consiglieri wrote:Polygamy-Porter wrote:So what do you think Scottie? Is LDS Inc discriminating and persecuting other religions by only hiring Mormons to work for them???
Can we change the scenario a bit?
I think no church administration is discriminating by hiring only members from their denomination.
But what if the LDS Church had a horse camp. (I think they do have a number of camps here and there.)
And what if they opened the camp to members of all denominations, and even those with no denomination, all of whom paid a fee to the camp/church for attending?
And what if they had a program for youth who had attended and learned the system to apply to be counsellors?
Now, under those circumstances, would it be discrimination for the LDS Church to reject an application from a young Baptist who wanted to be a counsellor at the horse camp solely because of their religious beliefs?
I think the answer would be yes.
I am interested in hearing what others think, though.
All the Best!
--Consiglieri
P.S. It also occurs to me that there was nothing on the application itself limiting the ability to apply to members of a certain denomination or adherents to a certain set of beliefs.
And I want to make it clear that my daughter was not rejected because she didn't belong to the Free Methodist denomination. It was because she didn't have the "right" beliefs, although the letter did not specify what beliefs she held that disqualified her.
What you described and what you previously described is not discrimination.
What actually happened to your daughter is kind of sad because it has nothing to do with religion and religious practices, but a religion has the right to say who gets and who does not get awards from its organization.
Your refined example is even less problematic. A camp counselor in a religious camp should be expected to adhere to the religions' beliefs.
I started the informal process of seeking an advanced degree from Fuller Theological Institute. It required the recommendation of a pastor or priest. I asked if a Mormon bishop's recommendation would qualify, and was told "no," and further discouraged from applying because I was a Mormon. I don't consider that discrimination. Fuller has the right to call its own shots.
BYU hires non-members for its faculty. But, it doesn't have to do so and could choose not to do so and no court in the land would hold it guilty of discrimination.