Religion No Excuse For Not Doing Your Job

It seems like these religious nuts never learn. Now we have another example of someone who wants to use his religion as an excuse for his failure to properly perform his job duties. In the past, we have had some pharmacists trying to use their religion in this way, but remarkably it's a bus driver this time. Who knew driving a bus could make god angry?

The Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) operates buses near Austin, Texas. They drive some fixed routes and also do "some door-to-door service within its rural coverage area." Back in January, CARTS fired a driver because he refused to take a customer to a Planned Parenthood office. CARTS had to send a second driver to get the customer to her destination.

The fired driver claims to be a minister (although probably not a very good one since he can't make a living doing it) and says his religion would not allow him to take the customer to Planned Parenthood because she might have been going there to get an abortion. Frankly, it's none of his business why she was going there or what she planned to do. His job was to drive her there -- not interfere in her personal life.

Last Wednesday the ex-employee, Edwin Graning, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Austin against CARTS, claiming they violated his religious freedom. He is asking for back pay, reinstatement and "compensatory damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress." His attorney says, "It's only because he voiced his religious beliefs that he was canned. Employers have a legal responsibility to at least attempt to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs. . ."

What a ridiculous statement! The company did nothing to violate his religious freedom. Graning however violated his promise to do his job for a certain pay. This contract was at least implied when he was hired. He agreed to transport CARTS customers to their destinations. For him to decide on his own what customers he would transport and what customers he would not transport is a violation of the terms of his employment and he deserved to be fired. Can you imagine what an economic and business disaster CARTS would be if all their drivers acted like this?

If this guy wanted to be a bus driver, he should have done his job and transported passengers to whatever location they desired. If he didn't want to do that then he should never have agreed to do that job in the first place. This is a frivolous lawsuit. I hope he not only loses it but also has to pay for the company's attorney fees.

Religion is not a good excuse to fail to do a job you agreed to do. Ever.