For a while now I’ve been advocating for robust conscience protections. I have been thinking about what that looks like. The first freedom is freedom of the mind. There are no thought crimes. A person should be allowed to contemplate and imagine anything he or she would like. The next freedom is freedom to express. I draw the line at inciting violence and sexualizing children. Those should not be permissible and cannot be considered conscionable. I also don’t think any level of government should be able to compel speech. The next freedom is freedom to work. I like the concept of reasonable accommodations. Both employers and employees need to be transparent about what they require from each other and preference should be given to the needs of the employee unless he or she is hostile to the employer’s mission. The purpose of paid work is service to the person or company paying for it. If adequate service cannot be rendered payment should not be required. The final freedom is freedom to live according to the dictates of one’s conscience. All people should be free from force and fraud based on their sincerely held convictions. No one should be compelled to celebrate homosexuality just as no one should be forced to celebrate Mormonism. More importantly a person who chooses to celebrate one or the other should have a legal right to do so, barring violence or the exploitation of children. I hope the world is a slightly better place for me writing this and you reading it.
10 July 2023
Latter Day Sinner 