Freedom of Speech

William Edoni preachingYou may think you have freedom of speech, just because you live in the United States of America. I have news for you. There are people elsewhere who have more freedom of speech. There are also many who have much less freedom of speech. I know of a man who was just yesterday arrested by Muslim police on charges of engaging in activities involving telling the Truth about Jesus Christ– something that could likely cause a Muslim to forsake Islam and become a Christian. Please pray for this man for God’s will to be done, be it release or martyrdom. (I’m being vague about who this is and where he is for security reasons, but rest assured he is a real man with real feelings and real danger. God knows his name and location.) As an American, you can proudly say that wouldn’t happen in the USA, and if it did, it would be illegal and not tolerated.

Now you can stop the pride, and consider just how bad the subtle change from freedom of religion, guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution, to freedom from religion, made up by anti-Christs, has become in the USA. Although Congress is forbidden by the U. S. Constitution to make any law that prohibits the free exercise of religion, it did pass a law that restricts religious organizations from participating fully in politics unless they are willing to accept a much higher tax burden. OK, so freedom isn’t so free when it is taxed, is it? Or what about the freedom of individuals within any level of government down to the local school teacher to express their beliefs? There has been so much concern about appearing to establish an official religion that the net effect has been to restrict the practice of some religions, especially Christianity. Christianity is especially vulnerable, because Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to tell others about Him, and to teach them all He commanded. Some countries that are officially Christian but tolerate dissenting views are actually more free than the USA with respect to the ability of Christians to be honest in public schools.

It is difficult in the USA to be both a politician and a preacher, for example. My Papua New Guinean friend, William Edoni (pictured in this article), didn’t have that problem. He was both. I do know of an American who is both… but I had better not write praises about him here, lest anyone think that I’m speaking for a nonprofit corporation. I can still speak as a citizen in other places, though.