Conscience and Public Dissent

Assuming arguendo that McCormick (see Steve's post here) is correct that “[A] community without it is a community in comfortable stagnation,” it still does not follow that an individual community member is bound by conscience to publicly speak of his or her dissent.  Instead, the individual is making a judgment that speaking would be in the best interest of the community.  My point is that there are two separate movements when someone says "I dissent from teaching "X" or instruction "Y."  An exercise of conscience and a judgment (not bound by conscience) to speak of the dissent.

Pax, Michael S.