Up North Progressive

Christians are not the only ones who could use Jase Bolger’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act to discriminate against different groups of people, or use it to their advantage claiming a conflict with their religious beliefs. Imagine what that day in Michigan would look like if people of all religions decided to invoke this new law to their benefit.

Dear Mom,

I know you said moving to Michigan to get my Master’s degree wasn’t a good idea, but they had the best school for the field of study I wanted and I found a job right away, although it doesn’t pay nearly as much as I thought it would. My employer used to be a union shop but now that Michigan is a right to work state it’s much harder to negotiate a fair wage for the workers. Anyway, you’re right about life in Michigan being more interesting since the state legislature passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. When the US Supreme Court ruled on the Hobby Lobby case they even said it didn’t apply to states. Michigan conservatives didn’t agree however and now people of all religious faiths want their customs and beliefs accommodated by the new law.

I’m having a hard time getting my antidepressant medication because one of the co-owners of the company I work for is a Scientologist, and it’s against their religion to use any kind of medication that treats emotional disorders. In fact, a co-worker of mine can’t get medication for her son, who has ADHD because our medical insurance won’t cover it. We can’t force our boss to pay for medication when it’s against his religion. He did offer me a free personality test at his Scientology church though.

Just this morning one of my co-workers complained that he found the perfect car and he could afford it with the cash-back offer, except the dealer doesn’t participate in cash-back offers on cars he sells because it’s Riba, and that makes it Haraam. He’s still shopping for the car he wants, but that one dealer has one of the few left available.

Another co-worker at lunch complained about having to fix her kids lunches now, because her kids won’t eat lunch at school ever since they stopped serving hamburgers and any meat that contained beef or pork. The Jewish and Muslim parents insist they don’t want their kids’ school lunches being prepared in the same kitchen that prepares pork, and hamburgers are off the menu because the Hindu parents said it was against their religion. Plenty of cheese pizza, but no more pepperoni.

My room mate says she saw a roach in the bathroom. We talked to the landlord about it but he practices Jainism and for religious reasons refuses to call an exterminator. He suggested we need to learn to live in harmony with all of the creatures of the Earth because they are sacred. My room mate thinks we should find another apartment.

We did have a fun time last weekend however at the neighbor’s. He had a party next door and it was lots of fun until one guy, something like a friend of a friend thing, found out the host was a Satanist and started giving him a hard time about it. Bad idea to ever do that, especially when in a Satanist’s home, because according to his faith if someone annoys you in your home you may be as cruel and merciless as you want to them until they leave. It didn’t take long.

That reminds me, the Satanist is a really good artist and he’s published a comic book on Satanism for the local elementary school. Apparently a church did the same thing and since his brother’s kids go to that school he’s going to give the kids comic books about Satanism. I asked if I could help pass them out and he said yes.

Well Mom, I need to go. It’s my turn to buy donuts for the weekly office meeting and the local bakery is closing early because it’s a full moon tonight. The donut shop owners are Wiccan and they insist on taking their holidays off so they can be with their family.

Write back soon