Dr. Michael L. Brown
(President of FIRE School of Ministry) made this statement in Townhall.com – “When your religious
faith comes in conflict with your job [in America], if you are a Muslim, your
faith is protected and sacred; if you are a Christian, it is not.” Do you agree?
In the past year or two,
we’ve read (I’ve written in previous blog postings) what has happened to
Christian bakers, florists, photographers, and county clerks who refused to
participate in same-sex ‘marriages’ because of their religious faith. They were found guilty by the courts and fined
or punished … or even imprisoned. We’ve
seen it with pro-life Christian owned and operated businesses and institutions
that could not participate in Obamacare because of its provisions for abortion
inducing drugs (i.e., ‘morning after pill’).
But when it comes to
freedom of religion for Muslims, the results in the courts are significantly different;
the reaction from the Obama Administration is different; and even the response
from the mainstream media is different.
Back in April 2015, some
Muslim cab drivers in Cleveland, OH refused to drive taxis carrying ads for the
upcoming Gay Olympic Games. Did it
receive nationwide attention and condemnation? Where are the courts forcing the drivers to
ignore their beliefs as they do with Christians? Where is the Administration in calling out the
cab companies for homophobia? Where is
the media in reporting about these Muslim cabbies, for religious reasons,
refusing to drive cabs with signs promoting the Gay Games on top of airport
cabs? The fact is, this case never made
it to the courts.
However, another case
involving the religious freedoms of Muslims did make it to the courts; and it
was decided in favor of the Muslims. As
reported by Fox News, “A jury has
awarded $240,000 in damages to two Muslim truck drivers who sued their former
employer for religious discrimination after they were fired for refusing to
make beer deliveries.” Now brace
yourself for the next line: “The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
won the case on behalf of the Obama Administration.”
Say what?! You heard it!
The same Obama Administration that actively stood for the redefining of
marriage, regardless of its effect on the religious rights of Christians, stood
up for the religious rights of these Muslims.
Not only that, but after the decision, the EEOC reported on their
official government website: “EEOC is proud to support the rights of workers to
equal treatment in the workplace without having to sacrifice their religious
beliefs or practices.” EEOC General
Counsel David Lopez said, “This is fundamental to the American principles of
religious freedom and tolerance.”
One of the EEOC
attorneys who tried the case, June Calhoun, said this: “This is an awesome
outcome. Star Transport [the truck
company in question] failed to provide any discrimination training to its human
resources personnel, which led to catastrophic results for these employees. They suffered real injustice that needed to be
addressed. By this verdict, the jury
remedied the injustice by sending clear messages to Star Transport and other
employers that they will be held accountable for their unlawful employment
practices. Moreover, they signaled to
Mr. Mohamed and Mr. Bulshale that religious freedom is a right for all
Americans.” Said EEOC Supervisory Trial
Attorney Diane Smason, “We are pleased that the jury recognized that these -
and all - employees are entitled to observe and practice their faith, no matter
what that might be.”
Dr. Brown responds by
saying, “So, the company was guilty of failing to provide training to ensure
that the Muslims were not discriminated against; but when it comes to
Christians, companies must provide training to ensure that those who identify
as LGBT are not discriminated against … even it means discriminating against
Christians. How bizarre can this get?”
To further highlight the
inequality Christians are facing today, Brown says, “Remember that when gay
couples have asked Christian bakers to bake cakes for their ceremonies the
bakers who refused have been found guilty by the courts; but when a gay baker
refused to bake a cake opposing same-sex ‘marriage’ for a Christian customer,
the Christian was found guilty.”
While there have been
some moments of sanity within the courts … when freedoms for Christians have
been preserved … clearly the stance of the Obama Administration is: When it
comes to the religious rights of Muslims, they should be jealously protected;
when it comes to the religious rights of Christians, they should be zealously
rejected since the government has zero tolerance for bigotry.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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