Occasionally, a web hosting company can stir up controversy. With the latest debate over Anti-Gay extremists and their right to free speech, some web hosts such as BlueHost have made a stand. BlueHost is a top hosting company that made themselves very well known recently with their decision to remove Anti-Gay websites from their hosting. One of the main sites hit was the controversial ChristChurchQuake.Net which stated, among other things, that the earthquakes that devastated New Zealand in February of 2011 were the acts of a vengeful God for the lifestyles being lead in the region.
BlueHost is not the only web hosting provider making choices like this. Many faith based, or christian web hosting providers are starting to make a stand against, what is being called, hate speech. This brings up a valid question, however, for companies that are wanting to host their sites with faith based web hosting providers. Does free speech still reign supreme in a world of faith based hosting? The fact of the matter is that though freedom of speech is governed within the United States and the web hosting providers based within it’s borders the providers can deny hosting to anyone they want for whatever reason they want.
This is something to consider when looking for a web hosting provider. A Christian web hosting company may have more say over what they host or stricter guidelines for what is hosted than a more public hosting service. For example, web hosting giant Godaddy.com has a much broader spectrum of what can be hosted and what cannot. Though they seemingly do not condone hate speech, they do allow certain forms of free speech that may seem unsuitable or in poor taste to other web hosting providers.
When considering a Christian web hosting provider the content of the site to be hosted should be considered. Before paying the money and possibly risking heavy downtime to the site, it may be beneficial to contact the provider first and ensure the site does meet the standards of the provider. If the web hosting company does not feel that they could host the site to the best of their abilities then the company may need to look towards other Christian web hosting providers and services.
