« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons  (Read 2744 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Nemo

  • Pope
  • ****
  • Posts: 280
Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« on: October 16, 2014, 11:28:46 pm »
So I've been hearing lately from many of my more conservative friends that the city of Houston issued a subpoena of all churches, requiring that they turn over all of their sermons dealing with homosexuality. I suspect that the story doesn't quite play out the way Fox News is representing it (big shocker), but I was curious if anyone else has been hearing this going around.
Logged
"If it's white or Jewish then they're criminals, if it's two brown people killing each other ... meh, that's their culture and we should respect it ... cultural relativists should be ashamed of themselves." - Faisal Saeed Al Mutar

Offline Ultimate Paragon

  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8423
  • Gender: Male
  • Tougher than diamonds, stronger than steel
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2014, 11:29:26 pm »
I don't know, this is the first I've heard of it.
Logged

Offline R. U. Sirius

  • He Who Must Be Smooched By Cute FSTDT Forumgirls
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 2896
  • Gender: Male
  • Just look at me. Who could distrust this face?
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2014, 12:42:39 am »
I've only been skimming the coverage online, but it seems to have been a heavy-handed kickoff to a new equal-rights ordinance to protect LGBT people. Originally, the Houston government were even trying to get things like private communications to parishoners, but after the uproar they backed off.
Logged
http://www.gofundme.com/kw5o78
My GoFundMe campaign. Donations are greatly appreciated.

http://imgur.com/user/RUSirius1/submitted
My Imgur account. Upvotes always appreciated

If you look at it logically, cannibalism has great potential to simultaneously solve our overpopulation and food shortage problems.

Offline Nemo

  • Pope
  • ****
  • Posts: 280
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2014, 12:46:36 am »
Here's the link.
Again, I suspect there is more to the story. But if not.... well, I do support free speech. It would be far more productive to call churches out on the lies they tell if they are doing such a thing than to use the power of the state against them.

Edit: Whew, I'm starting to figure out how to do links in comments.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2014, 12:51:41 am by Nemo »
Logged
"If it's white or Jewish then they're criminals, if it's two brown people killing each other ... meh, that's their culture and we should respect it ... cultural relativists should be ashamed of themselves." - Faisal Saeed Al Mutar

Offline lord gibbon

  • That Weird Guy in the Corner
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 868
  • Gender: Male
  • living trivia machine
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2014, 02:22:41 am »
Ah, an area where I can share knowledge.

What happened was this: Huston has a law in place protecting the rights of sexual minorities. Over the summer, their was an effort to repeal it. Some pastors were subpoenaed because they were suspected of using their pulpit directly in the service of trying to get people to vote for the repeal, which I would say is a violation of the separation of church and state. Of course, since supposed persecution is the favored meme of conservative Christians now, they have made this into a huge issue to tarnish the name of Huston's mayor, who is a lesbian.
Logged
Excuse me, sir, do you have a minute to talk about your lord and savior, Hannibal Barca?

Quote from: Seneca
Religion is regarded by the common man as true, by the wise man as false, and by the powerful man as useful
Quote from: The_Queen on July 11, 2016, 01:05:29 am
Yeah, if the pagans are so smart, why did Jesus invade Pagan-land on the back of a dragon and kill them all!

Offline Nemo

  • Pope
  • ****
  • Posts: 280
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2014, 09:58:59 am »
As I recall, churches cannot officially endorse candidates unless they don't mind losing their tax exempt status. I think they are allowed to discuss issues. Personally, I don't really care whether or not they are explicitly endorsing anyone or anything. Mostly because I know fully well that the people who go to those churches weren't exactly planning to vote D anyway.
Logged
"If it's white or Jewish then they're criminals, if it's two brown people killing each other ... meh, that's their culture and we should respect it ... cultural relativists should be ashamed of themselves." - Faisal Saeed Al Mutar

Offline mellenORL

  • Pedal Pushing Puppy Peon
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 3876
  • Gender: Female
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2014, 11:29:08 am »
Is there other coverage than from Fox? Their modus operandi is to so skew the facts and emphasis as to radicalize mole hills into mountains of bullshit.

If one was to take the article linked as factually accurate (which is highly doubtful), it would be a case of over-reaction and misuse of authority by the Houston city council.
Logged
Quote from: Ultimate Chatbot That Totally Passes The Turing Test
I sympathize completely. However, to use against us. Let me ask you a troll. On the one who pulled it. But here's the question: where do I think it might as well have stepped out of all people would cling to a layman.

Offline Random Gal

  • Bisex Rex
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 2686
  • Gender: Female
  • Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2014, 05:30:05 pm »
Yeah, this seems to be one of those mysterious things that only get coverage by right-wing media and never show up elsewhere. I remember hearing about some incident where a bunch of gay rights protesters invaded a church about 5-10 years ago and started yelling things like "We want your children!" that never appeared anywhere outside Fox and its ilk, for one.
Logged

Offline Barbarella

  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 2767
  • Gender: Female
  • A Little REY of Sunshine!
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2014, 06:59:52 pm »
Quote from: Random Guy on October 17, 2014, 05:30:05 pm
Yeah, this seems to be one of those mysterious things that only get coverage by right-wing media and never show up elsewhere. I remember hearing about some incident where a bunch of gay rights protesters invaded a church about 5-10 years ago and started yelling things like "We want your children!" that never appeared anywhere outside Fox and its ilk, for one.

I must look up that tale!  ::)
Logged

Offline Old Viking

  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 1454
  • Gender: Male
  • Occasionally peevish
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #9 on: October 17, 2014, 07:27:22 pm »
The City of Houston and the churches of Houston deserve one another.
Logged
I am an old man, and I've seen many problems, most of which never happened.

Offline Random Gal

  • Bisex Rex
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 2686
  • Gender: Female
  • Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2014, 09:16:30 pm »
Quote from: SpukiKitty on October 17, 2014, 06:59:52 pm
Quote from: Random Guy on October 17, 2014, 05:30:05 pm
Yeah, this seems to be one of those mysterious things that only get coverage by right-wing media and never show up elsewhere. I remember hearing about some incident where a bunch of gay rights protesters invaded a church about 5-10 years ago and started yelling things like "We want your children!" that never appeared anywhere outside Fox and its ilk, for one.

I must look up that tale!  ::)

Conservapedia refers to it as the "Hamilton Square Baptist Church Riot." Notably, there is no corresponding Wikipedia article and all the reports on it appear to be from right-wing sources, so how much of it really happened and/or has been reported accurately is difficult to say.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2014, 09:18:05 pm by Random Guy »
Logged

Offline Sigmaleph

  • Ungodlike
  • Administrator
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 3615
    • sigmaleph on tumblr
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #11 on: October 17, 2014, 09:51:22 pm »
Quote from: Random Guy on October 17, 2014, 09:16:30 pm
Conservapedia refers to it as the "Hamilton Square Baptist Church Riot." Notably, there is no corresponding Wikipedia article

Yes there is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Square_Baptist_Church_protests

It's short and doesn't go into much detail, though.

Anyway, it's not unusual for stories to get picked up by news sources of a particular political bent while being ignored by others. If I was Scott Alexander, right now I'd probably be making some sort of point about how a riot by gay activists in a church fits perfectly into the conservative narrative while being inconvenient for progressives, and so it gets the coverage it does. But I'm not, so I won't.
Logged
Σא

Offline starseeker

  • God
  • *****
  • Posts: 568
Re: Houston City Subpoenas Sermons
« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2014, 08:11:41 am »
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »