Freedom of Speech, Expression, Religion

[jade0887]

Everyone,
Like it or not, freedom of speech, expression, and religion is sacrosanct. You can't claim to be tolerance and inclusive and turn around and exclude persons and religions that you don't agree with! That's the problem with the liberal worldview, it can't exist without squashing the legitimate rights of others to say, express, and worship in a way that isn't approved of.
jade0887

 

[Quahom1]

Hello Jade, and welcome to CR!

Did you mean liberal or conservative way of thinking? And can you expound on your thought concerning freedom of speech being constricted?

Interesting start.

v/r

Q

 

[Sacredstar]

Dear Jade

Welcome to CR.

For humanity to make the breakthroughs it is essential to find and walk on a bridge of peace, this will mean compromise without betraying our souls, and walking towards each other in total acceptance. To me every man, woman and child is a sacred divine being and should be honoured for their uniqueness and individuality. Acceptance does not mean we have to embrace another's principles, truth or core values but it does mean that we allow them their truth and passion without condemnation so that we can meet on the bridge of peace. For humanity to make the next shift in conciousness some old structures will come down to pave the way for the new paradise on earth, one planet, one people, one heart. This will be painful for some if they are rigid in their thinking because nothing will be allowed to stand in the way of complete oneness with GOD.

Some people are stubborn, fixed and defensive, fighting in the boxing ring over the slightest thing, I tend to allow a lot to go over my head and keep my strength for the times when it is most important to the survival of humanity. I feel that humans are only just becoming human beings, beings that are truly sentient and allowing their sensitivities to be shown and in this way we are recognising what we need to heal so that we can heal our differences and come together as the brotherhood of man as GOD intended. So the internet as been a wonderful tool for self realisation and communication between peoples of all race, cultures and religions, finding that middle ground so we can ultimately benefit from healthy group consciousness.

This view from the UN sums up my own.

Communities are being undermined. The benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Injustice, poverty, ignorance and violent conflict are widespread and the cause of great suffering. We must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our own local communities. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and the future well-being of the human family and the larger living world.

As never before in history, common destiny beacons us to seek a new beginning.

This requires a change of mind and heart.

It requires a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility. Life often involves tensions between important values. This can mean difficult choices. However, we must find ways to harmonize diversity with unity, the exercise of freedom with the common good, short term objectives with long-term goals. Every individual, family, organization, and community has a vital role to play. UN Earth Charter, Agenda 21

Let us pray we can build bridges of peace and not burn them like we have through history. The end times are our opportunity to do it differently so that we may foster emotive social evolution, energising people to innovate change.

Up to now we have fostered a society that creates unhappiness through constant desire for material things, financial and academic success co-creating happiness and evaluation outside of ourselves. We need to promote ethical core values and the importance of self development. Self development and spiritual unfoldment provides us with an added bonus, through addressing our old beliefs and judgements discrimination and prejudice is eliminated. Self-development provides increased freedom, knowledge, and power which increases responsibility to promote the common good and build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable and peaceful. A caring, loving, accepting, and compassionate society.

The way of the heart!

Self development is teaching the soul to fly!


Love beyond measure

Sacredstar

 

[iBrian]

jade0887 spammed the forum with a self-promo post the other day, which was promptly binned.

Also - check the Code of Conduct - there is absolutely no pretense of CR being a Free Speech forum, nor of any pretence made that it should be seen as such. Especially when many people use the cover of "Free Speech" as nothing more as an excuse to attack other people and their faiths.

I'm sorry you feel that your self-promotion being binned was unfair, jade0887 - however, if you would like to extend the principles of "Free Speech" to your own website, then I'd be happy to place a promo to CR on it.

 

[Virtual_Cliff]

Everyone,
Like it or not, freedom of speech, expression, and religion is sacrosanct. You can't claim to be tolerance and inclusive and turn around and exclude persons and religions that you don't agree with! That's the problem with the liberal worldview, it can't exist without squashing the legitimate rights of others to say, express, and worship in a way that isn't approved of.
jade0887

In a liberal democracy there is no sacrosanct freedom of expression or speech. Each individual's rights are always curtailed where they impinge on the rights of others. Your right to party may conflict with your neighbour's right to a peaceful night. The liberal view is that we all respect the needs and sensitivities of others.

