The Deacon's Bench
Seriously?
A Manheim Township man [near Lancaster, PA] has filed a discrimination complaint against a Columbia restaurant that offers a 10 percent discount for diners who present a church bulletin on Sundays.
John Wolff, who is an atheist, filed the complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen in Columbia.
Wolff said the practice discriminates against him because he does not attend church.
“I did this not out of spite, but out of a feeling against the prevailing self-righteousness that stems from religion, particularly in Lancaster County,” said Wolff, a retired electrical engineer.
Sharon Prudhomme, one of the co-owners of the restaurant, said she is not discriminating because diners don’t have to actually attend a church or synagogue service to get a bulletin. She said area religious leaders told her that anyone can walk in a religious building and obtain a bulletin, without attending services.
Prudhomme added that she has no intention of changing the discount program, which she created to bring more traffic into her restaurant on a traditionally slow day.
“I think it’s a waste, to actually give it merit,” she said of the investigation of the complaint.
A Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission spokeswoman confirmed the complaint has been filed and there is an open investigation.
“He is alleging he was offered different service based on his religious creed,” said the spokeswoman, Shannon Powers.
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