Policy | Family Talk

The Left’s Assault On Freedom

Written by Gary Bauer | July 31, 2023
The James Dobson Family Institute is committed to defending the Constitution of the United States and our Bill of Rights. All of those rights are under attack, but particularly concerning is the attack on the First Amendment, which guarantees, among other things, the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech.

Every American should be deeply concerned about the relentless attack on our First Amendment rights, but here's why Christians should be particularly concerned. Free speech isn't about protecting only popular speech. It's about protecting speech that isn't popular. It's about the right to question the government without fear of reprisal.

If free speech can be limited by powerful people who don't like a particular view being expressed, then no one's speech is safe. As Christians, it is important for us to realize that without the freedom of speech there is no freedom of worship. A pastor can't preach if we don't have the right to speak freely.

Here are some recent examples of the growing threat to free speech.

When concerned parents started organizing and attending local school board meetings, left-wing activists and the Biden administration plotted to silence them by labeling them as "domestic terrorists."

These parents did nothing wrong. They simply wanted to protect the children God entrusted to them from being exposed to graphic sexual material and inappropriate indoctrination. But the response from the Left and the Biden administration was a heavy-handed attempt to intimidate decent people and silence debate.

As Christian ideas about faith and family come under greater attack in our increasingly secular country, we will see more attacks on our freedom of speech and our freedom of worship.

Of course, the attack on free speech is also affecting entertainment. Country music superstar Jason Aldean has produced a hit song and video, "Try That In A Small Town." But the Left hated the song and video because they extol the virtues of small-town America, which is known for family, faith and freedom, for God and Country. Incredibly, under pressure from the Left, Country Music Television is now censoring the video.

Even traditional liberals from iconic American families, like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has spoken out against government censorship, are being attacked and smeared by the Left.

Kennedy testified before Congress recently about the efforts of Big Government and Big Tech to censor the American people. Incredibly, more than one hundred House Democrats signed a letter demanding that he be prevented from speaking at the hearing about censorship.

In other words, these intolerant left-wing politicians proved Kennedy's point that censorship is a growing threat in America.

Our First Amendment freedoms are under relentless attack by the neo-Marxist Left. JDFI will continue to defend our God-given rights to free speech and freedom of worship.