Just a few weeks ago this 'public accomodation' angle was put before me unexpectedly when I went with our informal group that goes to eat on Sunday after church. 2 or 3 in the group mentioned something about it and got out their church bulletins, and I quickly concluded there was discount for showing it-- which I didn't know before I went in the place (which must, btw, have only recently started this). To be honest, I didn't like it that that was a place that still did that; not because I didn't know it before, but I really don't think I should be entitled to a discount just by showing a church bulletin. I could have just grabbed one and walked away and not attended the service. It's even possible somebody could type up a 'fake' one. But none of that should come before the fair and equal facet here. Not all churches meet on Sundays and not all churches even have bulletins. I have no idea whether the place will accept them from other days within the past week, whether they will accept them from any religion, including a "church of freethought," an agnostic/atheist organized meeting. If they accept all these, I'm not sure it's necessarily a civil rights violation against those who have none, because they could be assumed to accomodate every belief, and it's just whether you acquired a document. That seems no different than other discounts I have known, such as a late Friday night discount for showing your ticket stub to the high school football game.
But if it has, as I understand, been ruled to violate the civil rights act by showing favoritism to a customer with a church bulletin, then does that mean a 'place of public accomodation' cannot sponsor a page in the newspaper with information about the local churches, as is the case in my town? Wouldn' that indicate this accomodation business prefers churchgoers to nonchurchgoers? If so, that could be used in a case against them to show 'intent' of its preference/discrimination. Then what about retailers putting up Christmas decor but not Hannukah or Ramadan stuff? What about kosher delicatessans?-- does they show a preference, therefore discrimination in favor of, customers who have a religious principle of a kosher diet? If a Mormon contractor will work to contruct Mormon facitilites, is there a violation if her refuses to consider bidding on a Baptist church project? Could a business be sued for supporting a Boy Scout troop, since BSA does not allow atheists or homosexuals to be leaders?