We do have a responsibiliity not to cause gratuitous offence to other people's sincerely held religious beliefs. Some people make the mistake of equating beliefs with opinions - disposable, changeable. They are not. A religious belief is an essential part of your being - a part of your soul. Injure that belief and you cripple the person or group just as much as if you shot them with a gun. This is not a freedom that can run unchecked in a civilised society.

We are such a spiritually illiterate society; people in the arts should learn some humility before rampaging around in holy spaces they don't understand.

 

[Quahom1]

In a liberal democracy there is no sacrosanct freedom of expression or speech. Each individual's rights are always curtailed where they impinge on the rights of others. Your right to party may conflict with your neighbour's right to a peaceful night. The liberal view is that we all respect the needs and sensitivities of others.

We do have a responsibiliity not to cause gratuitous offence to other people's sincerely held religious beliefs. Some people make the mistake of equating beliefs with opinions - disposable, changeable. They are not. A religious belief is an essential part of your being - a part of your soul. Injure that belief and you cripple the person or group just as much as if you shot them with a gun. This is not a freedom that can run unchecked in a civilised society.

We are such a spiritually illiterate society; people in the arts should learn some humility before rampaging around in holy spaces they don't understand.

LOL, for us simpler minded folk, one's "rights" end at the tip of their nose.

We are not spiritually illiterate as a society Cliff. To assume such is a serious error. I think distracted would be a better descriptor. Think about it. Everything about the world today is so loud, that we can't hear ourselves think, let alone reflect. Selfish society or perhaps self centered, yes. Ignorant? I don't think so.

my two cents

v/r

Q

 

[Sacredstar]

very true we have lost touch with our souls
spiritual beings having a human experience

this just arrived on freedom of speech

Testing democracy in Jerusalem

Sarah Kreimer, Jerusalem Post
Feb. 15, 2005

"Young Anatoly Sharansky paid a high price, fighting for the rights of free speech in the Soviet Union, and for the freedom to become part of the nation which expressed his yearnings as a Jew. Today, in Jerusalem, the city for which Sharansky bears ministerial responsibility, 230,000 Palestinians yearn for the rights of free speech, and for the right to determine their own future as part of their own nation."

Full text
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108353359072 <http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&amp;cid=1108353359072>

 

[Blue]

My two cents worth..........

Freedom to express oneself, even if it upsets others in any way, is to my mind, the only stand to take upon this.

To me, that is what it means! If others are troubled by it, speech and expression, they can apply reason and rationality, sifting out the metaphysical, the affective value judgements, from what is objectively being said, and then make up their own minds.

This freedom though, as others here have pointed out, often extends to plain insults or plainly derogatory statements... Well - they are just that, affective and meaningless... sticks and stones may break bones... but insults and derogatory statements should not hurt anyone.
Of course the young and unsophisticated have to be protected, especially in forums such as this.
Insults and derogatory statements can be hurtful, as others here have already implied, if the person they are directed at cannot appreciate them for what they... rubbish.

As to Religion... that is an affective concept in itself, so sometimes sensibilities and personal faith are going to be challenged.
That is as it should be.
A Faith that cannot stand up to being challenged, is 'blind' faith, and not really worth anything beyond the person expressing it. If someone gives up questioning themselves, that is their loss, in my humble opinion.

The strongest Faith is the one that knows it cannot be challenged objectively.
One can never DISPROVE an individual's personal faith. That is why it is defined as a Faith.
If there was evidence for that faith beyond the heart and soul of the individual, Faith would not be necessary. You would be dealing with objectivities, facts. The word would be redundant.
The only place a Faith is validated is within one's heart and soul... that is where it should be questioned... constantly... but then, that is just my personal perception concerning an affective quality such as having a religious faith!

Everyone should be allowed the freedom to follow their faith, whatever that faith may be.
We can then judge the actions of those people objectively, and that way perhaps assess the objective value of their faith beyond their declarations of it... especially if it is resulting in collective actions and behaviours.