Patrick Parkinson's Accommodating Religious Belief In A Secular Age

There are numerous issues and opinions canvassed and put forth in Patrick Parkinson’s article ‘Accommodating Religious Belief in a Secular Age: the Issues of Conscientious Objection in the Workplace.’ The arguments surveyed are extremely contentious and as such, analysis of the arguments must be respectful and conscious of the potential offence taken by a person in a similar position. As Parkinson asserts the concerns arise in the midst of rapid social revolution in relation to gay and lesbian relationships becoming more readily accepted coupled with a diminishing patience for those who find it difficult to give those relationships complete and utter acceptance. This assertion is certainly undeniable. Furthermore, in consideration of the issues examined in the article, it is clear that in order for such growth to continue in a positive and more importantly, harmonious manner, our lawmakers and enforcers must target a middle ground. It is not a simple task by any means and one could argue that it is impossible to find such a ground as inevitably, someone will feel that their rights have not been upheld or respected. Nonetheless, Parkinson has effectively analysed the current situation confronting many 21st Century common-law countries in balancing the rights of same sex-couples and the religious

His argument was that characterisation involves choices, and the employers in each case chose to characterise the issue as one of ‘misconduct’ and to confront rather than to accommodate. I unequivocally agree that in both cases it would have been possible, in fact, less onerous, to have categorised the issue as a problem involving something other than discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to have worked with the employees at hand. Perhaps, if this had occurred the problem could have been avoided all