TD Bank excuses discrimination against atheists (America, Muslim, quote, faith)
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Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,915,464 times
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We all know that it is not only illegal, but also immoral to discriminate on the basis of race, nationality or religion.
So why is TD Bank excusing the discrimination by one of its employees in a USA branch who refused to notarize some documents because the bearer was an atheist?
Imagine if that person had been a Christian, Muslim or Jew and the atheist employee refused the same.
You know that newspapers and talk shows would explode with indignation.
We all know that it is not only illegal, but also immoral to discriminate on the basis of race, nationality or religion.
So why is TD Bank excusing the discrimination by one of its employees in a USA branch who refused to notarize some documents because the bearer was an atheist?
Imagine if that person had been a Christian, Muslim or Jew and the atheist employee refused the same.
You know that newspapers and talk shows would explode with indignation.
I think it is discriminatory that a notary can refuse to serve someone for their lack of religion, and I think Silverman has a point that if it happened to a racial minority or even another religion, this would not be tolerated by the bank.
That being said, at least the bank made sure that they got their documents notarized. I have much less of a problem with this woman's actions, because she did ensure that they were served. If she had been the only notary there and did not notarize their documents, i would have a much bigger problem. In this case, while their employee is a bit of a religious bigot, at least the bank as a whole did not discriminate.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,915,464 times
Reputation: 4561
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoCapo
I think it is discriminatory that a notary can refuse to serve someone for their lack of religion, and I think Silverman has a point that if it happened to a racial minority or even another religion, this would not be tolerated by the bank.
That being said, at least the bank made sure that they got their documents notarized. I have much less of a problem with this woman's actions, because she did ensure that they were served. If she had been the only notary there and did not notarize their documents, i would have a much bigger problem. In this case, while their employee is a bit of a religious bigot, at least the bank as a whole did not discriminate.
-NoCapo
Did you read their reply?
They denied the woman refused, saying it was a"miscommunication ".
They denied the woman refused, saying it was a"miscommunication ".
Meh, i think it is stupid, but I am sure their lawyers told them to say that. If they admitted she screwed up, they would probably be on the hook for larger damages in the event of a lawsuit.
I think it is pretty crappy, and I think it would be best if the woman apologized for her behavior, but if everyone were to be adults about it, I don't think it is worth anyone losing their job over. After all, if she had had a bit more tact and gotten an "urgent" call or needed manager approval she could have avoided notarizing their form without making a thing of it.
I just hope that both the bank and the employee will do the right thing here, without need for a lawsuit. I understand the need for it, but I hate that is often has to come down to legal action.
I think it is too bad what happened. Respect of differing points of views. A good thing. Goes both ways. I see little respect by atheists towards theists on this forum. Food for thought.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,915,464 times
Reputation: 4561
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
I think it is too bad what happened. Respect of differing points of views. A good thing. Goes both ways. I see little respect by atheists towards theists on this forum. Food for thought.
Your right.. And it often goes both ways. There is more than one evangelical who thinks little of atheists.
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." - Benjamin Franklin
Courts have consistently ruled that atheism is considered a religion for the purposes of being protected by the US Constitution and anti-discrimination laws. Why else do you think the notary had to suddenly retreat?
I think it is too bad what happened. Respect of differing points of views. A good thing. Goes both ways. I see little respect by atheists towards theists on this forum. Food for thought.
LOL! Perhaps this is one of the reasons why theists often find themselves in the crosshairs of atheists.
You couldn't just post a comment simply condemning the notary's actions.
Nooooo.
You had to include a massive "but" in your condemnation and then accuse atheists of being disrespectful.
We all know that it is not only illegal, but also immoral to discriminate on the basis of race, nationality or religion.
So why is TD Bank excusing the discrimination by one of its employees in a USA branch who refused to notarize some documents because the bearer was an atheist?
Imagine if that person had been a Christian, Muslim or Jew and the atheist employee refused the same.
You know that newspapers and talk shows would explode with indignation.
Perhaps they didn't like what the organization stood for, and their aggressive persecution of religious people. This doesn't appear to be an issue of a person deciding they just didn't like atheists and refusing to notarize a document for good ol' Earl who wandered in and said he didn't believe in God.
Perhaps they didn't like what the organization stood for, and their aggressive persecution of religious people. This doesn't appear to be an issue of a person deciding they just didn't like atheists and refusing to notarize a document for good ol' Earl who wandered in and said he didn't believe in God.
As I said, atheism is protected under the 1st Amendment - which means the bank can not discriminate against them based on their atheism. It's not as though American Atheists are burning crosses in the yards of religious people or lynching them for staring at an atheist woman for too long. There is no reason to be THAT hateful of American Atheists except within the context of: "I don't like them because they oppose my personal religious beliefs."
This notary would have the impossible task of proving how an atheist organization deserves to be denied service without falling back on, "Because I don't like them" as the only reason (which it was).
AND ... this kind of nonsense is a direct result of the law coddling religion by allowing pharmacists to deny contraception to people with a legitmate script or pushing bills that would allow businesses to discriminate against gays. If this notary were legally allowed to deny services to atheists, then so could EVERYONE ELSE, and atheists would become, in the most literal sense, second class citizens.
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