosexuals, but not for Christians? Apparently, they can ‘hate’ our beliefs, but we cannot hate theirs. Many churches and even whole denominations have yielded to the tormenting onslaught of liberal thinking. “Tolerance” and “love for all” and “equality” have led many to sacrifice the plain and clear teaching of the Bible, having ‘evolved’ to accept and embrace homosexuality as if it were normal and right and perfectly satisfactory to the Holy God, creator of the universe. Don’t be silent any more. You don’t have to be ugly or uncivil about it, but you do not have to be silent, either. “Speaking the truth in love…” (Ephesians 4:15) has always been necessary. The same freedom of speech can be used for good, or for evil. Do what you can to be sure you are on the side of good. Know what you believe, and why. Having a right attitude is part of being aligned with the truth. Don’t ever underestimate the power of the truth, especially when coupled with the love of God.
|
Paul Hayden is a Christian believer, and an American patriot, necessarily in that order. He is a student of the Bible, and is avidly interested in our role in the context of history, as understood through the heart and eyes of faith. Paul has lived and traveled somewhat widely, and now lives in the heartland of the U.S. (central Illinois), with his wife Donna - they have five grown children. Since December of 2016, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief of www.ConservativeTruth.org. "I was raised by a Christian minister, Kenneth Hayden, until his death when I was 10. Then my mom Bonnalee Hunt Hayden married a farmer. So I was raised in a very down-to-earth home. My faith has grown through the years, but both in conjunction with the institutional church and through small groups and individuals, including books as well as group settings, where deep, sincere faith is shared that aligns with Biblical truth."
|