An employee fired after giving Bibles to co-workers and praying with them lost his religious harassment case before the Supreme Court, but justices refused Monday to block a trial on the termination. Kenneth Weiss offered a Bible to a Muslim co-worker at a Florida medical lab and called a lesbian colleague's attention to Scripture that describes homosexuality as ``vile'' and ``unseemly.'' The born again Christian also ``laid hands'' on ill co-workers and prayed over a malfunctioning machine. [...] "[Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act] was intended to protect religious expression in the workplace, not stifle it,'' Weiss told the Supreme Court. He said the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling ``leaves religious employees with little choice but to completely refrain from offering religious literature to others in the workplace, for fear of being terminated for harassment.''
Ahem.
DUH!
How many nonreligious employers want their employees handing out literature in the workplace? How is it not harrassment to call a colleague "vile and unseemly"? How many brain cells does it take to realize that perhaps this is not something an employer will appreciates? How difficult can it possibly be to simply not hand out literature in the workplace? If there are that many people you find offensive, find another freakin' workplace!
I'm astonished that the case reached the Court, actually. (I expect they were, too.)
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
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