Why Mayor Taylor's Comments Disturb and Offend People Who Aren't Religious
This week San Antonio went viral in a very unflattering way – that is, if you’re not a social conservative or worry about religion guiding politicians' actions on some of society's most serious challenges, like addressing the root causes of poverty.
It looks like a blogger at Patheos.com, a website that covers religion and spirituality, was the first to point out the problematic nature of Taylor's comments at a mayoral forum moderated by San Antonio Express-News columnist Gilbert Garcia earlier this month. The blogger linked to a video of the April 3 forum that was live-streamed by the hyperlocal journalism nonprofit NowCastSA. When asked about the root causes of systemic poverty, Taylor's go-to answer is to blame a lack of faith. Or, to be more specific:
"It's broken people, you know. People not being in relationship with their Creator, and therefore not being in a good relationship with their families and their communities and, you know, not being productive members of society. So I think that's the ultimate answer."
Patheos blogger Michael Stone was unsparing in his criticism, saying Taylor's comments "show nothing but contempt for poor people and atheists." The video of Taylor's comments reached viral status after the Huffington Post covered them on Monday.
Taylor's initial reaction was to claim the video had been "intentionally edited to mislead viewers," which is weird considering NowCast had posted footage of the entire 90 minute forum. "I have devoted my life to breaking the chains of generational poverty," Taylor wrote in a prepared statement this week. "I’ve done so because of my faith in God and my belief in Jesus’s ministry on Earth."
Read more: http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/04/26/why-mayor-taylors-comments-disturb-and-offend-to-people-who-arent-religious
