The Point: Protecting Free Speech on Campus…South Dakota Style
July 17, 2019
Colleges used to be bastions of free speech. They still are, but only if you hold the right views.
Disturbed by the growing suppression of speech on campuses, South Dakota legislators passed a law requiring colleges and universities to “maintain a commitment to the principles of free expression” and to foster civil, intellectually diverse environments.
State educators protested the law would be burdensome, and one student group claimed it was unnecessary. But, as reported in National Review, when university officials can take down a flag displayed by a student in remembrance of 9-11, cancel the showing of a film about honor killing claiming it’s Islamophobic, or deep-six a Hawaiian luau because it might offend native Hawaiians . . . well, sadly, such a law might be necessary.
Other states may follow suit.
Christians believe that freedom of speech and religion are God-given rights that bring good to the world. We also ought to believe that in this current cultural environment, it’s our God-given duty to defend those rights whenever and however we can.
