"Christian" Skating Time

[Steve Sanders]

Quoting Paul Finkelman <paul-finkelman at utulsa.edu>:

> Isn't there a difference between holding an "ethnic theme" -- food, 
> music, etc.at the ball park  -- and having an event that implies 
> people of only one religion are welcome?  Hard to imagine what the 
> food and music would be of a Christian Theme night at the ball park 
> or the skating rink?

Amy Grant and tuna casserole, perhaps?

Seriously, Paul, I'm not sure I really see the difference.  Both are 
designed to celebrate the identities and cultures of particular groups. 
  If someone not in that group wants to feel it excludes them, it's 
hard to know what to do, assuming that there is no actual effort by the 
private entity to exclude in violation of the civil rights law.

While I suspect that the Christian Skating Time crowd would not be my 
idea of a fun time, I'm hard pressed to understand why the rink 
management isn't within its rights to offer it -- again, providing they 
are not actually excluding non-Christians.  I wouldn't feel 
particularly welcome shopping Hollister, Victoria's Secret, or Hip Hop 
Closet, but that standing alone doesn't mean I could accuse them of 
age, gender, or race discrimination.

> It doesn't take much of an imagination to understand that the ball 
> park "theme" is about celebrating and ethnic culture, and the 
> "Christian skate" is about creating a climate of exclusivity based on 
> belief.

By this logic, wouldn't it be illegal to run a Christian book store?

> I doubt anyone at Comisky Park was asked about their "Polish beliefs" 
> or anyone tried to convert them to "become Polish."

True, the worst they would have faced was being accosted by drunks 
wearing "Kiss Me, I'm Polish" t-shirts.

Steve Sanders
7th Circuit US Court of Appeals