The Ninth Circuit Court, a rather unpredictable group, has ruled in favor of the Christian relief organization World Vision, allowing religious organizations to hire only employees who are in accord with that religion. From Christianity Today:
In most cases, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits private employers from hiring and firing based on religious beliefs. But a 1972 congressional amendment established that churches and religious associations could use faith-based criteria in hiring.
The Ninth Circuit ruling affirmed that an organization can fulfill a religious purpose without confining itself to worship-like activities, Carlson-Thies said. “An organization can be humanitarian and religious at the same time,” he said of the message sent.
As Ninth Circuit Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain put it in his majority opinion, “World Vision is a nonprofit organization whose humanitarian relief efforts flow from a profound sense of religious mission.”
But journalist Bobby Ross points out that the issue is not entirely settled.
HT: Sarah Pulliam Bailey
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