One threat to freedom of speech that has increased in recent years is that of religious censorship. The American public has become hypersensitive to the point that aspects of free speech that used to be taken for granted, such being able to wear one's faith on a sweatshirt, carry a Bible to school or work, or even say "God bless you" when someone sneezes are being challenged in the nation's courts. Even the time-honored tradition of celebrating Christmas has come under vehement attack by some groups, who contend that the holiday should be stripped of its religious significance and that the greeting "Merry Christmas" should be replaced by the generic "Happy Holidays." Of particular note is the case of judge Roy Moore, who ended up in a fierce legal battle over his practices of posting the Ten Commandments in his courtroom and opening court sessions with prayer (Cline, 2010). Some viewers have been up in arms over television programming with strong Christian content, yet no one protests programs featuring witches demonstrating to the audience how to cast a spell. Apparently, the only offensive religion to most Americans is the Christian one. Allowing citizens to sue-and win-on the basis that they do not want to be exposed to Christianity. While there is a legitimate basis for preventing people from uttering strings of obscenities in the presence of children, for example, the suggestion that the mention of someone's religion is equally offensive and should be legally stopped is ludicrous. What it reveals is that Americans today are far more easily offended than ever before and that if they are not stopped, they will attack our religious freedoms until we no longer have the right to worship as we choose or to talk about our religion without censorship.
In an article on free speech, Clay Calvert and Robert D. Richards (2002, p. 671) talk about "the right to offend," noting that the battle over the dividing line bet...