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Christians suggest proposed UK speech law could make Christian teachings illegal

More pushback to the UK's proposed online "safety" bill.

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The UK government is working on the Online Safety Bill to reduce the spread of โ€œharmfulโ€ content through online platforms.

However, it has been noted that the bill could end up censoring Christian teachings.

The Christian Institute has announced that it appreciates the governmentโ€™s commitment to fighting harmful content. However, it feels that the bill could also make expressing Christian beliefs unlawful.

The Christian Institute noted that the definition of โ€œharmfulโ€ will be decided by the government, regulators, and Big Tech companies.

The organization feels that the bill does not protect free speech and โ€œcould have unintended consequencesโ€ like the censorship of Christian teachings on issues such as marriage, sexuality, and gender.

Christian Institute Director Colin Hart argued that the bill โ€œrisks enshrining cancel culture into law.โ€

โ€œEvery day we hear accusations that someone is causing harm just for saying what they believe. The eminent Christian doctor, Peter Saunders, had a talk on transsexuality removed by YouTube. JK Rowling was vilified for challenging transgender ideology,โ€ he said.

โ€œMaya Forstater lost her job after saying that people cannot change their biological sex. At her Employment Tribunal the judge found against Forstater and said her view was โ€˜not worthy of respect in a democratic society.โ€™ Thankfully, this was overturned.

โ€œBut imagine consolidating that power in the hands of Big Tech.

โ€œThey will get to decide what should and shouldnโ€™t be allowed in crucial and controversial areas of debate. Their yardstick will be their own commercial interest and so will inevitably go much further than what the law requires.โ€

Hart said that the bill should include free speech protections to protect mainstream Christian beliefs on issues like gender, sexuality, marriage, and parenting.

โ€œThe Bill must be amended to include a presumption in favor of free speech. What is free to say on โ€˜the streetโ€™ must also remain free to say online,โ€ he said.

Hart also criticized a provision in the bill that makes it a crime to communicate anything that could be deemed โ€œlikely to cause harm to a likely audience.โ€

โ€œThe legislation also proposes a new criminal offense for communication deemed โ€˜likely to cause harm to a likely audienceโ€™. This risks putting harm into the eye of the beholder.

โ€œAny approach that prioritizes the claims of the โ€˜offendedโ€™ is dangerous, particularly when the โ€˜likely audienceโ€™ for online content could be anyone in the world. The Bill risks enshrining cancel culture into law.โ€

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