Our former Missionary Pastor posted an article on Facebook about resisting hatred against Jews. He mentioned how Hitler’s book was ignored when it was first published, adding a picture of the book and Hitler to emphasize his point. He later said his article had been blocked. It was apparently another clumsy attempt by Facebook at censorship.
There have been numerous complaints about social media banning people and manipulating search results to favor their beliefs and political opinions. A judge ruled these private companies are free to do what they want in their systems. With people turning more to social media and search engines for information, that puts a lot of power in the hands of a few people and they are aggressively using it. What the Russians tried to do in our elections pales in comparison to what censorship and manipulated search results can do.
Facebook has long been known to be favorable to Liberal views and recent changes, while failing to stop dangerous posts, have severely restricted Conservative and Christian voices. There was a time when you could freely spread your message to a wide audience. Now you have to pay for wider distribution and get past highly restrictive censors.
Having lived in China and Russia, I am more aware of censorship. I remember the internet restrictions in China and I saw live international news broadcasts get blocked when the government didn’t like the content. Xi Jin Ping told Chinese media, it is best when their broadcasts agree with government policies. That was a warning, not a suggestion. Russia just passed a law against fake news, which gives them even more control over their media.
Yes, I am concerned about the effects of censorship in our country, but more concerned about its effect on people’s souls. Censorship has been used since the world began. Censorship is just another way to restrict the truth and promote a lie. In the Garden of Eden, after Eve clearly stated what GOD had said, “the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5 KJV). He replaced GOD’s truth with his own version. When Eve acted on what the serpent said sin entered into her heart and the world.
That continues to happen today. Our Pastor was told by a big-Church Pastor he couldn’t have been saved in his pickup truck without listening to a Gospel message, but he was. He believed the Bible and was miraculously healed when a tumor was removed from his brain without an operation, but our Church is labeled extreme, because people are being miraculously healed. Those Pastors say the infilling of the Holy Ghost, with evidence of speaking in tongues’ isn’t for today, but our Pastor was filled while alone and praising JESUS for his healing.
If those Pastors have censored the WORD of GOD to that extent, what are people getting in their Churches? You need to avoid the censors and read your Bible for yourself to find out what GOD has for you. It may be more than you have been led to believe!
Wayne Lance (2019)