Protect Religious Freedom in the Workplace, Adventists Urge
Washington, D.C., USA .... [ANN Staff]
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The Seventh-day Adventist Church, together with other religious and
civil rights groups, has reaffirmed its support for the Workplace
Religious Freedom Act--proposed United States legislation aimed at
strengthening on-the-job legal protection for all people of faith.

"The ability to practice one's faith is the essence of what it means to
be free; it is at the heart of human dignity, and it is this freedom
that defines America as a nation of liberty," says James Standish,
director of legislative affairs for the Adventist Church worldwide. He
explains that while some limitations on religious freedom are
unavoidable, Adventists believe that limitations should not be imposed
lightly.  

"Requiring employers to take reasonable steps to accommodate the
sincerely held religious beliefs of their employees is a small price
for freedom," says Standish.  

Current civil rights laws already require employers to accommodate the
religious practices of their employees.  However, the courts have
interpreted these laws narrowly, allowing some employers to avoid
making a substantial effort at finding solutions for their religious
employees.

For this reason, employees have sometimes had to choose between their
faith and their job: Jews and Adventists, who keep Saturday as a holy
day, or Sabbath; Sikhs, who wear religious headgear; and Muslims, who
pray at set times throughout the day, are among those who have been
affected.

Standish, along with members of the Coalition for Religious Freedom in
the Workplace, met with Senator Barbara Mikulski July 13. Mikulski
represents the state of Maryland, in which the Seventh-day Adventist
Church world headquarters is located.

"Senator Mikulski has proven to be a friend of religious rights in the
workplace in the past," says Standish, "and during the meeting she
displayed her clear understanding of the current need for additional
legal protection."  

During the discussion, Mikulski noted that she "is well aware of the
Seventh-day Adventist interest" in protecting religious freedom in the
workplace and she also committed to co-sponsor the Workplace Religious
Freedom Act.

The Workplace Religious Freedom Act would require employers to
accommodate employees' religious practices unless to do so would
require "significant" difficulty or expense. 

Currently, employers are obliged to incur no expense beyond a "de
minimus," or insignificant, amount. This stands in contrast to the much
higher level of workplace accommodation required under United States
law for others, such as the disabled.
 
 

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ANN Staff: Ray Dabrowski, director; 
Bettina Krause, news director; 
Ansel Oliver, editorial assistant. 
Copyright Adventist News Network 2001.