Freedom of Speech

On March 2 the United States Supreme Court in an 8 to 1 decision upheld Fred Phelp’s Westboro Baptist Church’s right to picket with hate signs at military funerals.  The decision upheld the First Amendment right to free speech.  This tiny church led by Mr. Phelps travels all over the country to protest at high visibility funerals, mostly of soldiers killed in action, to gain media attention for their views. The foundation for all of this, they state, is their hatred for homosexuals—even though the fallen soldiers were not themselves homosexual. Their hatred expressed in their oral statements and on their signs is not just directed at the soldiers or their families, but toward our nation as a whole. To them, the soldiers, regardless of their character and cause of death, and the soldiers’ families are going to hell, and our nation alongside as well, because, supposedly, we all condone and promote homosexuality.

The facts of the case before the Court were simple. The protesters stayed on public property. They were “peaceful” and did not engage in any physical confrontation. They obeyed the local rules. There was simply no basis for ruling against them, despite the ugliness of their actions and overall demeanor and language. While many Americans find their actions ugly, deplorable, and disgusting—myself included—and many  are upset about the Supreme Court's decision, I have to agree with the Court.

The Court’s decision is a reaffirmation that all Americans have a right to express their views, popular or otherwise, about matters of public interest. An overriding commitment to freedom of speech—even deeply offensive speech—is at the heart of the court's  decision, and of the First Amendment. This is one of our most fundamental freedoms, and lies at the heart of the greatness of our nation both realized in the past and potential for our future. It is tragic that Phelps and his small band of followers do not see that the soldiers they denigrate were willing to give their lives for their freedom to demean others about whom they know nothing.

What is overlooked by the media, and sadly by so many of us, including, unfortunately these days many of our political leaders of both parties, is that with freedom of speech comes responsibility.  I knew a long-serving and wise Congresswoman in New Jersey who once told me that, “we pass laws to try to make people do what common sense and decency should make us do willingly without prodding.”  There are those who would like a law of some sort passed that would keep Phelps and his misguided followers from doing what they do. I pray we do not abrogate our personal responsibility and allow such a law to be passed. 

If enough people would rise up and speak out against Mr. (I refuse to call him a “pastor”) Phelps to their neighbors, and especially to their local media national and denounce his ugly anti-Christian behavior, he would lose his voice, his media outlets. It is not a matter of whether homosexuality is a sin or not—there are other times and other forums to discuss, even argue, that. It is a matter of Christ-like decency, of following Christ’s teachings to love our enemies, love our neighbors, judge not lest we be judged, and treat others as God commands us to do.  Mr. Phelps, I rather suspect, would have tossed the Samaritan woman down the well, and would have picked up and thrown the largest stone available at the other woman brought before Jesus accused of adultery. 

God gave us free will, but not license to treat others badly.  Freedom means we can make choices, and with our choices come consequences. If we choose to be irresponsible with our freedom, both God given and Constitutional, we will pay a dear price. We have the right to remain silent, but if we choose to be silent and not involved when our freedoms are threatened or used to treat others in less than a Christ like manner, we will pay a dear price. What should be our response to people like Mr. Phelps?  I invite you to read the Gospel of Matthew starting with chapter 5 and through chapter 7, and then ask yourself, “what would Jesus do