Despite the protections for speech and faith enshrined in constitutions and a long history of respecting civil liberties, some people in Western nations are now learning to fear prosecution for voicing their beliefs.

The long-honored tradition of “freedom of conscience” has protected individuals in the West from state coercion regarding their beliefs and preserved their right to speak and act in accordance with those beliefs.

More recently, however, organizations like the United Nations (U.N.) have called for an all-encompassing global effort to “tackle” hate speech, which it defines as “a denial of the values of tolerance, inclusion, diversity and the very essence of human rights norms and principles.”
Hate speech, the U.N. states, “lays the ground for conflict, tension and human rights violations, including atrocity crimes.” It calls for a “holistic approach” from governments, private companies, media, faith leaders, and teachers in the fight against it.

The campaign has manifested itself in cases like that of Jack Phillips, a Christian maker of decorative cakes, who has been repeatedly prosecuted by the state of Colorado as a “hater” for refusing to create cakes in support of sexual topics with which he disagrees. While the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Mr. Phillips in 2018, he was charged by Colorado officials again in 2023 for refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.

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