S7E40: The Importance of Religious Freedom and Free Speech in the Workplace

Do you know what your religious rights are as an organization? These are challenging times for Christian-led organizations. Bob Pruitt is senior counsel and director of corporate affairs at the Alliance Defending Freedom. Listen in as Bob highlights key, action steps to protect your religious freedoms. 

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In this episode:

• Shortly after he took office, President Biden issued an executive order that instructed his administration to reinterpret sex in federal laws (02:40)
• Section 1557 of that law bans sex discrimination, but the regulation would expand that to create a scenario in which doctors and other health-care professionals could be forced to act against their medical judgment, their religious beliefs, and conscious in performing controversial and often medically dangerous abortions or gender-transition interventions on their patients, including children. (03:24)

• What are the definitions of religious freedom and freedom of speech? (05:30)

• Religious freedom is not merely the freedom to believe what you want. It's the freedom to live out those beliefs and not just within the walls of your home or your church, but everywhere. (05:38)
• The freedom of speech is simply the ability to say, write, or otherwise express what you truly believe without fear of punishment or retaliation from the government. (08:05)
• Free speech can lead to good, influential ideas (09:28)
• Guidelines organizations need to have in place in hiring staff and dealing with employment law (10:41)

• The Supreme Court has long recognized that the First Amendment protects the right of churches to decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of church government, as well as those of faith and doctrine. (11:59)

• What leaders of Christian-owned businesses need to be aware of while living out biblical values in the marketplace. (14:10)
• A business leader definitely has the right to live out his or her biblical values in the workplace. (14:56)
• These activities all need to be voluntary. (15:15)
• The activity is should be off hours (16:19)
• Have a statement of faith somewhere in your corporate documents (17:13)
• What rights do employees have in freely exercising their religion or their faith in a secular work environment? (22:12)

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