(originally published in the Catholic Register: https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/columnists/item/32673-sr-helena-burns-free-speech-and-the-christian-mandate ) How often have we heard (or declared ourselves): “I can say what I want! Last time I checked this was a free country!” Um, when was the last time you checked? Oh, sure. We have freedom of expression guaranteed by the charter, but ask yourself this question: Have you ever halted recently (say, in the past few years when you wouldn’t have previously) before you said something in person or posted something online and thought: “This isn’t politically correct, I might get serious flak,” and you drastically rephrased it or simply didn’t say or post anything at all? And remember, if it’s Big Tech doing the reproving or censoring, we’re talking about a global reach eclipsing national jurisdictions. Let’s be clear. Because we are children of God and followers of Jesus, we should always speak the truth, but always the truth i...
