Houston Orders Pastors to Hand Over Sermons on Gays

As of recently, a very powerful law has been enforced in Texas – as well as the rest of the nation – impacting the lifestyles of many people in regards to human rights. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages will be legalized nationwide in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. Denial of marriage licenses and recognition to same-sex couples violates the Due Process and the Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. While this is a joyous moment and a dramatic step towards equality for the LGBT community, not everyone is willing to jump aboard the colorful boat of equality. However Texas, known for being a conservative state, will have to learn to adapt to this new ruling. People with strong religious affiliations stand as an opponent towards this progress.

In this article, taken from the Texas Insider, the big city of Houston is issuing subpoenas to a group of five pastors who refuse to give up any of their written sermons in regards to homosexuality. This is a surprising and justifiable act of the city of Houston as they are trying to remove any discrimination against homosexuality. However, it isn’t so easy. The pastors are blaming the government for taking away their first amendment rights and practices, springing up action from other religious institutions as well with many lawyers agreeing to defend their case as it is an easy one to justify – leaving the case at a standstill. The tension between church and state is excessive and the issue at hand can be summarized into this: Is it justifiable to retain and fight for personal rights and freedom against the government who is enforcing the law to protect the rights of others under the highest power (US constitution)?

This article is worth reading because the topic opens up your perspective and lets you think about the difficult decision of choosing the law over personal rights or the belief that the rights of one community is greater than the rights of another community. The decision that will play out will also affect the lives of many people for the better or the worse.

Read more on this article by clicking the link:
Houston Orders Pastors to Hand Over Sermons on Gays by Texas Insider
or type in http://www.texasinsider.org/houston-orders-pastors-hand-sermons-gays/#more-83258