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.

The right winger in you

URL - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-right-winger-in-you.html

It is not you, nor is there a group called right wingers. It is each one of us once a while, occasionally or frequently a right winger.  There is a right winger in each one of us be it politically, ethnically or religiously at least once in a life time.  Check the following seven things out;

1. No tolerance for criticism of the president, as long as president is from their own party. For example, a right wing Republican would not tolerate any criticism of Bush, it amounts to disloyalty to the nation and without blinking an eye, you are unpatriotic, and they will accuse you and blame your religion, race, ethnicity or immigrant status or whatever they can find that is different in you.  
   They usually attack the person instead of the issue, the far left Democrats have the same germ in them. The attacks on Obama by these right wing possessed individuals is pathetic, they lost the election, and instead of gracefully accepting the will of the people, they attack the person of Obama, some of those assess, even attack Michelle Obama. This is not good for the nation.  For every accusation you hurl on Obama, the same can be hurled on his predecessor - Obama went to Vegas when Sandy hit the shores, what did Bush do when Katrina hit Louisiana?
   
2. If you are Chinese, Nigerian, Brazilian, German, Arab or African, simply substitute the words India or Pakistan with the name of your nation, the following experience would be the same. The Indian and Pakistani right wingers are no different. Criticism of what goes on there amounts to India or Pakistan bashing to them, they find it easy on their intellect to go ahead and make a judgment on you, instead of dealing with facts. Of course,  facts don’t matter to them. They hunger to create passionate supporters by painting the other guy their enemy. I see this every day among these two groups as well as the Bangladeshis’, switch it to Nigerian or Libyan and see if it works.
   
3. Religiously, the right wing Muslims, Christians, Jews or Hindus behave the same. By the way, there are right wingers among Buddhists, Sikhs, and even Bahai’s.  I have experienced all of these; it will be in my book, something you already know. No matter what is suggested, their minds quickly decide that others are attacking them, and that the others are their enemies. They ruin the joy of their life by living in constant anxiety.
   
4. By the way, conservatives are not right wingers, although right wingers can be conservatives. The right wingers are calling themselves conservatives, they are not. Conservatives want to stick with what is proven, what is known and what is working, and resist experimentation. They are not risk takers. You and I are conservatives in some areas and in the same areas occasionally, frequently or never. 
   
5. What makes one a right winger? You can observe the following; facts don’t matter to them, they insist their version is the final truth, and how dare you not accept their view as a fact? They are usually blunt and tell you that you are wrong, facts don't matter to them.  If you disagree with them, they become a passionate enemy of you; they will make the time to tell all the bad they they imagine about you, and tell others. They are risk takers, and are not embarrassed if they make the sense or not, if they don’t, they get louder and chase you to the end of the world. They usually bond on the basis of hate for others, which are temporary associations.  
   
6. Relax, you are not a right winger, if you are reading these words. Right wingers moved on out after item # 1 and have already responded in their minds, or passed it on to their friends… They rarely read things… remember facts don’t matter to them. They may be engaged in item # 5 right after # 1.
7. We need to be compassionate, I wrote this as an example, some of my closest friends are right wingers in religion, politics, culture and cuisine and I have found a way with some of them in my workshops, talks and dealings - to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us. Pluralism is an attitude of respecting who you are, without having to agree with you. I have found that their attitudes are molded by lack of knowledge about you, of inexplicable phobias....if you take the time, and when they see that you care, the fears vanish for them. They can become great friends with the same intensity for friendship. 

God bless us all with peace, may our anxieties recede, and may we give each other full value as we give to ourselves. Amen! We may all learn to respect the intentional diversity of God's creation, it amounts to genuine worship of God.

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.

Texas Faith : Do Republicans have an Ayn Rand problem?

The problem Republicans have is “a policy coup by some hardnosed people,” in the words of Gen. Wesley Clark.  The right among Republicans is attempting to take over the direction of this country and pushing for policies that will break the cohesive fabric of America.

Texas Faith : Do Republicans have an Ayn Rand problem?

