I have several times referenced the devotional blog, 843 Acres. It is published online five days per week, and includes a very brief devotional on a biblical text. The devotional for February 12th gave me pause. I’d love to interact with it here, with our readers. In it, the question was asked:
“How can we live together with people whose beliefs, practices, and views deeply distress or offend us? How do we relate to them, care for them, and even love them?”
We spend a lot of time on this blog dealing with ‘beliefs, practices and views’ which ‘deeply distress or offend us’. But we don’t spend a lot of time talking about how to deal with those beliefs as Christians, when we encounter them in the individuals of our daily lives.
The Word Police, and the Rights of the “Offended”
How about if they have a bunch of Green Peace stickers on their VW?
Offended yet?
What if your boss is an outspoken evangelical Christian, or if your uncle believes the Earth is heating-up faster than a microwavable Pizza Pocket®? If your local high school’s nickname was the “Indians”, the “Braves”, the “Chiefs” or (gasp) the “Redskins”, …would that offend you?
If you find any of these examples to be offensive, have no fear: we each have the Constitutional RIGHT to be offended.
What we don’t have is a Constitutional right to force those people to shut-up or cease their behavior simply BECAUSE we’re offended.
But the rise of Political Correctness, coupled with various lawsuits and speech codes, has effectively created a veritable Word Police in our society. And everything said or done is apparently fair game for them to find a potential “offense”.
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Posted in politics, racist, Social commentary, tolerance
Tagged Charles Barkley, communication, free speech, offended, racism, racist, SIX HIRB, society, tolerance, word police