Policy | Family Talk

Censoring Christians

Written by Gary Bauer | October 28, 2022
Your freedom is in danger.

There is a clear pattern of social media and other tech companies censoring Christians, pro-life groups, and conservatives. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted as much in a Senate hearing earlier this year. He acknowledged that Silicon Valley "is an extremely left-leaning place," and that he worries about bias even in his own company.

The Susan B. Anthony List was "de-platformed" by Facebook during the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. Ads that accurately described candidates' views on abortion were blocked. (Facebook later apologized.)

Amazon removed Ryan T. Anderson's book, When Harry Becomes Sally, because it challenged leftist ideology on transgender issues. Traditional Christian views on gender and sex often are subjected to the same censorship.

Napa Legal Institute, which is dedicated to defending the religious liberty rights of faith-based non-profit organizations, has studied the problem and concluded it is widespread and growing. Particularly at risk are pro-life, pro-family, Christian organizations.

This is simply unacceptable in the United States where the freedom of religion and of speech are both specifically protected.

Now, a federal lawsuit is uncovering evidence that the Biden administration may have pressured big tech to censor dissenting views in other areas, too.

The suit, Missouri v. Biden, accuses 67 officials or agencies, including the FBI, of violating the First Amendment by pressuring social media companies to block views challenging liberal orthodoxy. The lawsuit specifically zeroes in on efforts to suppress speech on COVID-related issues, including school closings. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical advisor, as well as White House press secretaries, Karine Jean-Pierre and Jen Psaki, have been ordered by a federal judge to turn over their records.

America is built on the idea that free speech and debate are essential in the search for truth. The censoring of Christians on issues of family, life and faith, and other "dissent" from left-wing orthodoxy, must not be allowed. We, thankfully, do not live in communist China, where censorship and prison are the response to dissent. We live in America, where we recognize our rights come from God, not government.