Texas Faith - Religious liberty vs equal rights in Houston. Is it ever right to subpoena religious sermons?

Let me throw in the monkey’s wrench here, what if a Mosque was delivering sermons that cause disturbance in the society, should the Mosque hide behind First Amendment and not share its sermons? We all should be open to scrutiny for public good and need to protect the rights of the individuals that are being violated. Mike Ghouse

TheGhouseDiary.com 
- http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/10/texas-faith-religious-liberty-vs-equal.html

TEXAS FAITH: Religious liberty vs equal rights in Houston. Is it ever right to subpoena religious sermons?
By Wayne Slater
wslater@dallasnews.comPublished at Dallas Morning News 12:55 pm on October 21, 2014 | Permalink

The city of Houston sparked a firestorm when it subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors who led opposition to the city’s equal rights ordinance. Christian conservative groups and politicians, including Attorney General Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, denounced the action as an attack on religious liberty. Faced with the criticism, the city amended its subpoenas to remove any mention of “sermons.” But it still seeks “all speeches or presentations related to” the ordinance and a petition drive aimed at repealing it.

Opponents had mounted the petition drive but the city ruled there weren’t enough valid signatures to put the repeal issue on the ballot. Opponents filed suit. The case is set for trial in January.

The ordinance bans discrimination by businesses that serve the public and in housing and city employment. Religious institutions are exempt. Critics complain the ordinance grants transgender people access to the restroom of their choice in public buildings and businesses, excluding churches.

Mayor Annise Parker says the city wasn’t trying to intrude on matters of faith. She says it just wants to know what pastors advised folks about the petition process. But critics are deeply suspicious the Houston subpoena could set up a test case aimed at revoking the tax exemption of religious organizations that advocate political activity the government doesn’t like.

What to make of the balancing act between the city’s effort to defend its equal rights ordinance and pastors who encouraged people to oppose it in speeches and correspondence?

What are the limits, if any, of religious leaders to speak out as a matter of religious faith without facing a government subpoena?

We asked our Texas Faith panel of religious leaders, theologians, academics and faith-based activists what they thought of the clash between faith and politics in Houston. Their responses: diverse and provocative.

“I celebrate the courage of preachers who, like the ancient prophets, become critics of the political system,” said one Texas Faith panelist.

But another said: “Foolish paranoid irrationality aside, the city of Houston does not restrict preachers’ ability to pontificate on why some people should be given human rights, but others should not.”

And there was this: What if they had been mosques? Would Ted Cruz & Co. have been so quick to proclaim religious liberty?

If you think there’s consensus – even among those in the faith community – you’re wrong.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas

The problem started when the City of Houston passed an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against transgender identity in accessing restroom facilities in public and private employment.

The religious folks took it as an infringement of their rights protected under the First Amendment and started the petition to do away the ordinance or put it on the ballot as a referendum.  Mayor Parker called in for the sermon notes to build up her case to stick with the ordinance, and then backed off saying that it was not the sermons but the notes.

The mayor ought to stick with the subpoenas with sermon notes and not let the issue be derailed; it will be a long drawn battle about First Amendment rights, but what we forget is those rights are in place when they do not violate the rights of others.

Let me throw in the monkey’s wrench here, what if a Mosque is delivering sermons that may cause disturbance in the society, should the Mosque hide behind First Amendment and not share its sermons? We all should be open to scrutiny for public good and need to protect the rights of the individuals that are being violated.

We have come a long way in becoming a civil society, one by one; we are becoming what God wanted us to be – to respect all his creation supported by our declaration that all men are created equal.  It took us nearly 150 years to recognize that women were equal citizens, then the African Americans, and after many more recognitions we are reaching the pinnacle of civility by including the GLBT community as equal in every aspect of life and honor their legitimate needs in a civil society.

Here is a possible solution, in the process of becoming the most civilized nation, among other things, we have banned smoking, we have built ramps for handicapped individuals in public and private facilities, even though the percent of users is few and far in between. Now, we may consider adding a bathroom facility for the transgender. Let every American live in dignity.

The civility of a society is determined by how it protects its women, minorities, children, poor, the weak and the unprotected. In brutal societies, the state or the mob has all the rights, whereas the ordinary citizens don’t, and are subjugated to the whims of the mob. In civil societies on the other hand, the value of unprotected individuals is equal to the value of the ones in power or majority.

It is the responsibility of a society to safeguard the rights of individuals in their pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.  The civility of a society is reflected in fulfilling that requirement.

To read the take of other panelists, visit Dallas Morning News at : http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/10/texas-faith-religious-liberty-v-equal-rights-in-houston-is-it-every-right-to-subpoena-religious-sermons.html/#more-45898

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Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post.  All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.