Religious
Religious discrimination involves treating a person (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs. The law protects not only people who belong to traditional, organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, but also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs.
religious
Harassment can include, for example, offensive remarks about a person's religious beliefs or practices. Although the law doesn't prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that aren't very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).
Title VII also prohibits workplace or job segregation based on religion (including religious garb and grooming practices), such as assigning an employee to a non-customer contact position because of actual or feared customer preference.
The law requires an employer or other covered entity to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause more than a minimal burden on the operations of the employer's business. This means an employer may be required to make reasonable adjustments to the work environment that will allow an employee to practice his or her religion.
Unless it would be an undue hardship on the employer's operation of its business, an employer must reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices. This applies not only to schedule changes or leave for religious observances, but also to such things as dress or grooming practices that an employee has for religious reasons. These might include, for example, wearing particular head coverings or other religious dress (such as a Jewish yarmulke or a Muslim headscarf), or wearing certain hairstyles or facial hair (such as Rastafarian dreadlocks or Sikh uncut hair and beard). It also includes an employee's observance of a religious prohibition against wearing certain garments (such as pants or miniskirts).
When an employee or applicant needs a dress or grooming accommodation for religious reasons, he should notify the employer that he needs such an accommodation for religious reasons. If the employer reasonably needs more information, the employer and the employee should engage in an interactive process to discuss the request. If it would not pose an undue hardship, the employer must grant the accommodation.
An employer does not have to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices if doing so would cause undue hardship to the employer. An accommodation may cause undue hardship if it is costly, compromises workplace safety, decreases workplace efficiency, infringes on the rights of other employees, or requires other employees to do more than their share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work.
Closing the Religious Institute at this time is more than heart-breaking. This is a devastating loss for the movement at a time when sexual, gender and reproductive health, rights and justice are under great attack. Our opponents are weaponizing the language of religious liberty as a core tactic to ban abortion, strip LGBTQ people of their rights and humanity, and deny basic sexual and reproductive health services to all people. The work of the Religious Institute has always been one of culture shift and bringing a spiritual and moral grounding to the movement. We know there are religious exemptions cases in front of the US Supreme Court this fall and we have no assurance that these will go well. Our work is needed now more than ever, and it is truly unfortunate that support for us and our sister organizations who do this work has significantly eroded.
Endorse the Religious DeclarationThousands of religious leaders have endorsed the Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing, joining the call for prophetic religious leadership on sexual, gender, and reproductive justice.
The Denominational Statements Database collects in one place the most up-to-date information about the official positions of all major U.S. religious denominations on issues related to gender, sexuality, and reproductive justice.
On Dec. 29, 2022, the president signed into law H.R. 2617, extending the EB-4 non-minister special immigrant religious worker program through Sep. 30, 2023. The law allows these workers to immigrate or adjust to permanent resident by that date, also known as the sunset date. Non-minister special immigrant religious workers include those within a religious vocation or occupation engaged in either a professional or non-professional capacity. This date on which the program will end also applies to accompanying spouses and children of these non-minister special immigrant religious workers.
A special immigrant religious worker is a noncitizen who is coming to the United States to work full time (an average of at least 35 hours per week) in a compensated position as a minister or in a religious vocation or occupation and be employed by a:
To qualify, you must have been a member of a religious denomination having a bona fide non-profit religious organization in the United States for at least two years immediately before filing the petition. In addition, you must have been working in one of the positions described above after the age of 14, either abroad or in the United States, continuously for at least two years immediately before the filing of a petition with USCIS. The prior religious work does not need to correspond precisely to the type of work you will perform. A break in the continuity of the work during the preceding two years will not affect eligibility so long as:
The below table provides an overview of the evidentiary requirements for this classification. For further information about eligibility requirements and USCIS policy related to the special immigrant religious worker classification, see the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 6, Immigrants, Part H, Designated and Special Immigrants, Chapter 2, Religious Workers.
If the religious organization has its own individual IRS 501(c)(3) letter, the petitioner must provide a currently valid determination letter* from the IRS showing that the organization is tax-exempt.
The petitioner must submit verifiable evidence showing how the prospective employer intends to compensate the religious worker, including specific monetary or in-kind compensation. Evidence may include:
If the requisite previous employment was in the United States and the religious worker received salaried compensation, the petitioner must provide documents showing they received a salary. This documentation may include, but is not limited to, Form W-2 or certified copies of filed income tax returns reflecting such work and compensation for the prior employment.
If the religious worker received no salary but supported themselves and any dependents, the petitioner must provide verifiable documents to show how the religious worker maintained support. This may include, but is not limited to, audited financial statements, financial institution records, brokerage account statements, trust documents signed by an attorney, or other verifiable evidence.
* The IRS determination letter must be valid and cover the petitioning organization at the time the religious organization files Form I-360. A valid determination letter may include a letter that the IRS issued before the effective date of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or may be issued under subsequent Internal Revenue Code revisions.
** The religious denomination certification should be signed by an organization other than the prospective employer, and attest that the prospective employer is part of the same religious denomination as the attesting organization.
The religious organization must provide the physical address where you will work, even if that address is not the same as the mailing address, so we may conduct an on-site inspection, if we determine it necessary to verify information and supporting evidence submitted in the petition.
Is religion good for us? Psychologists have debated the question for decades. Some separate a commitment to organized religion from participation in personal spiritual practice, favoring the latter. But a persuasive body of research finds that religious belief and participation can help people cope with stress, and that many reap significant benefits from the social support of a religious community. There can be a downside, though, especially if strict beliefs foster shame and guilt.
A growing number of people report in surveys that they consider themselves spiritual, but not religious. Such individuals may believe in connecting to a higher power, but lack an interest in the structures of organized religion. And yet religious adherents maintain that such an outlook ignores the potential benefits to be derived from the discipline, accountability, and safety of religious communities, as well as their literature and music.
Mindfulness is an important part of many religious traditions, primarily eastern traditions, and does not contradict the practices or beliefs of most world religions. But even when mindfulness is practiced outside of a religious context, as a growing number of people do, research shows that it can still deliver significant physical and mental health benefits.
Belief can give people comfort during hard times, especially when they experience profound loss. It provides purpose and an anchor for morality, which acts as a deterrent to crime. Religious belief can be a boon to parents as well, as it can inspire children to be more giving: Compared to agnostic or atheist peers, religious youth are much more likely to be involved in community outreach such as volunteering, and overwhelmingly more likely to cite forgiveness as a value they endorse.
An employer can claim undue hardship when asked to accommodate an employee's religious practices if it is costly, compromises workplace safety, decreases workplace efficiency, infringes on the rights of other employees, or requires other employees to do more than their share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work. 041b061a72