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Texas mayor defends comments saying women shouldn't lead prayer in public

A Texas mayor is facing backlash after he said that women shouldn’t lead prayer in public before city council meetings because the Bible forbids it.

Wylie, Texas, Mayor Eric Hogue’s remarks were made in a email to fellow city council members, which was then shared publicly on Facebook this week, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The city’s mayor pro tem, Jeff Forrester, reached out earlier this month and asked for Hogue’s thoughts on having members of the Christian missionary group, Youth With a Mission, lead the next prayer that starts each next council meeting.

“Sounds good. I would like that. All I asked is that those leading the public prayer be young men," Hogue responded.

Hogue is also a minister of Cottonwood Church of Christ, according to the outlet. He followed up in the email by quoting two New Testament verses that he said his congregation takes “literally.”

The first, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, says: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

The other passage from 1 Timothy states: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

In the email obtained by the Dallas Morning News, Hogue wrote that not everyone may agree with him.

“But I can’t go against my conscience,” he added.

The email was reportedly obtained through a records request and posted to Facebook, including to a page called Befuddled by Clowns, a conservative blog dedicated to Wylie politics.

Some residents of Wylie, a Dallas suburb of 51,000 people, were upset by the mayor’s comments, and a few called for him to resign.

Mary Shaddox told NBC5 that she was “flabbergasted” to hear such comments from a public official in 2020.

“That's his right in his church and his home, but he cannot bring it into a government office,” Shaddox said.

Forrester told ABC’s local affiliate that he does not share the same beliefs.

“I think we’re all created equally in the eyes of God and in the eyes of our government," the mayor pro tem said, adding that he’s never heard the mayor “speak ill” of women.

However, Hogue doubled down on his comments during an interview with WFAA.

“I believe a lady can be president of the United States,” Hogue said. “I believe a lady can be CEO of a company, the superintendent of a school district. But I believe, and this is me, when it comes to [picking] somebody to lead the invocation at a city council meeting, because of those two sets of verses, I’m going to choose a male.”

Hogue said there has never been a female preacher at his church.

“There will not be a female song leader. There will not be a female that leads the prayer," Hogue said. "Now, there will be ladies that teach other ladies. There will be ladies that teach the children’s classes. But when we’re in a worship service, we’re in a religious service, based on what the scriptures teach, the guys do that.”

He said that his wife of 33 years would “not stick around if I was anti, you know, like that.”

“I mean, we are equal partners in everything," Hogue said.

Hogue is facing a protest on Tuesday from the group Women Organizing Women Democrats.

The group’s president, Debbie O’Reilly, told WFAA that they’re planning to protest outside of the Wylie City Council chambers.

“We are not protesting anyone’s religion. We are not protesting his personal views,” O’Reilly said. “What he conducts in his church or home is his business, but what we’re protesting is the divisive and misogynistic attitude of this leader.

“This is about valuing all voices in a public forum,” she added. “This chamber is not Hogue’s church, and he needs to remember that, or he needs to go.”

Hogue, 56, has been Wylie’s mayor for 12 years and is not seeking re-election this year. He also works as a professional magician.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-...dnt-lead-prayer

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The worst thing to ever happen to God is religion.

So true. Religious leaders continue their ageless war on women.

SMH

So I was telling my wife about this while we were driving yesterday. Keep in mind that she is a church going christian, in a more forward thinking church, as well as a very independent strong woman. So I told her what this guy said and about the backlash he's getting. Then we talked about how the catholic church does this as well as others. We talked about how these two bible quotes were being used to justify this bias.

Then I told her as an atheist I think it's BS. I don't see why it matters if you are a man or a woman, because standing up in front of everyone to talk about make believe things shouldn't require a penis... it barely requires a brain. After a short burst of laughter, there was silence. Such a good talk.

It's reasons like this why I never became a pastor.

I hate the cherry picking that people do with their belief systems.

Straight is the way and narrow is the gate that leadeth unto righteousness, and few there be that find it.

Do I need to share the verse about throwing stones to you, too?

By all means, please do. As long as you put it in context. But while you're at it, tell us the story of the Bible, in context.

If you want to single out 1 verse, please don't.

Tell that to the mayor who doesn't understand his own faith.

I don't know him. I'm in control of me, and me only.

Like you just said, you hate the cherry picking. You just did it. "I hate the cherry picking that people do with their belief systems."

Actually, no.

The Pharisees were about ready to stone Mary Magdalene to death because Mosaic Law said to, and THROW LONG was implying those who want to go against the mayor won't get into heaven.

Then Jesus came by and told the Pharisees that if anyone of them were without sin to kill her, and none of them did. Yet, here they are cherry picking when they probably committed acts worthy of stoning themselves.

This isn't cherry picking. This is drawing parallels to very two similar instances.

You routinely forget I went to an ultra-conservative Christian school from preK till eighth grade, and routinely attended church and Sunday school all those years. I even almost went to seminary after high school. Believe it or not arch, a large portion of who I am today is who I was back then. I just try to embody the Social Gospel that many have routinely forgot in favor of tax breaks.

So while you may think "oh, he's some silly educated godless liberal who doesn't know anything", you should keep all this in mind before assuming more about me. Or you can keep at it with your constant "I'm going to mention how smart he thinks he is because he has a degree" thing.

Cool.

Yet you try to take one verse out of the whole Bible and attempt to make it your point.

I am not perfect, neither are you, or anyone else. I don't throw scripture around either. Like you did.

Oh, I also never mentioned your education. You did, Once again.

I've met many Christians who use John 3:16 as clear license to justify anything they do.



Which I recognize. My issue is not with you. It's with this mayor who made an ill advised sexist comment and used religion to back his awful views.



It's your typical go-to when trying to make a point at me. Wanted to get out in-front of it this time.

Bro, if there is/ever was a god, then stoning people was probably put in 'the good book' to see if we could rise above our idiocy. Test seems to still be disqualifying the idiots. ~ thoughts about religion from an Atheist.

King James.
I like it.

Old School is poetry, yet still completely comprehensible.
I loved it even when I was a li'l kid.

I don't really care about the thread or your particular position in it; I just like biblical text in King James. It flows like water, and reminds me of my early days at Second Baptist.