free speech and hate speech

Contributors were asked to self-identify where their views regarding Free Speech and Hate Speech fall on the political spectrum. They were also asked the following guiding questions*:

1) Have you ever felt censored?

2) Have you ever felt the urge to censor or silence others?

3

“Censorship can be large - the moderation of social media by a government. But more often than not it's very very small - self-censorship amongst friends or loved ones because of fear of judgment. As a Christian, I should care about my fellow brother or sister in both contexts, but I have more control over the personal relationships in my life.” - Anonymous

"As someone who has seen family members sucked into Qanon and other conspiracy theories, I see the value in censoring social media to some extent. Several of my family members look online with very little media literacy, and what they find only causes them further misinformation and emotional pain." - Anonymous

4

"Growing up in a secular context, and then attending a college where snide comments were frequent and religious artwork got defaced at events, I learned to censor myself about my faith. This gives me sympathy for people who are attacked for ‘wrong’ viewpoints; I feel wary of restricting speech, even online, and I don’t know where the right place is to draw the line." - Anonymous

5

“Everyone has all rights to speak out their minds. The more we diminish this freedom, the less chance that truth will be unfolded fully. Being Christian, we should always speak the truth with love.” - Anonymous