The following report is from the Seattle Times:
More than two years after a King County Superior Court judge dismissed a bisexual attorney’s lawsuit against Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission over its anti-LGBTQ hiring policy, the Washington Supreme Court has reversed the earlier ruling and ordered that the case go back to the lower court.
In 2017, attorney Matt Woods sued the mission, one of the largest homeless shelter and service organizations in the Seattle area, when the nonprofit refused to hire him to its free legal aid clinic after he disclosed he was in a same-sex relationship.
King County Superior Court Judge Karen Donohue dismissed Woods’ suit, agreeing with the mission that, as a religious nonprofit employer, it is exempt from the state’s anti-discrimination law.
The Washington Supreme Court’s decision could impact who makes up the workforce behind homelessness services in Washington state, many of which are carried out by religious nonprofits. The court’s ruling doesn’t strike down the religious employer exemption, but questions whether that exemption applies to a staff attorney at a legal aid clinic — a decision that could potentially open the door to more LGBTQ staffers working in social services at religious nonprofits.
Woods said he was relieved following the Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday.
To get the affirmation from the court that religious organizations don’t have a right to blanket discriminate against LGBTQ people for who they are no matter what the job is a big relief. Especially for members of my community that are so much more likely to experience discrimination in the workplace because of their race or gender identity.
Matt Woods
The mission did not immediately provide a comment on the ruling.
Local religious organizations have been undergoing a reckoning in recent years, as same-sex marriage has gained acceptance from the general public and congregation members or staff come out as LGBTQ. Jobs or membership in the organizations are often risked as a result.
In 2014, World Vision, a Federal Way-based, Christian development agency, said it would allow same-sex couples on staff before a backlash pushed the organization to reverse its decision two days later. Four years later, the board president of World Concern, a Christian development agency headquartered in Seattle, was told he would not be invited to serve another term on the board of World Concern or its parent organization, CRISTA Ministries, after he came out as gay.
Woods said his Christian beliefs motivated his choice to work as an attorney serving low-income people. In the original case, he said the mission’s decision violated his rights under the state’s anti-discrimination law, and that the position he applied for had nothing to do with the organization’s religious activities.
The mission argued that staff attorneys at its legal aid clinic, which provides free legal services to help homeless people deal with everything from getting a state I.D. to court fines, were also ministers there to preach the gospel. Religious organizations are exempt from Washington’s anti-discrimination law.
The year before Woods filed his lawsuit, the city of Seattle contracted with the mission to do outreach to help clear The Jungle, the stretch of Interstate 5 greenbelt that has long held homeless encampments.
Several Christian and Jewish organizations and schools filed briefs in support of the mission, with some arguing that measuring a job’s religiosity would be unconstitutional. LGBTQ rights organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union supported Woods’ case.
In the six-justice majority opinion, authored by Justice Barbara Madsen, the court determined that the state’s exemption for religious organizations from Washington’s anti-discrimination employment law remained constitutional. However, the way it was applied to Woods may not have been legal, the court ruled, in that the position Woods applied for may not have been ministerial work protected by the exemption.
It’s now up to King County Superior Court to decide if the staff attorney job qualified as ministerial duties.
Whether or not a religious institution is exempted from discrimination will come down to the responsibilities and duties of the position and not on the identities carried by the employee. This decision has made it clear that religious employers do not have the unfettered right to discriminate against a group of people based on their belief systems.
Denise Diskin. Attorney for Woods and executive director of the QLaw Foundation.
Woods, who now works as a staff attorney at the Northwest Justice Project specializing in eviction prevention, said he believes it’s important for LGBTQ clients, who disproportionately experience homelessness at higher rates, to see their experiences reflected in the people who work with them.
I think that that community is so much better served by people doing the work who are representative of the community members themselves.
Matt Woods
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
I originally was sent this information by a WinePress contributor via the right-leaning outlet The Blaze, and the author of the report made subtle implications that this is “chipping away at religious liberty.”
