Free Speech
People have been trying to stifle speech for a long time.
When the rulers and elders and scribes saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. They said, "What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name." So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard." After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. - Acts 4:13-21
They were told not to tell anyone what they had seen and heard, but John and Peter refused to be censored.
I imagine that if the rulers, elders and scribes had control of the avenues of communication, they would have made sure the stories about the resurrection of Jesus would not be heard.
Maybe they would allow John and Peter to say something about the people who were healed by them, but even there, the threat would be great that their words would incite people to action in some way.
So, it comes down to the argument about shouting "Fire!" in a theater. Is some speech so dangerous that it should not be allowed?
The purist would argue that any censorship is a limit on free speech and that is wrong.
In this country, the Constitution of the United States protects freedom of speech, and that is not an easy thing to do. Many have died for us to be able to say what we want, whether it is true or not.
If we believe people are smart enough to figure out what is true and what is false, or that people will challenge the false statements openly, then we believe the checks and balances will allow the truth to rise to the top.
But lately, people have become lazy. We tend to accept anything that gets a lot of likes or posts as true.
When we do that, Big Brother steps in to tell us what we should believe.
I guess we are at fault for that.
More to come...