Jump to content
An Old School Catholic Message Board

Saint Thomas More's Petition for Free Speech


GreenScapularedHuman

Recommended Posts

GreenScapularedHuman

As someone who has practiced and been practiced on by law. Someone who has stood for civil liberty and rights. Someone who believes in peoples reasonable and fair right to express themselves is not just a civil right but a public good, more than that a public need. One that is not only morally justifiable but one that is morally required.

Far be it from me to lecture... so I share the words of Saint Thomas More, as I can find it online, pleading for the same. He was pleading that he had the right to express his disagreement at least morally and his reservation of conscience, despite the fact already tacitly consenting to the king's usurping of church property/power and his divorce... he was accused with opposition and treason to the crown... Saint Thomas More is actually a Saint I like... he argued for a basic income (roughly speaking), spoke for freedom of conscience, for religious liberty, for free speech, for the need of an informed and tested public discourse... and how even when following ever letter of justice and law of that time... he was still gravely wronged with his own life.

He was not so very convincing in my humble opinion and his rationale not so very familiar to a modern reader. But I still quite admire it... and he makes some rather decent points.

https://www.thomasmorestudies.org/docs/Thomas%20More%20Petition%20for%20Free%20Speech.pdf

 

 

Edited by GreenScapularedHuman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...