Speaking Freely:
Speaking freely as a Christian, does not come without a price – a cost of some kind or other.
What is the Cost?
I am talking about the price one pays for expressing their Catholic faith. It’s across a whole range of issues in social settings, the workplace, even to friends and family. More and more,conscientious believers in Jesus, are prefacing what they say, tweet, write or text with the thought – “but how will they react to this? What will others think of me if I say this or that?”
This is particularly true of any opinion that places one firmly in the opposite direction of the “LGBTQ” rights and their “woke” ideologues. The way the equality legislation is going will soon mean that even one’s unspoken thoughts will be subject to scrutiny. For example, one might “perceive” your silence on their rights, as denial of their rights. They could then claim you have offended their feelings [their person]. Thus, report you to the new “hate” police for being mean and unsympathetic etc etc..
What to Do?
What binds us together in civic society in a civil way? This place where all shades of opinion can be expressed and tolerated is rapidly falling apart. Where this will end is anyone’s guess. in 2009 one senior Cardinal infamously said “Who knows what’s down the road?” in reply to a question from a BBC journalist about the future of the Catholic Church and gay marriage. So yes indeed – who knows what’s down the road for conscientious Christians not just in the workplace or social setting but the classroom, the living room, the restaurant or bar [at an overheard discussion] on a train, a bus and not least on social media [which can be often a decidedly anti-social environment] in fact anywhere. Our only hope is that because God sees all and hears all and is everywhere, then our courage to stand up for what we believe in, despite the threats will not go unrewarded.
