Tendler 1

Hutton Tendler
John Kubler
English 114A
18 September 2014
Social Injustice: My Take on Discrimination vs. Religion
Religion and discrimination go hand in hand. These issues have been a large controversy
for decades. Our nation was founded on religion, which is why we have the First Amendment. It
protects each citizen as an individual to practice their beliefs. This is part of the reason we have
such a diverse society. No one in America is forced to believe in one religion and we are not to
impose our beliefs onto others. Many people dont practice religion at all. I would like to express
the issues our country has balancing religious freedom rights and anti-discrimination laws.
I think that anything is good in moderation, too much of one thing is never healthy. This
is evident with foods, expenses, and even beliefs. I bring up this topic because I think religion is
a good thing. I think it is important to have churches, temples, and synagogues to turn to in times
of need. It is necessary to practice your religion when you need to. I grew up with parents of
different religions, my mother a Catholic, and my father was Jewish. They never imposed one
religion over the other. My siblings and I were exposed to both churches and temples. It was
never a required element to our lives. It taught us how to be good people and how to accept one
another for who they were and not what they believed. I think this is important because I am able
to connect with religion but I am also able to connect with people on another level and I believe
that everyone has a right to be who they are regardless of what religion implies.
In Tallapoosa, Georgia, a local high school had been praying before football games for
over 50 years. The schools superintendent Brett Stanton received a letter from the Freedom From
Religion Foundation asking them to stop the ritual prayers. Mike Paluska reported on

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CBS46.com, Under the constitution, via separation of church and state, Stanton agreed that
from a professional position, it was in the school's best interest to replace the prayer with a
moment of silence instead., this is important because the superintendent took matters into his
own hands to avoid a lawsuit. He did the right thing by allowing a moment of silence, the
religious people still have the chance to pray while the non-believers were still able to wait in
silence. I think it is wrong to have a ritual prayer at any public school because everyone who
attends is of different cultures. If it was a specific religious type of school then they would have
every right to hold a prayer without any controversy.
Furthermore, when religion is imposed on a society as a whole, it can have a negative
impact. In the novel Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi, Persia was
overruled by the Shah government. A revolution was in place and the Shah was overthrown. The
Islamic Regime took order and citizens fled the country. Those who stayed were forced to stay
by the closure of the U.S. embassy, where visas were issued. In the chapter, The Trip, Satrapis
family heard on television, the ministry of education has decrees that universities will close at
the end of the month. The educational system and what is written in school books, at all levels,
are decadent, everything needs to be revised to ensure that our children are not led astray from
the true path of Islam.(73), this is extremely important because Satrapi and her classmates must
sacrifice their education for religion. When the Shah left office, the teachers ordered the students
to rip out the pages of their books regarding the Shah, disregarding any previous beliefs. Satrapi
has expressed her eagerness to learn throughout this chapter, she was hopeful to become a
scientist. I dont think this is right because she and other students are forced to give up their
education against their will.
Madeleine Albright was the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state during
President Bill Clintons era from 1997 to 2001. In Albrights book The Mighty and The

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Almighty, she states, Religion is a powerful force, but its impact depends entirely on what it
inspires people to do.(35), she expresses the control one should have of themselves when
practicing ones religion. No one should ever blame their actions on a higher power. Religion is
something that should help you to better yourself, it should not have a negative impact on ones
life. Our beliefs do not have a control over us and the average person knows right from wrong.
Therefore, it cannot tell you what to do, you must make decisions for yourself based on what you
believe to be right. For instance, Nations are constantly fighting over different issues but one of
the largest issues is religion. The same goes for smaller parties, people constantly push their
religion onto others who have different or very little beliefs, resulting in negative outcomes. I
think this is wrong because we should be able to have beliefs without affecting others.
The Hobby Lobby was a company who refused to provide insurance that covered some
birth control methods due to their religious beliefs. They compromised by covering 16 of the 20
methods. The four excluded contraceptives were used for post-pregnancy. One example was the
morning after pill which went completely against the owners beliefs because in their views, once
the egg is fertilized it is considered a new life. The woman employees fought this case because
they saw it as discrimination against womans rights. I see both sides to the case so I wont go
too far into the small details. What I really thought was important was how one of the judges of
the minority rule, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, explained that religion should not be imposed on
others. She refers to the persuasion as a mans fist is harmless until it hits anothers nose. I feel
that her example fit the situation perfectly because doing or believing in something is one thing
but to do or impose your beliefs onto another person is unjust.
This brings me to the issues between religion and discrimination. There have been several
cases around the United States where services have been denied to couples of the same sex.
Separate instances include floral, photography, and cake shops. Each case was taken to court in

