"Silence in the face of evil is evil itself." This is a quote by the famous Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. If you do not know who Mr. Bonhoeffer is, do a little research. You will find the man fascinating.
This quote is one of the best defenses of our First Amendment freedom of speech. I believe that the freedom to say whatever one wants is a God-given right and, therefore, should never be subject to man's law. It is even more critical when confronting evil. As a society, if we remain silent in the face of evil, we are equally evil. Keeping quiet in the face of evil should never be acceptable to humanity and is never pleasing to God.
Not standing up to evil—or waiting for someone else to stand up to it—makes you a part of it. That may seem harsh, but that's the only logical conclusion. For example, if you witness someone steal something and say nothing, you have effectively aided in that theft. If you know someone has murdered another person and say nothing, again, you have aided in that murderer going unpunished. This can be applied to anything evil. If you see something wrong and do or say nothing, you are part of the problem.
There is a clear difference between speaking one's mind logically and thoughtfully to get across a valid point versus shooting off at the mouth and saying things that incite violence or drive people away from civil discourse. We need less barking and bitching, and more considerate, genuine conversation. We need to stand up to evil, speak out against it, debate it, argue against it, and do all we can to defeat it. We may disagree on what is evil; however, that should not stop us from talking.
No one should be canceled, ousted, cut off, or run out for stating an opinion. We should be open to exploring it with them to see whether it is their genuine opinion, an emotional reaction, or something taken out of context. Since when did we get so mentally frail as a society that we must "cancel" people we disagree with instead of trying to talk to them and figure out why they believe what they believe? I know it sounds like I am ranting, and maybe I am, but all of us need to be able to speak freely so that when real evil comes, we do not stand silent but move with powerful voices.
—Daniel