For America to be free, speech must be free.

WOODLAND PARK, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, March 12, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “Your freedom of speech is under attack. You should be concerned – very concerned,” according to Richard Harris, executive director, Truth & Liberty Coalition.

Nearly three in 10 Americans surveyed by the Freedom Forum Institute https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/state-of-the-first-amendment/ responded that the First Amendment actually goes too far, and nearly eight in10 believed that the murky concept of “misinformation” is a threat to democracy.

“Educating people of faith to engage in public affairs, like freedom of speech issues, is important for maintaining biblical values in our society,” according to Richard Harris, Truth & Liberty executive director.

Established in 2019 by Andrew Wommack and other Christian leaders, the organization offers a variety of programs, tools and resources to be able to focus on key social issues like freedom of speech.

“We find often that churchgoers and pastors don’t know where to start,” said a Truth & Liberty official. “Our goal is to educate audiences and connect with resources and groups across the nation to help them impact their own spheres of influence.”

“In the months after the 2020 U.S. elections, digital media companies worked to silence political speech,” Harris said. “We have seen a sitting President, political commentators, along with news outlets, all blocked from having access on various media platforms.”

Legacy media companies and their contributors have supported the move to censor politically conservative perspectives, Harris said.
A new bill titled the For the People Act (H.R. 1, 2021) recently passed by the Democrat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to “reform” elections in this country by regulating almost all political speech.

It would require reporting to the federal government a vast amount of communication that “promotes or supports the candidate, or attacks or opposes an opponent of the candidate.” Eric Wang, a senior fellow at the Institute for Free Speech says the 800-page bill is “a censor’s wish list of new burdens on speech and donor privacy.”

Freedom of speech is included in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. “Our Founders gave it first place for good reason. The freedom to express one’s mind is essential to human happiness,” Harris said. “It is essential because self-expression is – by God’s design – a fundamental aspect of who we are as human beings.”

The Bible says that mankind is made in God’s image and likeness – the imago deo (Gen. 1:26-27). God’s first act was to speak. “And God said, let there be light, and there was light” (Gen. 1:3). Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-2). He “is in the bosom of the Father” (John 1:18) and is the perfect expression of the heart of God (John 14:9; Heb. 1:3).

“Our ability to speak and express ourselves sets humanity apart from all creation. It is a defining characteristic of God’s nature within us,” Harris said. “Therefore, to bind a person from speaking is to prevent them from fulfilling their imago deo. To restrict free speech is, by definition, a crime against humanity and an offense to God”.

“Our First Amendment freedoms give us the right to think what we like and say what we please,” wrote Founding Father and President James Madison. “And if we the people are to govern ourselves, we must have these rights, even if they are misused by a minority.”

“In other words, if Americans choose not to tolerate speech with which they disagree and permit government or corporations to control and censor speech deemed to be wrong, offensive, or incorrect, we will no longer be a free people. Whoever is most powerful will determine what can be said and our republican form of government will, in reality, no longer exist.” Harris said.

For America to be free, speech must be free, he said. “The fundamental role of government is to protect the God-given rights of the people and the time for government action to defend freedom of speech is now,” said Harris.

Harris is asking the American people to learn more about freedom of speech issues; to explore the Truth & Liberty website and visit the Truth & Liberty Research Center https://truthandliberty.net/resources/ for great practical resources.

Learn more about the Truth & Liberty Coalition:
Become a Truth & Liberty Coalition member https://truthandliberty.net/donate/membership and join the organization in standing for truth in the public square. Truth & Liberty provides 10 versions of Prayer Guides designed to enhance devotionals related to government and other officials, church or small groups, families and others. Download guides at https://truthandliberty.net/prayer-guides/

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