Do You Support the Mormon Proposal to Allow Religious Discrimination?

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Well, I guess if you think an LDS doctor should be required to perform an abortion when it goes against his moral conscience, we really are at odds here. I don't believe anyone should have to be forced by the laws of the land to go against what his conscience tells him is wrong.

If a Mormon doctor voluntarily takes a job that includes providing abortion services, his or her employer shouldn't have to put up with the doctor refusing to do this part of his or her job.

Hmmm. I'm not sure I agree with your translation. I believe in freedom of speech, including freedom of speech in the political arena. A person shouldn't have to worry about his property being vandalized, for instance, simply because his political ideology is offensive to someone else, nor should he lose his job for having bigoted opinions. Personally, I detest bigotry, but our constitution gives us the right to speak our minds.

Asking for new laws in the name of "religious freedom" suggests that they're about new protections, not about stopping things that are already illegal, like vandalism.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

The Law on Gay marriage in the UK is itself biased and confused.
Any Gay can marry.
However the Anglican church is prohibited by Civil law to perform Gay marriages. Other Churches at least have the option to do so or not. Civil Registrars can not refuse to do so.
This is hardly a level playing field.

The Mormon Church are not required to perform Gay weddings here, the choice is their own.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

Yes, I realize this. I just think that the fears persist, regardless.

Wouldn't you agree that a baseless fear, especially a baseless fear rooted in religiosity, shouldn't merit a change in the law of the land?

I know you don't, and it's clear that you detest Mormonism. Tell me something I don't already know.

I have one question for you now: Should people (let's say members of the LGBT community) be able to boycott a Mormon-owned business if they want?

I don't know if they detest Mormonism and I know I have mixed feelings about it (nothing against anyone in particular or any Mormons themselves but the organization as a whole) but they are asking for legal protection based upon religious freedoms that they already have. However they wish to expand it. If the general populace of mormons want that change because of an ignorance that is one thing but the ones pushing the legislation are those with training and understanding in law. So I doubt they are actually falling for this baseless fear that they will be forced to Marry homosexuals in the Church. So what then would be the need in expanding their ability to discriminate if the ones attempting to push for it already know they are protected?

 

[leibowde84]

The Mormon church (alternatively the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) has proposed adding sexual orientation to the list of prohibited forms of discrimination, in states that currently allow that discrimination, with one major caveat: Discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs would be written in as an exemption to the law. The net effect of this proposal would be that you could not refuse to employ/serve gay people because they were gay and you hate gays, but you could refuse to employ/serve gay people because of your religious-based hatred of gays.

Similarly, people who hate blacks, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, and other groups would be able to cite the religious motivation for this hatred in discriminating against them. Currently, there are exemptions from religious discrimination laws for religious institutions, which are free to hate and discriminate as they see fit. But as it stands, a Catholic boss can't fire a Jewish employee because of his religion. If this passed, that would be possible.

Should religious people be given an exemption from federal and state anti-discrimination laws?

I cannot think of any valid reason for allowing this. Why should the religious get any special treatment?