Steve Lyston | Social-media censorship

The birthing of social media is the result of the suppression of truth by mainstream media. So we have seen the birth and growth of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and all the other social media. But lately, it seems that the very reason for which social media was raised up has become the very thing they are fighting down. They have become what they were standing against.

Facebook, as one of the most prominent in the social-media group, has created what it calls 'Community Standards'. It has been blocking thousands of people because of their views, so if you write anything pro-family, pro-life, pro-Jesus or 'pro-anything good', then it is deemed 'hate speech' or 'bullying', and you will be blocked and restricted or your account will be deleted! The views of such persons are no longer shared, but everyone else's are, and that in itself is them doing what they say they are taking a stand against. So there is no longer free speech or the respecting of another's culture, religion or beliefs according to the UN Charter honoured by 193 countries.

Hate Speech?

We have a right to life, but talking about that has now become hate speech. Even if someone says that prostitution is wrong, it is deemed hate speech and is blocked, and the speakers are deemed fundamentalists, bigots or bullies. Meanwhile, they are, as it were, shoving perversion, lewd acts and personal violations daily, putting our children at risk spiritually and physically. Violence and nudity they have no problem with. The question is, are they really defending freedom of speech, or do they simply want to reject views that don't agree with theirs?

I am curious to know how Jesus' speech in John 6:54-56 would have been dealt with by social media. Maybe it would be considered bullying? Maybe Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech would then be considered hate speech against white people, the wealthy, and the financial industry, since it includes statements such as, "We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their adulthood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating 'For Whites Only'." Maybe one of Bob Marley's songs would be considered hate speech against law enforcement? Here is another question, how long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look? (Bob Marley).

Deliberate Censorship

There are many churches, Christians and non-Christians alike, that are being censored for what they write/share/

like. They have even come against Franklin Graham, who was recently suspended from Facebook for taking a stand for his biblical beliefs. Then, they rescinded the ban because news of it went viral. In addition to that, CBN News reported recently, "If Apple doesn't like your type of speech or news content, they will ban it. That's what Apple's CEO Tim Cook recently told the Anti-Defamation League."

A god complex

The success that social-media giants have experienced has caused them to think of themselves as gods. So they function like those in Daniel 5 who play the music and say "bow" and the people must bow or else they will face the fire. What they don't know is that no giant is too big to fall and that if God can allow them success, then He can allow them to fall and can raise up new people who will do it right! Every mainstream media house needs to watch this development. The censoring of truth has birthed social media, and now that social media is censoring the truth, something else is about to be birthed. We cannot have success without the people, and when we begin to censor truth and replace it with political correctness, we may begin to see bold, new journalists who will rise and create their own media houses to ensure that the truth is told. Oftentimes, journalists get the blame when it is those who govern them - the media-house owners and executives, as well as the government policies by which they are guided - that should. We need other investors to create other media platforms so that all sides can be heard/read.