by KeithE » Fri Oct 17, 2014 7:38 am
I think subpoening sermons is counter First Amendments Rights but is a good one, passed by a 11 to 6 margin. Religious grandstanders show an ugly side when they start nitpicking a law such as this. Exemptions for bonafide private clubs, bonafide religious organizations and curiously government owned facilities are given in Section 17-54. Refer to those exemptions if they do not want to hire an LBGT.
including equal rights for 15 “characteristics” including sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or pregnancy.
Wednesday but still may ask for “the focus should be only on communications related to the petitions to overturn the ordinance” which would be wrong headed in my mind. We will see.
While it may seem that a church’s tax exempt status may be in question, I personally believe preachers can and should speak about political issues from the pulpit and elsewhere, recognizing that may be un-Baptist. There is a line where if the primary or substantial purpose of a church institution is political comment, then tax exempt status should be halted - but that can be a close call requiring “judges”. That’s what judges are for, calling the close ones based on motivations/passions. Separation of church and state should not be thought of separation of religious ideas and political ideas (there really cannot be such a line). When a religious “institution” (be it RW or LW) starts being primarily or substantially about politics, it must end its tax exempt status. The whole body of a church’s sermons/communications (not just ones about the political issue at hand) would be required to “judge” the characteristic of the church involved. I thank God that political “institutions” have not been involved in the business of enforcing religious beliefs in this country.
Now we will see if Houston’s conservatives will support the good law or grandstand showing an ugly side.
Informed by Data.
Driven by the SPIRIT and JESUS’s Example.
Promoting the Kingdom of GOD on Earth.