Why else is Free Speech so important to a vibrant modern democratic society if it were not to protect our right to offend?  The if’s and’s and but’s have to do with discrimination, hate speech, slander or false accusations.  When it comes to Freedom of Speech and its sanctity in democracy, the right to offend is at the core.  The dangerous imbalance caused by political correctness or some sect’s attempt to legitimize their backward and inhumane ideology through a la carte access to the democratic machinery is fatal.  In a free democratic society, no ideology, belief system or publicly stated position is immune from scrutiny, critique or outright offense.  This includes religion.

Surely religion is sacred for the person who subscribes to it and naturally that person’s right to belief is protected.  When it comes to practice however, a free society has principals that must be adhered to.  For example no one’s freedom of expression, belief or practice is more sacred than the other.  This includes the religious on both ends of the balance.  A simple cry fowl for offense would not and cannot exonerate religion from misdeeds or mis-statements.  The fear of causing offense or the threat of taking offense shall not guarantee Celestial Immunity to the believers and their beliefs.

Freedom of Speech and the Right to Offend are inseparable.  Without the inherent protection for the eventual effect of offense, Freedom of Speech is meaningless.  Similarly no public entity, religious or otherwise can be immune from critique and observation, especially from offense.  The only reason a free society guarantees freedom of speech is to protect against persecution of thought and expression.  This protection is not only against the State, although in most cases the State is the main persecutor, but also against other entities in society who must enjoy the same right to opinion, expression and thought.

While there is little limitation to expression, thought and speech, practice has limitations in a free society.   Any individual is free to believe in anything they wish as long as practicing that belief in no way limits another person or group’s right to the same liberties.  Anyone can believe in a religion that considers women as evil temptations of sin but in a free society, that belief cannot manifest itself into practice.  Anyone can believe that there is a Heaven and a Hell and everyone except them will go to Hell.  One would venture to the outer edges of political correctness by protecting that group or individual’s right to express their belief in a free society.  In fact freedom of expression must be encouraged in order for such sick inhumane belief systems to come to the surface and be subjected to the scrutiny of the public.  A public whose Right to Offend is guaranteed by Freedom of Speech.

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