One of these days I intend to write up a piece explaining more of this in greater detail, but the strong majority of church buildings and organizations are government controlled and incorporated. Pastors and preachers are NEVER required to file with the IRS for special tax exemptions, notoriously known as 501(c)3 (and other similar ones as well). By doing this, that property where the organizations sits becomes apart of the public sector; the head pastor becomes the acting CEO of his church organization, and those under him/her become corporate employees as well. These government employees, by law, cannot influence public policy. For example, when it comes election time they are not allowed to give their opinions on political candidates as to not influence public policy. They are required to have all kinds of prerequisites to be deemed a government institute, such as handicap parking, fire alarms, etc.
This is why all the churches were forced to shut their doors when the governments pushed all the Covid propaganda.
There is this giant, and willful, misconception among conservative-patriot media that these types of actions are going against religious liberty. This is NOT true if the church group is signed up with the government. Therefore, if the government and IRS wishes to clamp down these on these laws, they can do so at their discretion, and insert sodomites in the church staff: they have every legal to do so.
So, I cannot defend these church buildings, whether they are in Washington, or Texas, or Indiana, or California when they legally sign up for this nonsense. I do not endorse building these sacrilegious buildings called a “church” to begin with, as there are zero scriptures to support this, but when these GREEDY pastors sign up for this nonsense and cry foul when the government makes them do x, y, and z, I cannot nor will I defend it.
[2] Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; [3] Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.1 Peter 5:2-3
As vile as it is, it would not surprise me if this starts to happen more and more. All because unsaved hirelings fleeced their congregations for MONEY.
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Luke 16:13
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One of the many reasons to not “go to church.” Not one verse of scripture in your King James Bible tells you go to church or start a building and call it a churc. The churxh is and always will be the people, not a building or denomination.
It’s very obvious those are 501C3 buildings, when you walk into one of those “churches” you are stepping into a government building.
Steer clear of church buildings!
You need an assembly and elders on the authority of the word, but the hierarchical system and association with a special building, or link with the State, are of Mystery, Babylon the Great, and the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the earth.
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The corporatists, of which the above is the mama and head, with her spirit, used those things to very effectively gut, seize control and ‘transform’ formerly solid and independent, biblically ordered bodies of believers who got careless with the word and its application. It’s craft. Greased skid from there. We must never forget that we are pilgrims here, in enemy territory behind enemy lines, and where we get our marching orders.
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Their best disguise and m.o. has always been a sheepskin and infiltration. But watch out for overreaction into anarchy on the way to the Marxist forms of corporate tyranny: because that’s one of their tactics, too. They use it on the inexperienced who’ve yet to have their senses sharpened by experience most effectively. Hebrews 4&5 KJB. The warfare is psycho-spiritual these days with these people, and they are organized. Their aim is to confound and to co-opt, or to disarm & render utterly ineffective for the Lord’s warfare.
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Peter urged the saints to gird up the loins of their minds, and we have 1 Thessalonians 5 and Ephesians 6 on the armor, and 2 Corinthians 10 on the weapons of our warfare. Ruthless truth is their kryptonite, and the ‘in’ for the Gospel to those who will hear.
John 1,3 & 8 and 2 Thessalonians 2 KJB.
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We often hear how the British were surprised by a gun behind every bush. And that is true. And we’ve heard the revised Augustinian ‘true Christian history of America’ following Mather’s propaganda. But they’ve censored and dumbed folks down about the non-State sponsored assemblies or churches in every forest glen, hedgerow and creek valley. Our elders weren’t statists, and a lot of them didn’t have special buildings but met outside the jailhouse to hear their preacher-man preach where the black hat establishmentarians drunk on that State church-tax monies & nicolaitan quasi-aristocratic status liked to keep ’em. That affected men like Patrick Henry who became a true & faithful believer, and those who came near, yet turned away like Jefferson & Madison.
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They were scattered, but knew how to freely gather & circumspectly unite in good biblical organized fashion.
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We need to learn some lessons from that, and not fight as one beating the air.
You need an assembly and elders on the authority of the word, but the hierarchical system and association with a special building, or link with the State, are of Mystery, Babylon the Great, and the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the earth.
–
The corporatists, of which the above is the mama and head, with her spirit, used those things to very effectively gut, seize control and ‘transform’ formerly solid and independent, biblically ordered bodies of believers who got careless with the word and its application. It’s craft. Greased skid from there. We must never forget that we are pilgrims here, in enemy territory behind enemy lines, and where we get our marching orders.
