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Christian "Sharia Law" in Binding Arbitration

There has been an increasing trend for pro-christian businesses to assert religious rights. (See Hobby Lobby's war against contraception).

But the most insidious of these is so-called christian binding arbitration.

Basically, they'll have the fairly typical clause requiring you to agree to binding arbitration for disputes related to a contract. But, the required arbiter will be a christian organization that makes decisions with religious basis. Effectively, you lose the right to take someone to a real court, and have to go to a religious court instead.

One of the examples from the article is a fucking flooring company. It's buried in what is otherwise a long but standard contract. Miss it, and you'll have a Jesus judge deciding your case.

Yet the same people who are so in favor of this movement are the ones who are deeply afraid of what they call "Sharia Law."

Comments

  • That really sounds like something that shouldn't be legal. I have no doubt that it is but that is insane.
  • Rym said:

    Yet the same people who are so in favor of this movement are the ones who are deeply afraid of what they call "Sharia Law."

    Because it's not their law. It really has nothing to do with the substance of the law and everything to do with a fear of losing control where you currently have comfortable control.

  • *waits patiently for supreme court challenge*
  • On paper, I don't think this is even bad, necessarily. If you have a contact that says, "entity x, agreed to by both parties, will resolve any disputes", what's wrong with that? Assuming neither party broke any laws.

    But in practice, I suspect this is quite terrible, as many contacts are take it or leave it, with no chance to negotiate or even read all the fine print. Is there a reason to have a Christian arbitration clause in your contact, other than "you're a bigot"?
  • Binding arbitration has made its ruling, now may it enforce it.
  • The point is that companies want to use arbitration... until they lose. Then they have the money to appeal those decisions in a real court. Meanwhile the individuals don't have the means to appeal the decision if it goes against them.

    Arbitration is fine only between equals, and with limited powers. Companies vs individuals is just a recipe for disaster.
  • Starfox said:

    Is there a reason to have a Christian arbitration clause in your contact, other than "you're a bigot"?

    To ensure that religious laws sit above secular laws.

    Don't forget these guys, fighting to prevent a public library from being available in their theocratic town.

  • I don't understand how a town like that exists, but I'm glad they're working to break out of the cult's control
  • Rym said:

    Starfox said:

    "you're a bigot"?

    To ensure that religious laws sit above secular laws.
    So, uh, yeah?
  • Starfox said:

    Rym said:

    Starfox said:

    "you're a bigot"?

    To ensure that religious laws sit above secular laws.
    So, uh, yeah?
    Yeah.

    There is another angle that seems very common. The scam angle.

    There are very few for-profit "Christian" businesses that aren't actually mediocre or actually scams, selling themselves and avoiding scrutiny under the religious umbrella. You're basically using demographics to go after gullible people and playing to their expectations.

    Ever notice how "Christian Rock" is just mediocre regular rock? How "Christian Video Games" are just awful rip-offs of regular games?
  • Rym said:

    Starfox said:

    Rym said:

    Starfox said:

    "you're a bigot"?

    To ensure that religious laws sit above secular laws.
    So, uh, yeah?
    Ever notice how "Christian Rock" is just mediocre regular rock? How "Christian Video Games" are just awful rip-offs of regular games?
    That's also because there are people who want to apply Christianity to everything that doesn't already have it. They see something un-Christian and make a Jesus version, regardless of their actual skill at making that thing.

    If I went around making Flying Spaghetti Monster video games, they would suck. Not because it's impossible to make a good one, or that it's a scam. It's simply because I would be a Pastafarian first and a game developer second. Someone who is a game developer first is going to do a better job than me, but they aren't going to make a noodly game.
  • I don't understand how a town like that exists, but I'm glad they're working to break out of the cult's control

    You're not suppose to know they exist. That's how they get away with it.



    This sounds a lot like the bull shit pulled by Homeowners Associations.
  • edited November 2015
    Apreche said:

    That's also because there are people who want to apply Christianity to everything that doesn't already have it. They see something un-Christian and make a Jesus version, regardless of their actual skill at making that thing.

    They take something and hold it under the holy water to wash the Satan out of it, but all that's ever pulled from the waters comes up an empty shell, half-drowned and brain-dead.
    Post edited by Churba on
  • Apreche said:

    Rym said:

    Starfox said:

    Rym said:

    Starfox said:

    "you're a bigot"?

    To ensure that religious laws sit above secular laws.
    So, uh, yeah?
    Ever notice how "Christian Rock" is just mediocre regular rock? How "Christian Video Games" are just awful rip-offs of regular games?
    That's also because there are people who want to apply Christianity to everything that doesn't already have it. They see something un-Christian and make a Jesus version, regardless of their actual skill at making that thing.

  • edited November 2015
    There's actually some half-decent christian rock... it's pretty rare & now I can't listen to it anymore for the vomiting...
    Post edited by no fun girl on
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