Submitted via IRC for AndyTheAbsurd
The Satanic Temple, an activist group based in Salem, Massachusetts, is threatening to sue Twitter for religious discrimination after one of its co-founders had his Twitter account permanently suspended.
Lucien Greaves, the Satanic Temple's co-founder and spokesman, said his Twitter account was permanently suspended without any notice after he asked his followers to report a tweet that called for the Satanic Temple to be burned down.
"We're talking to lawyers today," Greaves said Friday about whether he planned to take legal action.
Source: http://www.newsweek.com/satanic-temple-threatens-sue-twitter-over-religious-discrimination-780148
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 15 2018, @11:39PM
Offtopic chatter in a topical thread or sub-forum is moderated/banned simply for being off-topic. Not due to it's specific content.
If a forum on the topic of sewing and is designated 'no religious or political discussion', that applies to all religions and political leanings. In that forum if some one brings up the FSM - deleted. The Book of Genesis - deleted. Mention Trump - deleted. Accidentally exclaims OMG - deleted. Simple, there's no discrimination here beyond the general topic.
There are edge cases like, someone in the aforementioned 'sewing' thread asking if they should use red or crimson thread on their Satan flag, yellow or gold thread for the halo on Saint Bartholomew, or green/fuscia for the tentacles of the FSM. But the moment someone comments on the religious aspect of those - deleted.
Let's go as far as create a thread with the topic 'Saint Bartholomew did great works'. Then someone posts, "But the FSM created the universe, therefore SB was deluded" - off topic, deleted. Likewise, if someone posts, "Jesus is great! We all must follow his teachings!" - off topic, deleted.
If however, a business decides for themselves _which_ religion can post in a generic topic. Ie. in the aforementioned sewing thread, deciding that the Satan flag is not allowed, but the Saint Bartholomew question is fine. Then they have discriminated arbitrarily, and have gone counter to their legal requirements as stipulated in the Anti-discrimation Act.
It's really not that hard to understand unless you're trying to find ways to quash speech of those you disagree with or hold beliefs alien to your own.