quote:
Should a bank or other private organization refuse service on the basic of religious viewpoints?
My own viewpoint - while I agree with the stance of the Co-Op, I am slightly worried that people's right to free speech should be the basic of discrimination.
My feeling is that if an organization is founded to promote a certain policy, or has adopted a certain policy, and advertises this, then that organization should be free to conduct its business and refuse to conduct its business with whomever it feels is appropriate to that mission. It appears on the surface that Co-op Bank has made a public and explicit commitment to support gay rights, and so I agree that, in this particular case, Co-op Bank is justified in labelling this one extremist group as contrary to its public mission and so is unwilling to do business with them. I agree that there are potential gray areas here, but this particular case does not fall into a gray area.
My concern would be if a bank that did not have any particular, explicit mission beyond making a profit (except for some vague commitment to furthering the "public good") would refuse to do business with Christian Voice, especially if it were very difficult or impossible to find a bank that would do business with them.
As a communist living in the US, I am very sensitive to discrimination based on one's beliefs. Even now, as an untenured instructor at a public institution in a very conservative state, I find myself reluctant to express my opinions when the conversation turns to a political or social subject. In that respect, I do have some sympathy for Christian Voice -- or I would if it came that they could not find a local bank at all with whom to do business.