Freedom of Speech & Conscience
The unalienable liberty of religious conscience and expression includes the freedom to believe and hold such ideas as a matter of conscience, as well as to manifest such conscience.
"The modern idea is that cosmic truth is so unimportant that it cannot matter what any one says…Never has there been so little discussion about the nature of men as now, when, for the first time, any one can discuss it…Good taste, the last and vilest of human superstitions, has succeeded in silencing us where all the rest have failed…[N]ow it is equally bad taste to be an avowed Christian."
- G. K. Chesterton
Ideas and viewpoints informed by the sacred contribute enormously to the improvement of society (e.g., the abolition of slavery).
The unalienable liberty of religious conscience and expression includes the freedom to believe and hold such ideas as a matter of conscience, as well as to manifest such conscience.
Human beings hold inherent dignity because God created us in His image, including the capacity to exercise free will and to reason. Because humans possess inherent dignity, government authorities must respect it. The unalienable liberty of religious conscience and expression arise out of this inherent dignity; such liberty enables the Created to freely form a sentient personal relationship with his or her Creator, know His truth and, as a matter of conscience, share it with others.
For ideas and viewpoints informed by the sacred to enter the marketplace of ideas, individuals must be free to not just to believe and hold them as a matter of conscience, but also to manifest such conscience, including through speech and other expression. Preserving the unalienable liberty of religious conscience and freedom of expression is, therefore, essential to ensure that citizens can introduce such ideas and viewpoints into the marketplace of ideas. It also ensures that these ideas, informed by the sacred, can continue to contribute to the improvement of society.
Finally this unalienable liberty protects against government action excluding citizens from participating in civil society based on the viewpoint or religious conscience held by the citizen.
For more information on the proper role of government in relation to the unalienable liberties of religious conscience and expression, click the following link: Government and the Unalienable Liberties of Conscience
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