Opinion Police?

God desires for us to pursue a path of peace, and in Psalm 34, we can read:
12 Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

We can pursue peace in our minds - the Bible instructs us not to harbor a root of bitterness.  If we meditate on negative thoughts toward other people, that can shape the way we behave toward them, resulting in broken relationships.  We are also cautioned to pursue peace in the way we speak - we are to speak the truth...in love.  If we disagree with another, we can seek to hold a different opinion in an agreeable manner, coated with the love of Christ.

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1st Timothy 2 gives clear direction on dealing Biblically with matters of public policy and public officials:
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

Law enforcement officials have announced recently that they are going after companies who do not tell the truth.  Now, on the surface, that statement sounds good - after all, we believe that the Bible teaches that lying is not a good thing.   But, this recent announcement specifies that these entities should be punished for lying - about climate change!

The Daily Signal reports that at a press conference on March 29, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said, “The bottom line is simple: Climate change is real.” He went on to say that if companies are committing fraud by “lying” about the dangers of climate change, they will “pursue them to the fullest extent of the law.”   The website goes on to say that there is a "coalition of 17 inquisitors" who are calling themselves “AGs United for Clean Power.”  The coalition consists of 15 state attorneys general, as well as the attorneys general of the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Sixteen of the seventeen members are Democrats, while the attorney general for the Virgin Islands, Claude Walker, is an independent.

The report says, "The inquisitors are threatening legal action and huge fines against anyone who declines to believe in an unproven scientific theory."

It goes on to say:

When pressed on the effect such investigations and prosecutions will have on free speech, General Schneiderman claimed that climate change dissenters are committing “fraud” and are not protected by the First Amendment.

This comes on top of U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch admitting that the Justice Department is discussing the possibility of pursing civil actions against climate change deniers, and that she has already “referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which” federal law enforcement could take action.

As we have said before, “[l]evel-headed, objective prosecutors should not be interested in investigating or prosecuting anyone over a scientific theory that is the subject of great debate.” And yet that is exactly what the AGs United for “Political” Power are going to do.

Now, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said they would not be joining this coalition.   In a joint statement, they stated:

Reasonable minds can disagree about the science behind global warming, and disagree they do. This scientific and political debate is healthy and should be encouraged. It should not be silenced with threats of criminal prosecution by those who believe that their position is the only correct one and that all dissenting voices must therefore be intimidated and coerced into silence.

I do have concern about officials who want to punish citizens because of the beliefs that they hold.  I think this is a symptom of what seems to be a growing intolerance of people who hold a different opinion than we do.  And, there's a lesson to be learned about how to deal individually with people with whom we disagree.  We have to be firm on our convictions, compassionate in our approach, and clear in our delivery.   And, with every person, we can attempt to state our case with the love of Christ...

...and that includes electronic and social media.  Unfortunately, we find that there is way too much opinion that is shared and conflict that is generated because people, instead of engaging in reasoned conversation, are firing shots on social media.  From a Christian point of view, we should always be pursuing a path of peace, grounded in Matthew 18, and be careful that we do not resort to name-calling or accusations in a public forum.

Finally, with regard to the public policy arena, we do need to be involved in praying for our public officials, so that...as 1st Timothy 2 says, we can live in peace, as Dr. Tony Evans had pointed out in our recent NRB conversation.  Even though this action by the AG's is directed at companies, we already see organizations who are dedicated to attempting to punish people who hold opinions that differ from theirs - that scenario is unfolding in state after state, as we see lawmakers taking steps to defend Christians from facing repressive action because of their faith.