Friday, August 25, 2006

Freedom of religion

Cases such as Sarah Yule's do a disservice to the whole notion of anti-discrimination laws. Yule was asked by her employer - a Catholic hospital, as it happens - to remove her lip ring. Yule, was working as a receptionist in the ER, refused and sued. She claims religious discrimination because she's a member of the Church of Body Modification.

This is nonsense. Just because there are people who like to "suspend themselves by hooks dug into their skin" doesn't mean that when those people get together online they have formed a religion. A cult, maybe, but not a religion.