Atheist worker fired after refusing to attend company’s Christian prayer; EEOC suit filed

[essentialsaltes]

A home repair company’s mandatory daily Christian prayer sessions for its employees were becoming “less tolerable” for an atheist construction manager who refused to continue attending — resulting in his firing in North Carolina, federal officials said in a lawsuit.

His boss told him “he did not have to believe in God, and he did not have to like the prayer meetings, but he had to participate” before the worker was fired in the fall of 2020, according to a complaint filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Greensboro-based business.

This comes after another worker, a customer service representative, was fired in January 2021 after she felt the meetings, which went on for nearly an hour, were becoming “cult-like” and stopped attending due to her agnostic beliefs, according to the lawsuit.

“Employers who sponsor prayer meetings in the workplace have a legal obligation to accommodate employees whose personal religious or spiritual views conflict with the company’s practice,” Melinda C. Dugas, the attorney for the EEOC’s district in Charlotte, said in a statement.

(Maybe not after SCOTUS gets its hands on this!)

 

[durangodawood]

Mixing prayer with workplace motivation/shaming does seem a little culty. Tho it does seem to align with a particularly American vision of faith as one piece of the capitalist puzzle.

 

[Whyayeman]

Ah, the Land of the Free!

 

[trophy33]

Nobody should be forced to do something religious.

"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."
Lk 6.31

I am surprised its possible, in the USA. Work laws should protect such basic rights automatically.

 

[archer75]

Nobody should be forced to do something religious.

"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."
Lk 6.31

I am surprised its possible, in the USA. Work laws should protect the religious freedoms.

Ever less often.

Very bad news, this.

 

[Desk trauma]

Employers who sponsor prayer meetings in the workplace have a legal obligation to accommodate employees whose personal religious or spiritual views conflict with the company’s practice,” Melinda C. Dugas, the attorney for the EEOC’s district in Charlotte, said in a statement.

(Maybe not after SCOTUS gets its hands on this!)

I look forward to the original intent argument, thrown around here from time to time, that the first amendment doesn’t protect religious rights other than those of Christian and perhaps Jews being made and accepted by the current court.

 

[Whyayeman]

I see that the company is being sued for religious discrimination. On the evidence of the article it is a clear-cut case. The law seems to be unambiguous.

I expect the court to award damages to the dismissed employees.

 

[archer75]

I look forward to the original intent argument, thrown around here from time to time, that the first amendment doesn’t protect religious rights other than those of Christian and perhaps Jews being made and accepted by the current court.

Ah, but who's a Christian? Lots of room for madness there.

The Founders sure werent Catholics, except for three (I think)...Carroll among them...and I'm pretty sure not a one was Orthodox...or a modern Evangelical...

 

[Desk trauma]

Ah, but who's a Christian? Lots of room for madness there.

The Founders sure werent Catholics, except for three (I think)...Carroll among them...and I'm pretty sure not a one was Orthodox...or a modern Evangelical...

Splitting that hair comes afterwards and the court being heavily catholic makes me think evangelicals will be up a certain creek.

 

[RileyG]

Awful! Atheists are protected under the 1st amendment! Period.

 

[RileyG]

Mixing prayer with workplace motivation/shaming does seem a little culty. Tho it does seem to align with a particularly American vision of faith as one piece of the capitalist puzzle.

The Protestant work ethic.

If you work enough, you can have enough $$$, and give glory to God! That's what a large part of faith based work is based on IMHO.

 

[Desk trauma]

Awful! Atheists are protected under the 1st amendment! Period.

For now.

 

[wing2000]

The daily prayer sessions involved workers gathering in a circle as the company’s owner or another individual would pray, the complaint said. Occasionally, the leader of the session would ask for prayer requests. Sometimes, these requests were “offered for poor performing employees” who were called out for mistakes in front of their colleagues, according to the EEOC. When it came to the meeting’s Bible readings, the former customer service representative said it came off as “ranting” and eventually, her boss began having everyone chant “the Catholic version of the Lord’s Prayer in unison,” the complaint said.

Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article262957338.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Whyayeman]

Awful! Atheists are protected under the 1st amendment! Period.

Yes, we are, though I think it is unnecessary to enshrine disbelief in the Constitution. If they took away the 1st Amendment it would not make any difference.

It is a legal necessity for state schools in England to hold a daily religious service. The acute shortage of staff willing to observe this has turned it into a farce.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

If you're a Christian business owner you probably shouldn't be hiring non-Christians.

 

[Desk trauma]

If you're a Christian business owner you probably shouldn't be hiring non-Christians.

It would be challenging to weed them out and not run afoul of anti-discrimination law. Well, until that gets overturned but in the meantime…

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

It would be challenging to weed them out and not run afoul of anti-discrimination law. Well, until that gets overturned but in the meantime…

Hence why you should hire people you know and are your friends, in that they have your interests at heart. If you have to absolutely hire an unknown, give them a temporary contract and let them go if they don't fit in by the time the contract expires.

 

[Desk trauma]

Hence why you should hire people you know and are your friends, in that they have your interests at heart. If you have to absolutely hire an unknown, give them a temporary contract and let them go if they don't fit in by the time the contract expires.

I guess Christians are relegated to running rather small companies.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I guess Christians are relegated to running rather small companies.

Maybe they would be small, simply as a means to fly under the radar of national attention, but it would be beneficial for Christians to look out after each other first in the professional arena rather than non-Christians equally. Especially as Christianity declines we'll be forced to do so as a means of self-preservation. This will require Christians being willing to abandon universality or holding the American system and it's interests above Christendom it's interests. We ought to as Christians favour a Christian particularism, establishing professional networks and associations which work in the benefit of Christians rather than the USA and non-Christians as a whole.

 

[Whyayeman]

Maybe they would be small, simply as a means to fly under the radar of national attention, but it would be beneficial for Christians to look out after each other first in the professional arena rather than non-Christians equally. Especially as Christianity declines we'll be forced to do so as a means of self-preservation. This will require Christians being willing to abandon universality or holding the American system and it's interests above Christendom it's interests. We ought to as Christians favour a Christian particularism, establishing professional networks and associations which work in the benefit of Christians rather than the USA and non-Christians as a whole.

While we are favouring Christian particularism, we should consider more than just the workplace. What about shopping? Stick to Christian shops, buy only goods made by Christians. We could insist on guarantees. Only eat food from Christian farms.

Then there is transport. Should we fly in non-Christian air-lines? Should we insist on Christian bus drivers? And health care. Only Christian nurses and doctors.

Go for it!