Paul Ryan’s selection as the Republican vice presidential nominee has put Ayn Rand back into the spotlight. Ryan was picked in large part because he’s the architect of a budget that demands lower taxes and smaller government and, more to the point, anticipates a shifting emphasis from government to the   individual. Ryan has credited Rand as a source of his political thought. He has said Rand’s philosophy was “sorely needed right now” and “Ayn Rand did more than anybody to build a moral case for capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this to me is what matters most.”

Rand argued that altruism is immoral and selfishness is good. She was a champion of unbridled markets and limited government. She was an atheist who denounced religion as the enemy of reason and she advanced the idea of an unlimited laissez-faire capitalism in which the rich prospered in a   social Darwinian universe. Emboldened by the Tea Party, many Republican leaders like Ryan have proposed a fundamental dismantling of the nation’s social safety net in a way that would make Rand proud. But many Tea Party advocates are strong Christian conservatives who would be appalled by Rand’s anti-Christian views.

Here’s the thing: By embracing Rand, Paul Ryan touts a philosophy that is tightly knit and carefully constructed in which the pieces fit neatly together. In Rand’s world, if you believe in objectivism, there’s no room for a little government collectivism. One precludes the other. Take out one piece and it all falls apart.

So can leaders who are strong believers in Rand’s philosophy advocate self-interest and   community obligation in the same breath? How do you make a “moral case” for the individual and individual rights in a way that’s ethically justifiable? Do Republicans have an Ayn Rand problem?

Our Texas Faith panel weighs in:

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The problem Republicans have is “a policy coup by some hardnosed people,” in the words of Gen. Wesley Clark.  The right among Republicans is attempting to take over the direction of this country and pushing for policies that will break the cohesive fabric of America.

As individuals, we do not function entirely on our own abilities; we are inter-dependent and interconnected.  Without a consumer the manufacturer will fail, without a patient a doctor has no job, and without a healthy society the productivity of a nation suffers, and the rich will not get richer. We don’t need any one when we are doing well with our health and a reliable income. In Ayn Rand’s ideal world, the fittest will survive. 

What happens if we are not fit?  Who is not vulnerable to the Nile virus, floods, fires, disasters, diseases, and the economic depression?

The defining moment about individualism and collectivism came when Ron Paul was asked, “Congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die?” His response was health care was a mercy of the community and not a right. A political commercial depicted Romney to be responsible for the death of a lady whose family could not afford insurance to treat her cancer.

None of us would have survived the Holocaust, genocides, massacres, persecution and ethnic cleansing if it was entirely the formula of Ayn Rand. If you are not willing to stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for you?

At the end, the Republican Party does have a serious Ayn Rand problem by virtue of their silence against the policy coup by a few. They have two mouths – one talks about freedom and the other wants to take away choices from a woman about her body; one talks about individual liberties while the other rips that right from gay couples marrying each other, and one talks about freedom of religion and the other passes laws restricting Muslims to practice their religion.

Indeed, we need to find a balance between the individual and individual rights in a way that’s ethically, morally justifiable.

 When Justice Roberts rendered a decision in favor of Obama care, I welcomed the decision as a moderate Republican, and instantaneously many Republicans found a way out and echoed my sentiments. They may be silent, but they have spoken against extremism in the ballot. Ryan is a new throw in the basket; if he was in the primaries, he probably would have been rejected like the other divisive men and women.

Texas faith is a weekly column, where panelists from different traditions respond to the issues of the day - for all the responses, please visit Dallas Morning News at http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/08/texas-faith-do-republicans-have-an-ayn-rand-problem.html/

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Please join us for Unity day on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 11:30 AM at Unity Church of Dallas - details at www.UnitydayUSA.com

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.comis updated daily. 

Does Romney give a flip about Israel?

Peace hinges on hopes for the Palestinians and security for the Israelis, anything short of justice will not produce sustainable peace. If Jews and Palestinians can take the position that we cannot have peace when others around us don't, and work on first removing bias and stereotyping from their own minds, the conflicts will fade and solutions will emerge.

What has Romney got to lose? 

