Question: Legal Definition of the word "creed".

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It might be a bit of a stretch, but what is the legal definition of the word "creed"? I ask only because I wonder of our state employment law could be used as a defense to employer rules and regulations which attempt to prevent us from having guns at work (or in the car, etc).

Under the law, if it is because of a person’s race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation/gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability:

• An EMPLOYER may not: (1) refuse to hire a person, (2) discharge or bar a person from a job, (3) discriminate in compensation or other terms or conditions of employment, (4) print, circulate, or use any discriminatory statement, advertisement, publication, job application form, or make any inquiry in connection with prospective employment that is discriminatory.

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The dictionary definition for creed would be something along the lines of "any system of belief or principles." Could you not say that our belief in being armed to defend ourselves and others is a system of belief or principles, a creed? It seems to me that in that case our employers would be unable to legally enact any policies that discriminate against anyone with that creed.

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Usually it means a religion. I think it would be hard to stretch that to firearms. If a court decided it did then people could use "creed" to mean almost anything they want to do is acceptable.

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You can believe whatever you want, but you cannot necessarily act on those beliefs. The employer can prohibit the actions--having a gun at work--but not the belief that you should be able to have one.

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meh. It was a thought.

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olypendrew wrote:

You can believe whatever you want, but you cannot necessarily act on those beliefs. The employer can prohibit the actions--having a gun at work--but not the belief that you should be able to have one.

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Right. An employer can't fire you simply for being a christian/jew/libertarian/whatever, but they can fire you if you preach/hand out pamphlets in the lobby instead of working...

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grishnav wrote:

olypendrew wrote:

You can believe whatever you want, but you cannot necessarily act on those beliefs. The employer can prohibit the actions--having a gun at work--but not the belief that you should be able to have one.

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Right. An employer can't fire you simply for being a christian/jew/libertarian/whatever, but they can fire you if you preach/hand out pamphlets in the lobby instead of working...

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Something to keep in mind is that you can have a belief regarding firearms without preaching or handing out pamphlets. You also get breaks and lunch. If you talk about a gun purchase or plans to go shooting, you should not be subject to any adverse employment actions because of it.

Another issue, more for people who use their real names, is potential emplyers googling your name and deciding to pass on hiring you based on your posting on a firearms board. Google my name and the first thing that comes up will be an OCDO post. (okay - 2nd, but still) I suspect that this happened to me for a part time job for which I applied.

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That is why I don't use my name, but rather an Internet handle. It's not difficult to find out my real name, but it doesn't come up in casual searches. It's also not difficult to find my opinions and my email for a direct reply, and there is definitely no barrier to a legal investigation of me- I'm not worried about any of that. I merely don't want things which really have no bearing on my work to adversely affect my employment prospects.