The counterspeech doctrine posits that the proper response to negative speech is to counter it with positive expression. It derives from the theory that audiences, or recipients of the expression, can weigh for themselves the values of competing ideas and, hopefully, follow the better approach.

The counterspeech doctrine is one of the most important free expression principles in First Amendment jurisprudence.

Justice Brandeis: “More speech, not enforced silence”

Justice Louis D. Brandeis established it in his classic concurring opinion in Whitney v. California (1927), when he wrote:

“If there be time to expose through discussion, the falsehoods and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.”

Counterspeech is not always a perfect remedy

Some observers argue that the counterspeech principle makes a better ideal than a reality, primarily because some people or groups in society possess far more power than do others. For example, proponents of critical race theory contend that minorities often are denied access to the marketplace of ideas to counter harmful speech.

Others argue that some types of speech — for example, pornography and hate speech — are so harmful that counterspeech alone is not an adequate response.

First Amendment experts Robert Richards and Clay Calvert (2000) offer that “[a]lthough counterspeech is not always a perfect remedy, individuals and courts should seriously consider it as a solution. When used wisely, counterspeech may prove to be a very effective solution for harmful or threatening expression” (p. 555).

Supreme Court suggests more speech instead of restrictions

The Supreme Court applied Brandeis’s principle in Linmark Associates, Inc. v. Townships of Willingboro (1977) in striking down a city ban on “for sale” signs designed to combat white flight. The Court wrote that a better response for the city would be to continue its “process of education” by “giving widespread publicity to ‘Not for Sale’ signs.”

Later, Justice Clarence Thomas cited Brandeis’s counterspeech passage from Whitney in his concurring opinion in Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly (2001), which invalidated a number of restrictions on tobacco advertising. Thomas wrote that if the state of Massachusetts’ “concern is that tobacco advertising communicates a message with which it disagrees, it could seek to counteract that message with ‘more speech, not enforced silence.’”

Court uses counterspeech doctrine in First Amendment cases

In more recent years, the Court continues to use the counterspeech doctrine in First Amendment cases.   

Justice Anthony Kennedy has cited Justice Brandeis’ famous principle in his plurality opinion in United States v. Alvarez (2012) and his dissenting opinion in Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar (2015). 

In Alvarez, the Court struck down the constitutionality of the Stolen Valor Act, a law that broadly prohibited virtually any false speech about military honors.  “The remedy for speech that is false is speech that is true,” Kennedy wrote. “This is the ordinary course in a free society. The response to the unreasoned is the rational; to the uninformed, the enlightened; to the straight-out lie, the simple truth.”

David L. Hudson, Jr. is a law professor at Belmont who publishes widely on First Amendment topics.  He is the author of a 12-lecture audio course on the First Amendment entitled Freedom of Speech: Understanding the First Amendment (Now You Know Media, 2018).  He also is the author of many First Amendment books, including The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech (Thomson Reuters, 2012) and Freedom of Speech: Documents Decoded (ABC-CLIO, 2017). This article was originally published in 2009.​

By David L. Hudson Jr. cited https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/940/counterspeech-doctrine

What Makes God Angry?

#MeditationMonday‬ – Out of the abundance of a man’s heart, his mouth speaks.

Welcome, dearly beloved. I pray the mercies of God over you throughout this week. I hope to encourage and build you up in the Lord. I pray you gain a deeper understanding of these verses. As you grow in knowledge and understanding, may you be empowered to share your convictions with others.

Some think everything makes God angry, others believe nothing makes Him angry ‘cause he’s just so full of love’, both camps of people are terribly wrong. There are a definite number of things that piss God off. They’re listed in Proverbs 6:16-19, our passage over the next few weeks.

There are six things the Lord hates, even seven things that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift to run to evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who spreads discord among family members.

