Wednesday, April 07, 2004

Personal Values

Would you sign a statement, required by your employer, requiring you to value something you did not value?  I wouldn’t.  What if you would be fired if you did not sign such a statement.  Would you sign then?  I wouldn’t.  The Washington Times reports on just such an event in an article titled “Worker opposed to gays wins suit."

Of course the headline is phrased in such a way as to make the individual opposed to homosexuality seem heartless, cruel, and just so old-fashioned.  Come on guy, get with the program, opposition to homosexuality is so 1960’s.  But let’s look at a couple of excerpts from the story.

"Mr. Buonanno objected to language in a new employee handbook issued in January 2001 that said “each person at AT&T Broadband is charged with the responsibility to fully recognize, respect and value the differences among all of us,” including sexual orientation. He was fired after refusing to sign a “certificate of understanding” acknowledging that he agreed to the policy."

Before you state hammering on Mr. Buonanno for being a homophobe, consider this.

"Mr. Buonanno felt his Christian beliefs prevented him from valuing or agreeing with homosexuality, which he views as a sin, but he pledged not to discriminate against or harass anyone, said John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, the group that represented Mr. Buonanno."

Knock Mr. Buonanno’s Christian beliefs all you want, even non-Christians may not value homosexuality.  Requiring anyone to sign such a statement of value is akin to early church practices requiring individuals to sign statements of acceptance of the pope, and the church’s rule, or be burned at the stake.

Posted by John Venlet on 04/07 at 05:49 AM
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