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Only Christians Need Apply

30 comments, 223 views, posted 1:42 pm 14/06/2012 in Religion by thecrookedman
thecrookedman has 3013 posts, 239 threads, 16 points, location: Calla Bryn Sturgis
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Religious discrimination lawsuit filed claiming Voss Lighting requires workers to be Christian
By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer
Published: 6/14/2012 2:28 AM
Last Modified: 6/14/2012 7:28 AM

Being "a 'born-again' Christian" was required of a job applicant at a national lighting company's Tulsa location, a religious discrimination lawsuit filed in federal court this week claims.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit against Voss Lighting in Tulsa federal court on Tuesday.

Edward Wolfe applied for an operations supervisor position at Voss Lighting's Tulsa store in early 2011, according to the EEOC. The agency claims in the lawsuit that, during the application process, two local managers made numerous inquiries, "both subtle and overt," about Wolfe's religious activities and beliefs.

Wolfe allegedly was asked to identify every church he has attended over the past several years, where and when he was "saved" and the circumstances that led to that event, and whether he "would have a problem" coming into work early to attend Bible study before clocking in for the day.

The lawsuit recounts an alleged conversation in which one of the managers purportedly told Wolfe that the majority of Voss' employees were Southern Baptist, "but that it wasn't required that you go to a Southern Baptist Church. As long as you were a 'born-again' Christian, it didn't matter what church you attended."

The EEOC claims that the same manager expressed "overt agitation and disapproval" to Wolfe's responses to the religious line of questioning and that Wolfe was ultimately denied employment on the basis of his religious beliefs.

Comments

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7:59 pm 15/06/2012

backroom

Quote by cyvoid:

so are you in the habit of hiring staff that cannot answer questions about the difference if asked or which computer is actually better. Of having staff that cannot answer questions about what is wrong with the computer, and what is involved in fixing it which justifies the cost of the repair, or if they should buy a new one instead of fixing the old?

If that is what you draw from my statement then I suspect that the problem you have with particular retailers is not the fault of the retailers.

Now, with my experience in this business I will say that when a customer asks me "Which computer is better." It begins a round of questions from me... home or business use, gaming or internet, price or performance...

Once I have a handle on the customers needs and expectations I can accurately guide the customer to the right computer...
Which then sells itself because it is exactly what the customer wants and needs even though they did not know it when they walked in.
I would never presume to just blindly say X is the best it is the perfect computer for you. I would not do business with that kind of shop that presumes because they are the "expert" they know what is best.
Every customer is different and every situation is different.
My customers appreciate the fact that i do not push the most expensive box in the store.
If they want that they go talk to an insurance or car salesman.
The cost of all repairs are discussed and authorized before service is performed. If you do things the right way from the start you do not have angry customers when it comes time to pay.
Buy new or fix old?
Good question...
But again there are about 6 or 7 questions I need to ask before the customer makes the decision.
Data backup?
Do you have the install disks for the programs you use?
Will you be comfortable with a different version of Windows?
See... again... every situation is different. Without exploring all the possibilities the customer can not make the correct decision.
Bottom line... I would never tell a customer what i think they should buy. I help them to decide what they need.
Now here is where it gets a little different because I sell not just a product but service also.
If a customer walks in and asks "How do i install Windows?" They are not going to get the answer they want.
If they ask "Where can i download free music?" They are not going to get the answer they want and they are going to get a speech.
If they ask "How do I convert an mpg file to dvd?" I have to tell them that I am in the business of computer repair not computer training.

If you walk in and ask me "What computer is better, Compaq or HP?" I expect you would start to get irritated by my questions. I would expect you to show signs of anger because I will not coddle you. I expect you would mutter... or perhaps yell... something abusive and obscene as you walked out.

And I would not lose a minutes sleep over not taking money from you.
I am here to fix your computer and help you make a decision. I will not sell you anything. After the questions the prodect sells itself.

BTW: That was a hell of a stretch from "most computer buyers do not care..." to "staff that cannot answer questions".

I bet you walk out of alot of shops.

8:54 pm 15/06/2012

Quaektem

Quote by backroom:

I bet you walk out of alot of shops.

If he can find the door!

(Sorry V... I had to!)

9:18 pm 15/06/2012

backroom

Don't be sorry.
It makes it even funnier that my comment was not directed at V.

4:46 am 16/06/2012

Viscera

Quote by backroom:

Quote by Viscera:

and thus the fundamental misunderstanding you have between protestantism and catholicism

Call it what you will. To have a "fundamental misunderstanding" I would need something more than apathy towards the subject.
The fact is I just don't care about that difference.

