Authority, Part 1: Who is the Authority over My Life?

Last week, Stephanie and I went to spend time and converse with a parent and his/her child. After talking some about life, we shared about upcoming Sowing Hope activities. Throughout our conversation, we also shared the Gospel message and of God's love. As we were discussing church, the parent mentioned that he/she had a relationship with God. The Lord led us to ask him/her about this relationship with God. The parent began sharing by stating, "Your church may not believe the same things that I do. I believe that God has many names. To the Christians he is God. To the Muslims he is Allah. To the Jews he is Yahweh. I believe that there are many paths to God." The individual went on to explain that we live in a country of freedom and that each person has the right to hold his or her personal beliefs. So, the parent stated that he/she respects our beliefs and that he/she hopes that we will respect his/her beliefs. Consistent with this train of thought, the parent indicated that if the child chose to believe differently about God than he/she does, the child has that freedom. The parent would not stop the child from holding his/her own beliefs but would rather respect the child's choice of beliefs. It seemed evident from what this parent was explaining that in his/her view, the self is the authority--the individual is the ultimate and rightful determiner of what is true for him.
But what about God's revelation--the Bible--and His rightful claim on our lives?
Later that week, I heard a similar cry for personal freedom. In a discussion about cussing, a young man indicated that since we live in a country of freedom and the 1st Amendment gives us the freedom of speech, he has the freedom to cuss. He even stated that if he were to come into contact with a police officer, he would cuss at the officer.
But does freedom give us license to do/say whatever we want? Doesn't such license harm others and isn't it disobedience to God?
The cry today goes something like this: We have our freedom, we have our rights. So, I determine what to believe and what is right and wrong for me. And as a result, I am my own personal authority.