When the founders of his nation constituted a government, one of the first things they did was amend their document. Those first amendments are what we know as the Bill of Rights. The first amendment is commonly known as free speech, but that is merely the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The First Amendment
Congress, as in the US Congress, will not make a law which elevates or reduces any particular religion. They will also not prohibit any free exercise of any religion. That is the foundation of the amendment. With that as the bedrock, the people are able to speak freely, and by extension the press is able to say whatever they believe to be true. Also, the people are free to peaceably assemble and petition the government to change their trajectory in times where the people disagree with the actions made on their behalf.
This is an amendment that disrupts the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT from taking any action against the freedom of the people in religion and in communication. Just as the right to speak translates also into the right to remain silent, the right of the people to worship allows the people the right to abstain from worship. Worship and speech are outside the realm of the federal government. States can, and have, preferred one form of religion over another, but the federal government is to remain out of it.
It has been over a year since my past post on here and that is not due to neglect. That is because I wanted to take an extended amount of time on another free speech platform, known as Gab, and give it a thorough test. It has passed with flying colors. I have taken my followers through a Bible reading project where I have not shied away from certain topics. Where the Bible condemns homosexual activity, so have I. Where the Bible speaks against men adorning themselves as women, so have I. Where the Bible cautions people against the beastly actions of human governments, so have I.
Had I done all of this on Facebook or other websites I would have been censored. On Gab I have spoken freely. And it’s funny because the mindset one gets on to post on this or that website changes based on the pressures imposed on you. There are things you might say on Twitter (X) that you wouldn’t have said on Facebook. There are ways of saying things on X that might have been presented more straightforwardly on Gab. That isn’t one site forcing you to speak differently. That is you self-censoring to fit in on whatever site you are interacting with.
Yes, the Antifa member living in their parent’s basement in California doesn’t have to tell you to tone it down. You already are so that you can remain in the cool kid’s club.
I largely rejected that dynamic in 2021. I rekindled my blog and I sought a platform where I could be social without sacrificing the gift of free expression given by God. Are there people on Gab who I disagree with? Absolutely! How do I deal with that? Like an adult. I don’t follow them and if they impose on me I mute or block them. Mind blowing, I’m sure.
A while back, I was asked to contribute to a small neighborhood group on Facebook and I joined for fun. That is when I got to see the contrast from a website that values a variety of ideas vs one that seeks to mold its users into only one set of values. I shared memes that showed the lunacy of our gender confusion and the response from political parties. Both are seeking the trans vote but only one is able to worship their degeneracy because their existing voters have long since sold their souls to the movement. Do those who disagree with me block me and go on with their lives? Nope. They want me to be silenced. They want my God Given right to express myself to be removed.
Their solution to their own angst is to silence those who they disagree with. First by telling me that I am not being considerate to the demon-oppressed and then by telling me how noble they are for standing with such groups. On Gab, they would be laughed at. Block those who you object to and go on with your life. Not unlike the real world. One side is totalitarian and the other side values personal responsibility.
And don’t try to tell me that opposing evil will turn others off to the gospel message. If you believe that I have any message that will make such people more or less of an enemy against God than they were before they met me, than you place far too much value in my ability to affect such a reaction. In other words, read your Bible.
I have been marinated in free speech long enough now. This blog and Gab are my places to say whatever is on my heart. And thank God I have places to do so, despite the Big Tech publishing sites that put their soft headed guardrails around the freedom of others. Free speech is the gift of God. So is the reaction to it. If I slander others, that is sin. But it is only sin if I knowingly lie about them.
Why share this at all? No particular reason. I am spiritually gifted in encouragement, believe it or not, but I will not encourage anyone toward cowardice or the compliance that results from too many effeminate pastors telling you to give up your freedoms for the good of others. #NeverAgain