I'm not claiming you care like or anything, but to "tell" me that the Mormon god is the same as the Muslim god is the same as the Christian God seems to say to me that either, you are making uneducated statements, or you think you have enough info to form an intelligent opinion. I assumed you had the knowledge, and were just erroneous. But if the apathy is truly there you state, then it seems you wouldn't make that kind of statement. Gave you the benefit of the doubt.

Quote by backroom:

If someone does not like vanilla you do not try to sell him cherry vanilla on the basis that it is different.
If someone does not eat ice cream you do not try to sell him any flavor.

and that's fine, but if you were going to hire someone to work in an ice cream shop, you would get someone who at least had a knowledge if not an interest in the product.

Quote by Viscera:

but answering that question that I posed, is not a deep doctrinal conundrum

Quote by backroom:

I never suggested it was.
In fact... if i cared... i suspect I could have offered an answer with as much as 30 or maybe 40 seconds of research. The same research that anybody with the question could have made.
I suggested that perhaps there are better people to ask than a book store clerk... even if it is a specialty book store.

I would agree there are better people, but sometimes, that is the first contact. It just seems to me to be irresponsible as a business owner to hire someone who is ignorant of the product, kind of like hiring someone who doesn;t know the difference between RAM and HDD space in a computer store, because when someone comnes in looking to buy a computer and they don't know the difference, if the clerk doesn't know the difference, how are they giving good customer service??

Quote by cyvoid:

One would expect the staff there to be christian and to have an opinion about the material they sell.

Quote by backroom:

I guess that one would then expect every member of the staff to have read every book in the store...
and as the store can not stock every book on the subject they would also have to have read every book available.

lol, No that is inaccurate. Knowing who Moses is is a prerequisite for Christian ethics, knowing the intricacies of Calvinism vs Arminianism isn't. But, a basic knowledge is required. When I worked in the wine store, I wasn't allowed to sell wines until I had convinced the owner that I had a cursory knowledge.

4:49 am 16/06/2012

Viscera

Quote by backroom:

Quote by cyvoid:

If that is what you draw from my statement then I suspect that the problem you have with particular retailers is not the fault of the retailers.

Now, with my experience in this business I will say that when a customer asks me "Which computer is better." It begins a round of questions from me... home or business use, gaming or internet, price or performance...

Once I have a handle on the customers needs and expectations I can accurately guide the customer to the right computer...
Which then sells itself because it is exactly what the customer wants and needs even though they did not know it when they walked in.
I would never presume to just blindly say X is the best it is the perfect computer for you. I would not do business with that kind of shop that presumes because they are the "expert" they know what is best.
Every customer is different and every situation is different.
My customers appreciate the fact that i do not push the most expensive box in the store.
If they want that they go talk to an insurance or car salesman.
The cost of all repairs are discussed and authorized before service is performed. If you do things the right way from the start you do not have angry customers when it comes time to pay.
Buy new or fix old?
Good question...
But again there are about 6 or 7 questions I need to ask before the customer makes the decision.
Data backup?
Do you have the install disks for the programs you use?
Will you be comfortable with a different version of Windows?
See... again... every situation is different. Without exploring all the possibilities the customer can not make the correct decision.
Bottom line... I would never tell a customer what i think they should buy. I help them to decide what they need.
Now here is where it gets a little different because I sell not just a product but service also.
If a customer walks in and asks "How do i install Windows?" They are not going to get the answer they want.
If they ask "Where can i download free music?" They are not going to get the answer they want and they are going to get a speech.
If they ask "How do I convert an mpg file to dvd?" I have to tell them that I am in the business of computer repair not computer training.

If you walk in and ask me "What computer is better, Compaq or HP?" I expect you would start to get irritated by my questions. I would expect you to show signs of anger because I will not coddle you. I expect you would mutter... or perhaps yell... something abusive and obscene as you walked out.

And I would not lose a minutes sleep over not taking money from you.
I am here to fix your computer and help you make a decision. I will not sell you anything. After the questions the prodect sells itself.

BTW: That was a hell of a stretch from "most computer buyers do not care..." to "staff that cannot answer questions".

I bet you walk out of alot of shops.

everything you said about the process is exactly what I am talking about. Instead of just saying "Go read the tags on the shelf" that describes the specifics about the computer, the dynamic is the same in book stores. (especially a specialty one) Saying "It's just supernatural bullshit" like TCM would certainly doesn't help a novice looking for instruction. You are making my point.

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