The Test of a Free Society
The issue of religious freedom is currently in the news. I cannot comment on the specifics of the Israel Folau case because I don’t know the facts and the legal rights and wrongs are for a court to decide. However, I can make some general observations about the value of religious freedom.
Freedom of religion and freedom of speech are essential rights in any free and democratic society. In fact, they are the test of freedom. Without them, I could not be writing now. We don’t have to agree, and I’m sure many of you don’t agree with the things I write from week to week, but my freedom to speak about what I believe to be true shows that, as a society, we are not afraid of people who are different from ourselves and that we can still embrace them as contributors to a rich, diverse, multicultural society. That is healthy. At the same time, with the freedom to speak comes responsibility, the responsibility to always treat others with dignity and respect. It is not the freedom to discriminate. The bible says that we should “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
Another important aspect of allowing dissenting voices is that they provide us with a level of protection against those who seek to abuse or misuse power. Where would we be without people brave enough to speak out against things like institutional abuse, or organized crime, or corruption in government? The perpetrators of evil want their actions to remain hidden. What does the bible say to that? “What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! ‘The Lord can’t see us,’ they say. ‘He doesn’t know what’s going on!’ How foolish can you be?” (Isaiah 29:15-16). We can’t hide from God. And the bible says this about Jesus, “He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart” (1 Corinthians 4:5). The freedom to speak about Jesus is actually a means of holding evildoers accountable.
Of course, like everything else, freedom can be abused. We can exercise freedom of speech or freedom of religion in a spiteful or vindictive way, to bring harm to others, to manipulate them, or for purely personal gain. These are indefensible. The test used by many Christians over the years to determine what is right has been to ask this question, “What would Jesus do?”
Neil Percival
Freedom of religion and freedom of speech are essential rights in any free and democratic society. In fact, they are the test of freedom. Without them, I could not be writing now. We don’t have to agree, and I’m sure many of you don’t agree with the things I write from week to week, but my freedom to speak about what I believe to be true shows that, as a society, we are not afraid of people who are different from ourselves and that we can still embrace them as contributors to a rich, diverse, multicultural society. That is healthy. At the same time, with the freedom to speak comes responsibility, the responsibility to always treat others with dignity and respect. It is not the freedom to discriminate. The bible says that we should “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
Another important aspect of allowing dissenting voices is that they provide us with a level of protection against those who seek to abuse or misuse power. Where would we be without people brave enough to speak out against things like institutional abuse, or organized crime, or corruption in government? The perpetrators of evil want their actions to remain hidden. What does the bible say to that? “What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! ‘The Lord can’t see us,’ they say. ‘He doesn’t know what’s going on!’ How foolish can you be?” (Isaiah 29:15-16). We can’t hide from God. And the bible says this about Jesus, “He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart” (1 Corinthians 4:5). The freedom to speak about Jesus is actually a means of holding evildoers accountable.
Of course, like everything else, freedom can be abused. We can exercise freedom of speech or freedom of religion in a spiteful or vindictive way, to bring harm to others, to manipulate them, or for purely personal gain. These are indefensible. The test used by many Christians over the years to determine what is right has been to ask this question, “What would Jesus do?”
Neil Percival