“For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.”
George Washington, Address to the Officers of the Army at Newburgh, NY (March 15, 1783).
In the 1961 comic strip, Peanuts, Linus famously says: “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people…religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” Was Linus right? Let’s discuss.
Discussions of politics and religion (and other subjects) can indeed be divisive, but what should be our goal, “peace and harmony” at any price, or a common search for truth? There are many instances in our past where people speaking the truth, individually or communally, changed the course of history. “To not speak is to speak, to not act is to act.” (attributed to Deitrich Bonhoffer)
Teach the children:
- As Christians, we are commanded to speak of our faith to others, to tell of the wonderful works of a loving Creator God.
- What if society, through overt or implicit censorship, tries to create a “naked” public square where talk of certain subjects, including politics and religious faith is restricted or even prohibited? Must Christians automatically abide such restrictions?
“You shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and also among the Samaritans, and unto the borders of The Earth.” Acts 1:8