What is the value of censorship? What does it achieve in the long run? We at PI would certainly be relieved of exasperation and frustration were, for example, the utterance of socialist and/or statist viewpoints hereforth illegal in the United States. But we don't clamor for their illegality. Why? Because we disagree with them and it's too much fun ripping them apart. Plus, regarding the people who think like we do when they are disgusted by socialist and/or statist ignoramuses, we'd much rather them be on our side because of true and intelligent conviction, rather than social convention.
In true cases of morally offensive expression, the principle is even more salient. Isn't truly offensive behavior simply that which smart people should be able to reject soundly and intelligently? Moreover, aren't the convictions which spark this enlightened position the entire purpose behind the call for their proscription?
Face it. The only people who are pleased with censorship of a certain behavior are the people not engaging in the behavior. Censorship, in its final impact, mostly consists of the autocratic majority creating laws to keep itself from things that it already had no interest in doing.
What about the minority political group, the people who actually like the indecent material? Well, they are still dirty, indecent people. But now they can't find legal satiation of their disgusting desires, so they find other indecent ways to entertain themselves and/or just find other ways to drive themselves further out of mainstream society. Is that the way we promote ethical behavior?
No, we'd rather teach the values that matter.
The presence of ignoble behavior within a society is never convenient, but neither is a free society a generally convenient social structure. This point is especially true vis-a-vis, say, the tranquility of an autocrat who has effectively subdued his people into homogenous deference.
Of what value, we wonder, is teaching the difference between right and wrong when the list of options available only includes "right"? Are we putting strongwilled people into the world, or are we expecting to censor the world so that no will is necessary?
We believe Christians should be concentrating on saving souls, not saving eyes or ears.
It would be nice if those who believed in a principle would employ the power of their message to illuminate and unify - instead of hiding weakly behind government power to sneak them in the backdoor of propaganda.
