Pope Francis has been a breath of fresh air in the Roman Catholic Church. His emphasis on helping the poor instead of enjoying the perks of his office is very Christ-like. However, I do disagree with him when he states there are limits to free speech and that we cannot insult or make fun of the faith of others. While I do not believe making fun of or insulting others is acceptable behavior, I am not willing to willing to support laws against hate speech. Once you start to limit what people can say, it is a slippery slope to banning all manner of speech including religious speech that runs counter to the current moral climate of a country.
Jesus did not tell us to use the coercive power of government to silence our critics. Instead he told us to “. . .Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28, NIV). While being insulted for our beliefs is never a pleasant experience, we need to follow Jesus’ teachings instead of using Machiavellian tactics.