He will say anything to get elected, including, “as a President I will declare war on Iran on day one in my office and bombard them to smithereens.” When they hear elimination of their perceived enemy, men like Adelson and their likes will write big checks, they are good business men, the know the money will recycle back to them via Aid to Israel, if Romney gets elected. Who are the losers? It is the Average Israeli, Iranian, Palestinian, you and I who will pay the price.

I have always taken a stand for the Jews and their security, not at the cost of Justice to the Palestinians, like some of my fellow Republican do, instead stand for what is right and uphold the human rights.

The mess created by Prime Minister Netanyahu and a few among the right wing Jews in the United States has caused a lot of discomfort for the ordinary Jews, their policies are indeed destructive to Israel in the long haul. Many Jewish Organization in the United States are gathering momentum to do what is Jewish; Justice.

I wonder if men like Netanyahu, Bill Crystal, Adleson and their likes existed before and if they did, were their attitudes responsible for uprooting Jews in Spain, Germany and other places?  These men are short-sighted and their actions are directly responsible for building up Antisemitism around the world. All of us should  stand up against  Anti-Semitism, Apartheid, racism, Islamophobia, Gayphobia and other evils of the society. 

There is a shameful amount of Anti-Semitism brewing, because Jews are perceived as taking advantages of others like illegally grabbing the lands from Palestinians. However, it is not Jews, who are wrong, it is a few right wingers among them. Indeed, they are causing damage to Jews in decades to come.

They know what is wrong; the violations of international laws, building settlements, throwing people out of their homes and building their own homes  by vacating and murdering the rightful owners of the land.  Whether God exists or not, the people around the world know it is wrong and someone has to pay for it someday'; it will be the ordinary, innocent Jews, as they have paid many times before, and It is time to say enough is enough.

Men like Romney, Gingrich, Santorum and others will say anything to get elected and tap in the Jewish money, the cheap men will compete in licking Netanyahu's boots. It is so embarrassing to read our nominees licking the prime minister's boots. Each one is eager to give away more  (that’s what support means) than the other.

Romney blames Obama for spending money on the health of Americans, whereas he is willing to spend the money on war and destruction. Who will pay for this stupidity?

We cannot afford another war and Romney is either duping the Israelis or does not give a flip about what happens to American economy or Israel in the long run.

The Israelis need to wake up from these fakes who are ruining their future. Netanyahu can bully around and kill many more Palestinians or Iranians, but the blood of the people will have a price; protracted insecurity to Jews living in Israel. I don't think the Right wing Jews see that, they are determined to teach a lesson without worrying about the consequences. 

The law of karma works very well, they will get away with murders today, but will pay for it in terms of insecurity. Their attitudes is screw the ordinary Israelis and Americans, why should they bother about the ordinary.

Instead of spending every one's time, money and energy in destroying Iran, if they can spend the same on developing good relations with others, hostilities will mitigate. There is a Chinese saying, if you want to take the enemy out for good, make friends with them, on the other hand, if you overpower them today, you will not sleep well worried sick about your own vulnerability. That is how the law of karma works.

The few hawks do not want to make peace with Iran or the Palestinians, which means they will have to stop the aggressive theft of the Palestinian land, and stop the settlements as alluded by Dani Dayan and stop milking America.

In the past, the tyrant missionaries got away massacring the native tribes, the Hitlers,  Ferdinands, Saddams, Asads and those crooks got away too. Are the Israeli hawks thinking of doing the same to the Palestinians? Is the world going to sit by and do nothing? Indeed they did nothing to stop the Holocaust till the tail end of it. Are we going to pass the problems to over next generation?

If Israelis and Palestinians can demand accountability from their leaders measurable by peace and security for both the peoples, then a lasting sustainable peace is possible. The problem in not Jews or the Palestinians, it is the right wing hawks on both sides.

A personal note: As a Republican, I am leaning towards Obama again, Romney seems to be an opportunist and not good for America, Israel, Palestine or any one. He is not a man of his own conscience, there was another one like him who played to someone else's tunes. Obama has blundered, but he will not ruin America with another war. 

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on the topics of Pluralism, Coexistence, politics, interfaith, Islam and cohesive societies. He is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.