The Cancel Culture
This last year has seen an increase in censorship by social media platforms and the mainstream media. There is now talk of this practice being extended to government policies, as governments believe it is their duty to ‘protect’ the population by censoring certain people. Bible believing Christians in the United States are concerned that they might be censored by the ‘equality act’ and the ‘do no harm act’. Christians agreeing with parts of the Bible may be prosecuted in the future. For instance, this scripture may be considered subversive by the government: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 18:22. Here is another one: “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” Deuteronomy 22:5. These scriptures may be regarded by some as attacks on homo-sexual people and trans-gender people. In the future the government may only allow Christians to accept some parts of the Bible, but not other parts.
Censorship is nothing new. The Pharisees and chief priests tried to censor Jesus and the apostles. The Roman Catholic Church tried to censor Protestants in the Reformation. A century later the British government tried to censor dissenters like John Bunyan who wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress. In the eighteenth century, in some British colonies, Baptists had to hold secret meetings in homes because of censorship. In the twentieth century Hitler censored all reading of the Bible in prisoner of war camps because it was a ‘Jewish book’. The Soviet Union tried to censor Bible believing Christians but when the Soviet Union collapsed thousands of people gathered in Saint Petersburg and shouted that Jesus Christ is risen indeed. There is a long history of censoring in the world and it seldom is successful. The Bible remains the world’s best-selling book and the people who tried to censor its teachings eventually went to their graves.
Many opinions have recently been censored by various media platforms. Thousands of doctors have been censored because they have offered alternate opinions about how to deal with the pandemic. Some of them have been against the lock downs and the use of certain experimental vaccines. Rather, they promote the use of common medications and steroids which have been used effectively in clinical trials to treat and prevent the disease. Technologists and writers working for various media platforms believe they should decide what information should go out to the public. They even censored the President of the United States. I believe people should be allowed to hear opinions from various sources to make informed decisions. Christians can make proper decisions if they study the Bible, pray to God for guidance, and obey the commandments. “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Proverbs 16:3.
Governments and the media should not think that they can decide what is true. Only God can decide what is true and he has revealed it to us in the Bible. In the end the truth will win out because God will win. Jesus spoke of the truth to Pilate. “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.” John 18:37-38. I believe Pilate thought that truth is defined by the government, but he knew that when the government changes, the definition of truth also changes. Jesus said to receive truth we must receive his word. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32.
Friends, are we free in the midst of this pandemic? Perhaps our leaders cannot give us freedom because they have rejected the truth about how to get out of this chaos. Perhaps they need to go to Jesus Christ in humble submission, read the Bible, and then they will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. Perhaps the truth is right there in front of them, presented by some of those doctors who have been censored.
