Kerby Anderson

In a recent essay, Lathan Watts talks about the value of free expression. He begins with a discussion of religious liberty, since he is a lawyer with First Liberty Institute. He quickly explains that freedom of expression involves much more than religious free speech.

His organization has seen these situations. A baker can lose her business because of her religious convictions about marriage. A football coach can be fired for kneeling in silent prayer at the end of a football game. A flight attendant can be fired for providing requested employee feedback.

He concludes that, “Each time a person of faith is forced into silence or the untenable choice between piety and prosperity for a ‘thought crime’ or merely seeking to live peacefully according to their beliefs which of late are at odds with cultural orthodoxy, defenders of religious liberty caution against a slippery slope towards tyranny.”

Why are we seeing such censorship? He believes that sometimes it is due to blissful ignorance or naivete. Other times it is arrogance from people who are supremely confident that their views are right and will never be in the minority. But they need to remember that they could suffer the same fate as those they persecute.

How should we respond when we are confronted by ideas with which we disagree? He argues that “the proper response is introspection.” The writer of Proverbs reminds us that, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” A civil discourse can help us understand others and may provide insight we do not have. It can help us refine and improve our positions. Perhaps we might even change them.

This is the price we pay for liberty. And we are better people for being willing to engage the world of ideas. If we want freedom of expression, then we should be willing to grant that same freedom to others.