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Oh Really? I Can Say What I Like!

Je suis Charlie (I am Charlie) has become a slogan known worldwide, afer a

grou! of carooniss in "aris were gunned down by some who ook serious e#ce!ion

o he manner in which he maga$ine Charlie Hebdo, a %rench weekly news!a!er,

reads rouinely, deliberaely, rudely, and irre&erenly on he oes of !oliicians,

religious grou!s, and any oher socieal !henomena' hen he bells a ore *ame

olled o commemorae and mourn he dead, sur&i&ing saff members a he maga$ine

laughed a he irony ha a religious insiuion would !ay such honour in memory of

he slain'

+any, including world leaders, ha&e come ou in su!!or of wha he maga$ine

su!!osedly e!iomi$es, namely he righ o free s!eech, o free e#!ression' uddenly

also he words of he %rench auhor -olaire became &ery familiar again in he cone#

of his sub.ec as he wroe, I do no agree wih wha you ha&e o say, bu I/ll defend

o he deah your righ o say i'

*ebae has o!ened u! again as a resul of hese brual murders concerning free s!eech

and is !ossible limiaions' 0usralia has, under is racial discriminaion ac, a secion

wih !rohibiions' ecion 12c says,It is unlawful for a person to do an act, otherwise

than in private, if:(a) the act is reasonably likely, in all the circumstances, to offend,

insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people; and(b) the act is

done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person or of

some or all of the people in the group 3awyers o!ine ha he %rench maga$ine would

face !rosecuion under his ac were i o !ublish is conen in 0usralia'

In a far from !erfec world also his is an ehical conundrum in which he Chrisian iso ake a sand, a sand based on he ord of 4od' Re&'' J' 5uidema wries (*6

7ullein 128918:91;), 0s much as I am in fa&our of free s!eech, I do no hink his

legislaion , he 3ord 4od

ofen warns is !eo!le no o !ro&oke he naions around hem o war' %or insance,

in *eueronomy :@:ff e insrucs is !eo!le no o !ro&oke he descendans of Asau

o war as hey !ass hrough heir land, bu o acually !ay hem for anyhing hey may

use along he way' e says he same o hem abou he +oabies (&B), and he

0mmonies (&1B)' imilarly, "aul when wriing o he churches in 4alaia insrucs

hem, 3e us no become conceied, !ro&oking and en&ying each oher'

%reedom of s!eech is no eual o licence o say wha you likeD ha is liceniousness

(lacking legal or moral resrainsD es!ecially @ disregarding se#ual resrains' : @

marked by disregard for sric rules of correcness) ' %or hose who hold o 7iblical

!rinci!les, he ongue and all oher faciliies will be resrained by he limis im!osed

by 4od imself' >he !ro!he Jeremiah could sand before he 3ord because he

declared, I sa no in he assembly of he mockers, nor re.oiced,I sa alone because of

hy hand@ for hou has filled me wih indignaion' -ilificaion is sinful beha&iour'

Colossians E@F inones, 3e your s!eech bealway wih grace, seasoned wih sal, ha

ye may know how ye ough o answer e&ery man' >he Chrisian/s a!!roach o

!ro&ocai&e siuaions is o be marked wih winsomeness and lea&e he offence of he

siuaion o 4od' 0s Re&' 5uidema !us i, Chrisians find i e#remely offensi&e

when carooniss or anyone else for ha maer, do a similar hing concerning our

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a&iour Jesus Chris' 0nd he realiy is ha we as Chrisians are sub.ec o ha

offensi&e beha&iour more han +uslims are abou heir GleaderH'o wha is he

difference? Chrisians when offended in his way donH go ou and shoo he

!er!eraors' In fac, we do he o!!osie' e coninue o lo&e hem as insruced o do

so by our a&iour 4od, e&en hough hey cause us offence' Romans 1:@1B:1 comes

o mind, *o no ake re&enge, my friends, bu lea&e room for 4od/s wrah, for i iswrien@ GI is mine o a&engeD I will re!ay,H says he 3ord' On he conrary@ GIf your

enemy is hungry, feed himD if he is hirsy, gi&e him somehing o drink' In doing his,

you will hea! burning coals on his head'H *o no be o&ercome by e&il, bu o&ercome

e&il wih good'

%or hose who are no Chrisians man is he measure of all hings ehical' %or hem

issues like he one here under sudy can only be a!!roached righly by way of

!ersonal o!inion, eiher indi&idually or colleci&ely measured' 0s a resul we noice

cerain grou!s of !eo!le celebraing he carooniss as heroes while condemning he

killers, whereas ohers celebrae he killers as heroes while condemning he

carooniss' >he 7ible condemns boh for heir acions' +urder is wrong and so is&ilificaion'

>he !roblem, as in all cases ehical, is ha in a world wihou he absolue sandard of

4od as he Regulaor, here is nohing wrong abou liceniousness' 0nd so, for

insance, councillors of he ciy of 0mserdam could agree ha heerose#ual and gay

cou!les could ha&e se# in he -ondel!ark which has en million &isiors a year' 7u

hey !romised o clam! down on dog owners who le heir !es walk in he !ark

wihou a lead (h!@88www'duchamserdam'nl8:2&ondel!ark)'

"salm F@19 declares, urely he wrah of man shall !raise hee@ he remainder of

wrah shal hou resrain' +ahew enry, in commening on his secion, wries,

e li&e in a &ery angry !ro&oking world' 7u his is a grea comfor o us, ha as far

as 4od !ermis he wrah of man o break forh a any ime he will make i urn o his

!raise, will bring honour o himself and ser&e his own !ur!oses by i8 e also can se

bounds o he wrah of man, as he does o he raging sea'

>he freedom of e#!ression which he Chrisian lo&es is one which brings him back o

he !erfecion of Aden, o ser&e he !ur!ose for which 4od creaed him, ha is o

ser&e 4od and lo&e im fore&er' >he Chrisian will show his lo&e o all of 4od/s

creaion, including his fellowman, wih all 4odgi&en faculies' 4alaians F@19, 0s

we ha&e herefore o!!oruniy, le us do good unto allmen

,es!ecially uno hem whoare of he household of faih'

0 Chrisian is no /a Charlie,/ because a Chrisian will bridle his ongue (James K) and

kee! his body under conrol (1 Corinhians B@:)'

!"ry to be a rainbow in some one#s cloud$ (+aya 0ngelou, 0merican auhor, acress,

singer, !oe, 1B:2:91E)

*r erm 5andman

128918:91;

:

http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/278-vondelparkhttp://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/278-vondelpark

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