If one has freedom of religion in USA how could this man be fired at Home Depot for wearing a flag/God pin?
Posted on January 27th, 2010 by admin
This is not China or Cuba or the middle east. This is the land of the free. The land where one can say "I love my God". Can they destroy a man in the USA for loving God?
Would you be saying the same thing if he’d been wearing a "I love Satan" badge?
He wasn’t fired for "loving God"–he was fired for defying the dress code and then being a jerk about it.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
We’ve been over this before.
Their dress code prohibits wearing any pin that is not issued by Home Depot. His wasn’t.
Not to mention, his major defense was "loving his country," not "loving his god," and HD offered him a patriotic pin which he refused. I’m sure he also agreed to abide by their dress code when he was hired.
He can wear whatever he wants on his own time, but while he’s working, he represents his company. If his pin had said I Love Krishna, would you be complaining?
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January 27th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Because we only have freedom of whatever until it messes with corporate policy.
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January 27th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Yeah, I caught the story..Home Depot is going a little over the top making any sort of stink about it after letting the guy wear it for well over a year…
Policies are not set in stone..The fact they let him wear it for that long and THEN offering to let him wear a different button and then acting to fire him just makes it look like it is..
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January 27th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
He is free to practice his religion. He is not free to express it at work, as he was warned and as is company policy.Freedom of religion and freedom to wear your religious opinion at work do not equate.
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January 27th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
He signed a document saying he would adhere to company dress rules. A private company can hire and fire whomever they please.
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January 27th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Yes. Those demonic atheistic Home Depot satanists shouldn’t have fired him, even though he refused to remove the pin and it was part of their policy that he probably should have read when he was hired.
THEY ARE EVIL!!!
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January 27th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Same question, same answer
He wasn’t following the dress code.
If he had a pin saying "Praise Allah", or "There is no God" the same rule would apply.
"This is the land of the free. The land where one can say "I love my God."
Unless they are a muslim right?
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Persecution complex playing up? http://www.atheist-community.org/images/cartoon/2N121218JHy191215Q9eQ.jpg
January 27th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Private companies have the right to set certain standards including dress codes for their employees. The man made a choice to go against their dress code by wearing the pin and they were within their rights to fire him.
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January 27th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
People this is just a lame troll, nothing to see here, please move on.
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January 27th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
No, actually in Middle East we will never tell someone they cannot love God. Everyone should love God. The problem with USA, is that people also have the right to make fun of religion and this is not good. In Jordan we cannot make fun of religion, we will not even think of such a horrible thing. It doesn’t matter they are Christian or Muslim.
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January 27th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Yeah!
It’s the land of the free! They can’t fire me, just because I don’t want to work, come sober, or adhere to the dress code.
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January 27th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Because it’s against company policy and he signed for the employee handbook that said so. Easy question really. We have freedom of speech too but if he had walked around yelling "burn in hell maggots" to customers and colleagues he would also have been fired. Come to think of it he probably did that too.
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January 27th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Care to explain how there was a violation of the First Amendment? In what way did Congress prohibit him from practicing his faith? Even if we assume that Home Depot was violating the First Amendment (they weren’t), how did they prohibit him from practicing his faith?
He claimed that he was supporting America and the troops. His claim is that he wore the God pin because of that. If all he wanted to do was support the troops, he could have worn just a flag pin. Instead he chose to bring religion into this.
Let me ask you a question, if someone from the Westboro Baptist Church wore a pin that says "God Hates America," would you support their right to wear it at Home Depot or would you want it removed? I’m willing to bet that you would not be so quick to jump to their defense.
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January 27th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Because it’s not about freedom of religion. It’s about a company having a dress code policy that the employee knowingly violated. No one is preventing that man from worshiping in any way he pleases. Wearing a button with a message with religious AND political overtones doesn’t qualify as worship.
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January 27th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
This could not have been true in the US..
May be , some misguided establishments might have resorted to such steps thinking that that it is secular for the the staff, not to show /flaunt ones religious preferences while in the business that is to serve people of all religions .They could have thought that it is not in the interest of he business , for any staff to show their preference top any particular religion.The point is that the Establishment might not be inimical / opposed to any religion
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January 27th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
It’s very simple: their house, their rules.
As long as they enforce them neutrally there is no issue freedom of speech.
If he wants to wear his pin he can do so on his own time. If he doesn’t like the house rules he can find employment elsewhere. As you say, it’s a free country.
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January 27th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Oh grow up.
He was fired for repeatedly violating the dress code.
Would you be as outraged if he was fired for wearing an "I <3 Allah" pin or a "Darwin Rules" pin?
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January 27th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
because rulz is rulz
and rulz say no pin that’s not home depot originated
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January 27th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Would you be saying the same thing if he’d been wearing a "I love Satan" badge?
He wasn’t fired for "loving God"–he was fired for defying the dress code and then being a jerk about it.
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