Sex. Religion and Law

There was a story in the DMN about a lawsuit filed by a former pre-school teacher at the First Baptist Church of Dallas. Quick facts: She gets pregnant while unmarried and then, according to a lawsuit, a meeting was called by her employer where she was asked questions of “Were you a virgin when you had sex with the child’s father?” and “Why can’t you just get married to the child’s father?” She also alleges that at another meeting, the human resources director told her that “she was not living a Christian lifestyle” and that she would have to sign a statement agreeing not to have premarital sex if she wanted to keep her job. The church was going to let her go but finally let her stay as a part time employee. There are laws prohibiting the discrimination against pregnant women, so she sues. My (irrelevant) take on the matter: I don't have any problem with the church's actions at all. This is the "other side" of the much hated "Separation of Church and State" doctrine. Just like the government shouldn't require prayer in school, it also should not interfere by reviewing what standards a church uses in the matters of hiring and firing. And Texas courts routinely back out of church related suits - it's called the "Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine." Lots of "doctrines" in the law.