A Thinking Reed

Free speech and civility (and: are we lukewarm?)

Written by

Lee M.

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Fr. Jim Tucker has a good balanced post on the cartoon controversy:

A number of editorials make the point that if media can disrespect Christianity (Rolling Stone’s current cover, for instance), Islam shouldn’t be given a free pass. That’s playground logic. In reality, media shouldn’t take great, offensive swipes against Christianity, either (or any serious religion, for that matter). But that “shouldn’t” is a moral “shouldn’t,” not a legal one.

[…]

Obviously, burning down embassies is not a proportional response to cartoons, but I don’t see why mass protests shouldn’t be. Those protests, though, ought to be aimed at the newspapers that make the decision to print inflammatory and irresponsible content, not at the governments that refrain from forbidding it. I think that one of the reasons that these protests (even minus the rioting) seem so excessive to us is that we have lost the intensity of our own piety.

Here’s a Christian-specific question, though. Interpretations vary on how we are to understand Jesus’ admonition to “turn the other cheek” (e.g. does it forbid all use of force to defend oneself or others), but nearly everyone agrees that it means that we aren’t supposed to retaliate against insults we receive as Christians. So, is it un-Christian to protest (even in a civil way) when someone blasphemously depicts Jesus or the Blessed Virgin or mocks Christianity in some other way? And how do you tell the difference between turning the other cheek and a decadent tolerance that can’t get angry about anything?

Comments

5 responses to “Free speech and civility (and: are we lukewarm?)”

  1. Eric Lee

    I guess it depends how you define ‘protest’? I totally agree with the turn-the-other-cheek admonishment, as hard as it is for me to do that when it comes down to it (I’ll be honest).

    One’s life can be a protest against something without having to march in the streets with placards and chants. It could even be called ‘civil’, although that wouldn’t be the language I would use. Speaking as a Christian, I think our lives are supposed to be a witness to the Kingdom and so therefore what one normally thinks of as ‘Protesting’ in the U.S. doesn’t really seem to be an explicitly ‘Christian’ activity, although I’m not exactly against protesting in that way per se. I just don’t see what the use is when there are much better ways that a Christian could engage with the State or whatever powers that be than just a street protest through various ad hoc ways.

    Full disclosure: I’ve taken part in a few protest marches / peace marches over the last 3-4 years in San Diego, although I don’t know how effective those really are in the final analysis. I’ve met some rad people at those things, though.

    Peace,

    eric

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  2. Camassia

    I think my problem with Fr. Jim’s comment (which I otherwise agreed with) is that these sort of protests seem to be based on the premise that it’s up to us to defend God’s honor. In fact, a lot of the time they really seem to be about defending our own honor, and the reason it’s so outrageous is that someone is daring to insult our personal beliefs. But I think the Bible makes it pretty clear that God defends his own honor, and I would think that the role of Christians would be to warn blasphemers of this fact, if you see what I mean.

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  3. Brandon

    I think Camassia makes an excellent point; the last sort of attitude we need to have is one in which we are trying to defend the Almighty. I do think, however, that there is a legitimate role for protest; sometimes protesting expresses a deeper and more rooted charity and sense of civilization than ignoring something. (Also, we have to keep in mind, as ever, that some of our fellow Christians might not have the same ability to endure the matter, and may need us to set an example for how to protest in a Christian way.)

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  4. jack perry

    I don’t think it’s wrong to protest; I’ve done so on several occasions when non-Christian friends of mine say something offensive. I can’t seem to recall when I last firebombed one of the malefactors’ houses, but these days I tend to regard that sort of thing as incompatible with Christian charity. 🙂 Instead, a courteous word of protest and the mutual respect common among friends tends to take care of the rest.

    In public it’s another story. I’m too weak to engage in civil debate with people who are deliberately disrespectful.

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  5. Lee

    I have to admit, when I see, e.g. Kanye West as Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone, my first reaction isn’t “He’s blaspheming my God!” but more along the lines of “What a self-aggrandizing jackass.” I suspect my sensitivity to blasphemy just isn’t that strong – in that respect I’m a better Western liberal than a Christian.

    I do agree with Camassia’s point, though, that there is definitely an element of “Vengance is mine, saith the Lord” in Christianity that doesn’t require us to leap to the Lord’s defense everytime someone slights him. Interestingly, Christianity has the idea of God being mocked (and beaten, spat upon, etc.) built right into it.

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