Quote:
Originally Posted by Blanche_Locke
freedom of speech
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There are two aspects to freedom. One, the lesser of the two, is what the law allows. Or insists on as the case may be. For example you can't drive around at 300
MPH even if you just wasted several million on a car able to do that. (Unless you're in Germany or Australia but even then not on all roads.) The law insists on it; perhaps I can say I think that's a stupid law and it should be changed but if I start making speeches telling people to poison everyone that would be different. At some point freedom of speech becomes incitement to poison. Written ideas are treated differently and there is the interesting legal question of whether words printed on a T-shirt——a declaration of war, say——which you wear and get someone to photograph you wearing it, then circulate the photograph, constitutes——in this case——a declaration of war or not? The same applies to any other category of free speech.
The other, more important, aspect is what happens after you've made your perfectly legal announcement? Many false religions and cults think you should suffer consequences for your opinion. They may turf you out from your home, isolate you socially and here you could think "just move somewhere else" but if you've also lost your job and nobody will employ you moving states or continents gets tricky. Some cults think they should chop your head off. They don't care what the law is. And that's why this is the more important of the two. If expressing your opinion leads to certain ruin, that's not freedom of speech, legal diktat notwithstanding.
The Bible explains what God's opinion is. He made the whole universe, quark by quark, knows the location of each one, knows how all-pervasive sin can be once uncorked [thank you, Eve!] and the need for Salvation. Throughout the centuries He's explained this, worked miracles, given commandments, smitten with boils and instant leprosy, killed false priests with jets of flame and finally having Jesus killed for no reason except because He loves us so much. Generally what God was building was mocked from its very foundation.
Acts 4:11-13 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Here too a subtle distinction is drawn. They were not ignorant BECAUSE they had been with Jesus. They were ignorant AND they had been with Jesus. Cults may say they follow The Bible when, if you read it, they very much don't. They are free to say that in law but God knows their error and one day someone could take them at their word, actually read The Bible and implement its freedoms directly, the only real freedom, freedom from sin.
Which would you prefer?