— Proverbs 6:16-19 [NET]

This is sort of a strange passage to many of us who are wondering, ‘how can the Lord “hate”?’ Well, I’m not making this stuff up, scripture clearly lists a number of things God hates. We’ll deal with the mechanics of how God can be angry/hate but not sin in another post. The list is commonly referred to as ‘the seven deadly sins’, ‘the seven worse sins’, or ‘Seven’, which is the title of a movie made about the list.

Scripture mentions six things God hates and adds a seventh as a sort of appendix. There are two schools of thought about how the seventh fits. Some scholars say the seventh is simply an addition and all are equally hated by God. Others suggest the seventh is actually worse, placing it in a different category. Although the vast majority of translations don’t support this position, some lend themselves to it.

For example, Eugene Peterson’s Message Translation translates:

‘Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion’

Whether the seventh is more hated by God or not is not really the focus of this post. The fact remains that these are seven things He clearly hates. Hate is a strong word but it is exactly what scripture makes use of with regards to this list. The actions listed in this passage are a manifestation of satan’s influence over people. This is why they are things the Lord hates. God is a loving, caring heavenly father but that doesn’t mean He cannot hate. You can walk in love and still hate. God loves what is right and hates what is wrong. You have probably heard the politically correct statement “God loves the sinner but hates the sin”.  Sadly we often quote this not realising (or failing to mention) that you aren’t separated from your sins unless you repent of them.

The love God extends to a sinner only extends far enough to offer them an opportunity to repent.

Studying the list of the things God hates helps reveal the things He loves! As we begin to hate the things that He hates, our minds become more and more like God’s mind.

1. Haughty Eyes: A Proud Look.

The first thing listed is pride – a proud look. A proud look emanates from those whose hearts are filled with a high opinion of themselves. They look down at others with piercing eyes, and their words carry condescending tones.  Today, we say such people are “full of themselves” and that is an accurate description. Scholars suggest that it is listed as the first sin here because it was the first sin in heaven (by satan and the non-elect angels) and the first sin committed by man (Adam & Eve).

An arrogant person is a satan look-alike!

Proverbs 16:18 famously reminds us that “pride goes before destruction… ”  When pride comes, destruction soon follows. According to Psalm 101:5 God will not tolerate a haughty look. Psalm 119:21 and Proverbs 16:5 tell us that God rebukes the arrogant for they are cursed ones who wander from his commandments. They are disgusting and exceedingly offensive in the sight of the Lord and they will not go unpunished.

Arrogance can easily come from thinking that your superior talent, wisdom, intelligence, wealth, or charisma (whether real or imagined), makes you more worthy than another person. Some are arrogant simply because they were born with the “right” skin colour or are associated the “right” religious corporation.

Malachi 4:1 describes in detail what God has in store for the arrogant.

 For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant (proud, self-righteous, haughty), and every evildoer shall be stubble; and the day that is coming shall set them on fire, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. [AMP]

The Opposite:

Rather than having a proud look, make every effort to remain humble. Those who capture God’s affection are those who have more humility.

Humility is controlled confidence!

This definition is very timely, especially in the ‘selfie‘ age we live in. Our confidence must always be controlled. There is a thin line between confidence and arrogance and even the best of us cross that line from time to time. It is best to receive nourishment, guidance and direction from The Word; that we might obtain the necessary correction needed to stay on the proper course (the narrow path).

Pride is the silent killer of the church because it often goes unnoticed by others.

Pride may go unnoticed by others, but it does not go unnoticed by God; He looks at the heart and discerns the true motives behind all we do. The quickest way to promotion in the kingdom of God is down (humility) and the quickest way to failure is up (pride).

Appreciate everything God enables you to do, but you don’t have to go around telling everyone about it.  If you are good at what you do, allow others to say so. For example, when Jesus was asked by the high priest on whether or not He was the Son of God, Jesus answered, “that is what you say” [Matthew 26]. We should learn to follow Jesus’ example.

God will openly exalt those who are consistently faithful. 

Be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honour you when the time comes [1 Peter 5:6]

2. A Lying Tongue.

The second thing our passage lists is a lying tongue. John 8:42-44 tells us lying tongues come from the devil’s influence. The devil is a liar and the father of lies.