–
Their best disguise and m.o. has always been a sheepskin and infiltration. But watch out for overreaction into anarchy on the way to the Marxist forms of corporate tyranny: because that’s one of their tactics, too. They use it on the inexperienced who’ve yet to have their senses sharpened by experience most effectively. Hebrews 4&5 KJB. The warfare is psycho-spiritual these days with these people, and they are organized. Their aim is to confound and to co-opt, or to disarm & render utterly ineffective for the Lord’s warfare.
–
Peter urged the saints to gird up the loins of their minds, and we have 1 Thessalonians 5 and Ephesians 6 on the armor, and 2 Corinthians 10 on the weapons of our warfare. Ruthless truth is their kryptonite, and the ‘in’ for the Gospel to those who will hear.
John 1,3 & 8 and 2 Thessalonians 2 KJB.
–
We often hear how the British were surprised by a gun behind every bush. And that is true. And we’ve heard the revised Augustinian ‘true Christian history of America’ following Mather’s propaganda. But they’ve censored and dumbed folks down about the non-State sponsored assemblies or churches in every forest glen, hedgerow and creek valley. Our elders weren’t statists, and a lot of them didn’t have special buildings but met outside the jailhouse to hear their preacher-man preach where the black hat establishmentarians drunk on that State church-tax monies & nicolaitan quasi-aristocratic status liked to keep ’em. That affected men like Patrick Henry who became a true & faithful believer, and those who came near, yet turned away like Jefferson & Madison.
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They were scattered, but knew how to freely gather & circumspectly unite in good biblical organized fashion.
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We need to learn some lessons from that, and not fight as one beating the air.
We have no option but to come all the way out of her, that we be not partakers….etc.
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But we still need to be warring against it as we evangelize & live our day to day lives circumspectly but not utterly self-consumed & turned inward. I came across this comment from a former Marxist who had been trained in their tactics, which folks may find useful in responding to these people, and especially before witnesses. It was in an article from ‘The Western Journal’ which I don’t recommend without the caveat that it’s one of those sophist philosophical & Catholic ‘Judeo-Christian’ and ‘west vs east’ dialectic set-ups…but scan from time to time, for reconnaissance really. Know your enemy. But only if you really know the Book and Lord revealed there, because it is unsafe otherwise. For this you need elders, as God’s Book commands.
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QUOTE: I agree completely and have always felt that way. I was Democrat activist all the way back in the late 1970’s when what is being taught today was honestly called Marxism. Now they exclude the word but teach the structure. So they are always underestimated. Using their own tactics against them is very rewarding. (1) NEVER answer a question – it validates it. Always answer with an oblique question or criticize the validity of the question or person asking. (2) Among other words that have been “redefined”, Critical Thinking” actually means “Criticize”. That’s a weapon of leftists that they can’t stand when used against them. (3) Make fun of them. Ridicule is a left wing weapon they use all the time and they absolutely hate it. (4) Most importantly, persist. Don’t back down – just persist in speechifying and not responding to their question. Just rag on them over and over. So much fun. P.S. After the union bs in the middle of the OPEC crisis and my dad’s business, and having my neighborhood destroyed by illegal immigration and all the crime and filth it brought, by 1980 I was Republican. Those people weren’t out picking any vegetables or doing jobs that “Americans just won’t do”, they were welfare freeloaders with no intention of working. Historical fact, so is that racist?
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ENDQUOTE. As a Christian, I would explain to those watching what I am doing & why at some point. But since we are dealing with children of the father of lies, and the children of pride: these are most effective points to keep in mind. Along with Jesus’ example to us in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. When we are uncertain & not bold, we need to get something right with God, or to recognize we’re not equipped for this particular battle, and remember what even the archangel Michael did in Jude. Just my two cents.
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And some need to know that these ‘nice’ people are actually trained and purposeful in what they are doing. It is a sophisticated system of craft and not legitimate ‘dialogue’ or evidence based (truth) critical thinking they’re up to. Once you recognize that, and are sure that’s what is going on: be ruthless with it. You’re not dealing with brethren.
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