Well, this has been quite a week for the left side of the political aisle, as they show their dislike for old-fashioned ideas like freedom and liberty.
A few days ago, it was the former National Security Advisor for Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who stated his belief that freedom of speech shouldn’t apply to anyone who uses it to insult Islam. We also learned in a New York Times editorial that Christians in positions of leadership should be denied their rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion if they don’t embrace the radical homosexual agenda, and that their thoughts alone should be illegal.
Now we learn that free speech has its limits at the Vatican. Not only that, but he warned anyone who used their free speech rights improperly, that we shouldn’t be all that surprised when someone reacts violently if they don’t like it, such as we witnessed in the terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo. In an Associated Press story, the Pope is quoted as saying:
“If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others…
There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, wo make fun of them, who make a gaome out of the religions of others. They are provacateurs. And what happens to them is what would happen to Dr. Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit.”
While his intentions may or may not be nobel, his example couldn’t be more off-base.
His suggestion—if you insult someone you can expect a punch—is diametrically opposed to the whole idea of free speech. An individual’s ideas or thoughts should never be limited. What can be restricted is what someone does with those ideas, and how someone reacts to them.
The Pope has developed a bit of a reputation as a socialist-leaning—some would say communist—Pontiff for his opposition to capitalism, his embrace of the global warming scam, and his calls for wealth redistribution. His statements about freedom of speech give Christians one more reason to be concerned.
Liberty and freedom are in serious danger! We must be ever vigilant in our defense of our rights.