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order to serve justice for homosexual couples. Each store owner argued that religion was the
basis on which our nation was founded.
The Floral shop was owned by Baronelle Stutzman, a religious believer, who provided
services to heterosexual couples for any event. She had two gay customers who had been
purchasing flower arrangements from her for over nine years. When same sex marriages became
legal in the state of Washington, the couple asked for Stutzman to create the arrangements for
their wedding. She denied due to her religious beliefs and said she would provide flowers for any
other holiday or event. I dont think this is right because the customers had been loyal to her for
years and the owner knew of their sexual orientation years before they decided to get married. A
lawsuit was filed against Stutzman to protect the gay couples rights. I understand that marriage
is a sacred unity between two people, what I dont understand is why those two people cant be
of the same sex. Not everyone is born the way they wish they could be.
Elanes Huguenin is the owner of her photography company, Elanes Photography, in
New Mexico. This case is very similar, a lesbian couple contacted the business to photograph
their upcoming wedding. Huguenin also denied services due to her religious beliefs. She also
argued that she would photograph any other event between the couple but continued to provide
those services to heterosexual couples. Jordan Lorence of the National Review Online site
reported in his/her article, concluded that business owners and professionals surrender their
First Amendment rights when they enter the marketplace., I find this extremely important
because in order to run a business, you have to make a profit. Denying services to certain people
can lead to a decrease in customers due to networking.
In Colorado, another case appeared where business owner, Jack Phillips, a Christian
believer, denied to bake cakes for same sex marriages. These couples were also told they could
have cakes for any other events, just like the flower shop and the photography company.

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Although, the cake shop wanted to continue to bake wedding cakes, they decided not to. The
owner didnt want to compromise on his religion and he also didnt want to discriminate directly
so he decided to stop making wedding cakes altogether. I think this was the best decision for this
case because the owner avoided further charges and was able to compromise. He didnt impose
his religion as deeply onto others as the previous cases.
I dont think anyone should ever be treated differently because of their sexual orientation.
I think of the gay rights issues very similarly to the civil rights issues. Sexual preferences and
different races are one in the same. For example, in Elanes Photography Court Case, which I
elaborated on earlier, the decision stated, it violated the NMHRA in the same way if it had
refused to photograph a wedding between people of different races., this is relevant because if
you denied services to a person of another race, it would be illegal and there would be severe
consequences. I believe that everyone is born the way they are, no one should be forced to hide
their lives or live in a lie, as many homosexuals do. Lesbian and gay couples should have the
same rights that a black man and a white woman should be able to have. Everyone deserves
equality, no one should ever feel discriminated.
I have strong indifferences to both sides of the issue. I believe strongly in anti-diversity. I
think religion is a good thing, I would never deny the power that religion can have on oneself.
Though, sometimes I feel as though it is pushed too far. I believe that everyone should be treated
equally. I dont think that you should have to sacrifice your religion completely but it is
important to compromise when it is possible. For example, Brett Stanton from Tallapoosa,
Georgia, avoided a lawsuit by compromising with religious and non-religious believers by
creating a moment of silence instead of a mandatory prayer. The same goes for Jack Phillips
cake shop in Denver, Colorado, the company stopped making wedding cakes altogether in order
practice his religion without controversy. If your religious beliefs are affecting someone else

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negatively, then I believe it is unhealthy. Although, diversity can tear groups apart, it can also
bring individuals together by compromising certain beliefs in order to progress as a whole
society rather than separate parts.

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Works Cited
Mike Paluska. CBS46.com, Meredith Corporation, September 7, 2012
Satrahpi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. Trans. Mattias Ripa, Blake
Ferris. New York: Pantheon, 2004. Print.
Albright, Madeleine. The Mighty and The Almighty. 2006: Pg 35
Lorence, Jordan. Supreme Court Turns Down Elane Photography Case (2014)