Lying is satan’s native tongue!

Most people don’t think their words are all that important but in Luke 6 Jesus said, “Your words show what is in your heart”.

You and your words are one entity.

If you constantly speak lies, it is an indication your heart is not filled with the truth i.e. God’s truth – Jesus Christ. We will be held accountable for every idle word we’ve spoken [Matthew 12:35-37]. Let that sink in. You will be justified or condemned by the words you speak.

The popular saying is ‘all liars end up in the lake of fire’. Those whose audio (words) don’t match their video (actions) are people of flawed character. Such people lack integrity.

Integrity = the state of being coherent, whole and undivided, having internal consistency or lack of corruption

We are spirits, we possess a soul, and live in a body.  If our spirits desire one thing, but our souls another, and yet our bodies are pulling us in a third direction, then we are not fully integrated.  

This internal struggle eventually leads to a conflict and violation of our integrity.  That’s why scripture says in James that if we can learn to control our tongue; we will literally learn to control our lives, because what comes out of our tongue is an outward representation of what is going on inside us. 

Believers who lie are those who are losing the inward battle.

The Holy Spirit says: speak the truth! but the soul urges us to operate lying tongues. This is a dangerous thing because lies don’t come from God. Bitter water and sweet water cannot come from the same well. [James 3:10-11]

The Opposite:

Rather than having a lying tongue; listen to you inner witness and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Speak the truth in love, and you will be the person of integrity – fully integrated – that God desires for you to be.

On the last day, honesty will be an identifying sign amongst the special people whom God calls because speaking the truth is a rare virtue, it demonstrates that a person is not under the influence of satan.

But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ.

Ephesians 4:15 [AMP]

We’ll examine the remaining items in today’s passage over the next couple of #MeditationMonday blogposts. Understanding these things is not reserved for the so-called ‘spiritually woke’. God has instilled a basic sense of fairness into every conscience. Interestingly, the seven abominations are listed in context of obeying the latter six of the 10 commandments pertaining to human relationships and they illustrate the exact opposite behaviour and thought patterns of the wicked (who are under satan’s influence), which is why it is important to identify and counter such behaviour in our personal lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for loving me, even while I was under the influence of satan. I praise you for delivering me out of the kingdom of darkness into your marvellous light. I declare by faith, that sin does not rule over me. From now on, I love what God loves and hate what He hates. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!
https://gossipforjesus.com/2016/06/27/what-makes-god-angry/

Grace & Peace!

Things that God absolutely hates – 7 abominations to the Lord

Proverbs 6:16-19, NIV There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty

eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Romans 1:16-20, ESV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

God is sad and angry when we are stubborn…

And if we don’t have faith, we can’t please God.

Mark 3:5,ESV He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

Hebrews 11:6, KJV But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God is mad when we don’t honor him, when we dishonor him

Romans 1:21, ESV For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

John 2:14-16, ESV In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”

“Jesus Wept” ~ When we are sad, hurt, grieved

John 11:32-35, ESV Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.
Angry God is angry when we give his glory away to another

Romans 1:22-23, ESV Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Jeremiah 9:23-24, NKJV Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

God is sad when we don’t repent of sin

Genesis 6:5-6, ESV The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Ezekiel 18:23, NKJV Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord GOD, and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

Ezekiel 18:31-32, NKJV Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, says the Lord GOD. Therefore turn and live!

In Summary –

Things that make God sad are things that show that we’re not living the way he desires for us to live. What makes God cry? Things that make God cry include our sin, our hurt, and our pain and grief.

It is always helpful to remember that God’s commandments for us are for our own benefit, God loves us so much and he always wants what is best for us. God wants us to glorify him in all we do… Dear Friends, we can trust him :)!

Jeremiah 29:11-13, NIV For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Amen.
www.jollynotes.com

https://tribuneonlineng.com/7-things-that-make-god-angry-sad-mad-and-cry/