Freedom of speech

Blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers, this is not right! (James 3:10)

Freedom of speech. It’s a right that’s guaranteed by our Constitution, and Americans prize it highly. People use it when they send letters to the editor, call in to radio talk shows, or leave a post on the Internet. Freedom of speech serves a free society, because it guarantees that every citizen can express his opinion in an attempt to make the country a better place to live.

But attached to every right there is also responsibility. Freedom of speech does not allow you to say anything you want. If you tell lies in a court of law, you can be sent to jail for perjury. If your lies hurt another person’s reputation, you can be convicted of slander and forced to pay restitution. Freedom of speech always has some limits.

In recent years, many countries have passed laws regarding hate crimes. Such laws make it illegal to treat someone hatefully because of things like age, gender, religion or sexual orientation. These laws are being passed to protect people from discrimination; however, these laws also put limits on freedom of speech. For example, in Europe a clergyman was thrown into jail for saying that homosexual behavior is sinful. Although he was only repeating what the Bible says, he was put on trial for allegedly committing a hate crime.

Words have tremendous power—they can give a dying person the will to live, and they can drive a happy person into suicidal despair. The right words at the right time can completely change the course of a person’s life. So we need to be very careful when we speak. Harsh words can cause a great deal of pain; it’s to be expected that policy makers try to control what people say.

But we must be careful in limiting free speech. Without free speech, good ideas go unheard, ideas that could make our communities better places to live. When free speech is limited, powerful men can abuse their authority with little opposition. When freedom of speech is curtailed, it is hard to warn people that their behavior is angering God, or tell them about the Son of God who died on a cross to offer them forgiveness. At all costs, we must preserve our right to speak words that can improve the lives of others.