Knox County DA 'looking into' detective's church sermon calling for execution of LGBTQ people

Via: epistte  •  News & Politics  •  48 Comments  •  2 Likes  •  5 years ago  •  LOCKED

In the hourlong sermon based on an Old Testament passage, Detective Grayson Fritts, also a pastor at All Scripture Baptist Church in Knoxville, told his congregation June 2 that he believes that federal, state and county governments should arrest, try, convict and "speedily" execute people...

The strict separation of church and state

By: epistte  •  News & Politics  •  248 Comments  •  12 Likes  •  5 years ago  •  LOCKED

I have been debating on whether to start this discussion for a while because it is sure to be very divisive and there are probably people who will choose to troll instead of posting valid and rational responses but I am going to take that chance because this idea needs to be discussed. There...

Ga. mayor says city 'isn't ready' for black employee,

Via: epistte  •  News & Politics  •  35 Comments  •  1 Like  •  5 years ago  •  LOCKED

HOSCHTON, Ga. (AP) — The mayor and a council member in a mostly white north Georgia city are facing calls to resign over racially charged comments. At issue is how Mayor Theresa Kenerly treated a black candidate for the city administrator job in Hoschton. In documents released by the...

National Ask An Athiest Day.

Via: epistte  •  News & Politics  •  137 Comments  •  7 Likes  •  5 years ago  •  LOCKED

National Ask An Atheist Day is an opportunity for secular groups across the country to work together to defeat stereotypes about atheism and encourage courteous dialogue between believers and nonbelievers alike. The event is intended to be an opportunity for the general public—particularly...

Christian lawyer wants LGBT excluded from anti-lynching bill.

Via: epistte  •  Religion & Ethics  •  16 Comments  •  5 years ago

For more than a century, there have been a number of unsuccessfully attempts in the US to make lynching a federal crime. Well, success was at last attained last December when the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act was passed unanimously by the the Senate. The Act outlines the specific act of...

What are your New Years Day culinary traditions?

By: epistte  •  Wine & Food  •  50 Comments  •  5 years ago

I know that we have a wide variety of cultures and religions among News Talkers and I'm reasonably sure that we have many people who still observe culinary traditions on New Years Day.  Black-eyed peas are a common meal in the American south. I'm German and it's common to make roast pork and...

More than 500 priests accused of sexual abuse not yet publicly identified by Catholic church, Illinois attorney general finds

Via: epistte  •  Religion & Ethics  •  32 Comments  •  6 years ago  •  LOCKED

“A scathing report from Attorney General Lisa Madigan finds the number of Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse against children in Illinois is...”

The report said accusations have been leveled against 690 priests, while Catholic officials have publicly identified only 185 clergy with credible allegations against them The determination is part of a preliminary report made public Wednesday by Madigan’s office, which has been investigating...

Nativity scene removed from courthouse lawn.

Via: epistte  •  News & Politics  •  226 Comments  •  6 years ago  •  LOCKED

RAVENNA — A group of people stood along Main Street in front of the courthouse in 20-degree weather on Saturday night to protest the city’s decision to not allow the display of a Nativity scene this Christmas season. A Nativity scene that was added to the Christmas display at the Ravenna...

Texas AG ignores constitutional law and expells a high school student over the Pledge of Allegiance.

Via: epistte  •  News & Politics  •  223 Comments  •  6 years ago  •  LOCKED

Ken Paxton is using this as a political stunt to rally his ignorant supporters who are too stupid to understand constitutional law or even google SCOTUS decisions. Not standing for the pledge has been a right since the 1940s. He is unfit for office because he is ignoring the settled law and...

The Political Compass. Where do you rate?

Via: epistte  •  News & Politics  •  133 Comments  •  3 Likes  •  5 years ago

I've seeded this same quiz on many forums and it will be interesting to see where many people on this forum rate. This is probably the most conservative forum that I have ever posted on, so so I expect that the results will be somewhat skewed to the top right quadrant. Many of the possible...