"Sincerely Held Beliefs" is all About Gaming the System


Supreme Court Judge Thomas was the only dissenter in a decision allowing a preacher to be present when a death sentence was carried out. Judge Thomas doubted the criminal had sincerely held beliefs and pointed to reasons for doubt. Courts have routinely not doubted the sincerity of religious beliefs. Maybe someday the folly of this legal trick will be obvious.

Surely, everyone knows about becoming "saved" while doing jail time. Local jail chaplains are often Pentacostal preachers. Wardens offer reduced time for "good behavior." An inmate who is "saved" by the chaplain has a built-in lobbyist arguing his case. Other inmates see this and become "saved"--it's a "get out of jail free card."

Judge Thomas has no idea if anyone else's beliefs are sincerely held. It is ripe for gaming. Let's take a pharmacist who wants to not work so hard. Filling fewer prescriptions per hour but be paid the same as more productive employees is the objective. This lazy pharmacist can pull this off by saying he/she has sincerely held beliefs not to fill prescriptions of birth control or any other reason he/she could make up. The same for employees of a restaurant. Some can claim their religion prohibits them from carrying plates of pork. What a deal. Less work, same pay.

If an employee, like an airline pilot, does wants longer weekends why not make a religious objection to flying on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? The opportunities are there.

I recall a TV news person in Fargo several years ago who refused to take a Saturday shift because it was her religion's holy day. Sandy Koufax would not pitch on Saturday. The list goes on. 

In a country where everyone is the same religion all of this would not matter. But when someone choses to work in a job that requires doing something that violates his/her religion surely we can come up with a solution better than the totally arbitrary "sincerely held belief." 

We have to assume there will be new religions and new "sincerely held beliefs" most everyday indefinitely into the future. A country where everyone wants to eat but no one wants to produce food will be one that starves.   

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