Facebook’s war against conservatives and Christianity has reached absurd new heights, with the social media dinosaur banning the phrase “Jesus died so you could live”, declaring it “hate speech” that has no place on the platform.
One religion’s fundamental principles should not be considered more or less acceptable than those of another, regardless of whether a “moderator” (likely a Silicon Valley left-wing activist) agrees or not.
However, when a Christian posts the statement, “Jesus died so you could live,” which is one of the core beliefs of Christianity, the individual behind the post will find themselves accused of “hate speech” on Facebook.
An example of this is the case of Billy Hallowell, a former writer for Blaze and a journalist, who shared such a statement on the prominent social network. Facebook’s response was not only to eventually delete the post but also to justify the censorship as a reaction to “hate speech.”
Whether one agrees with this decision or not, similar to the deeply held beliefs of any other religion, it is unclear what exactly is deemed “hateful” about the statement. If anything, the phrase clearly conveys a sense of selflessness and sacrifice for the betterment of others.
Hallowell shared this incident on Twitter, providing screenshots as evidence, and expressing his opinion that it was a “very, very bizarre” occurrence.
But there has also been an appeals process, which didn’t help. The moderators at Facebook who review these appeals stuck to their guns.
Hallowell initially posted on Facebook around April 2, which coincided with Easter, making the message he wanted to convey particularly relevant. However, the post was swiftly flagged for allegedly violating the community’s hate speech policy and a warning was issued indicating that it would be “reviewed.”
At that stage, the punishment deemed appropriate by Facebook’s censoring algorithm was to render the post invisible to everyone except the author.
The belief that Jesus sacrificed himself for his followers’ sake, whether one agrees with it or not, is simply a fundamental principle of the religion.
Instead of justifying the severe downranking of the post, which was factually accurate in that sense, with a statement like “we have these standards regarding hate speech to ensure everyone feels safe, respected, and welcome,” a more thoughtful Facebook moderation system might have recognized that reactions like these were precisely what made Christians feel neither “safe, respected, nor welcome.”
The situation then deteriorated further when the post was completely deleted following an appeal.
“Your appeal has been reviewed,” declared Facebook, adding, “We are unable to display content that contradicts our community standards regarding hate speech.”