Sex bias case tests church rule that clergy's boss is God

[Taxloss]

Per the UK Guardian:

How do you launch a claim for sex discrimination if your employer is God? Helen Percy was suspended from her job as an associate Church of Scotland minister in the Angus glens in 1997 when as a single woman she was accused of having sex with a married elder. She resigned and took a claim for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination to an employment tribunal.

But her case has been thrown out by the tribunal, the employment appeal tribunal, and the court of session in Edinburgh. Each institution ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear the case - because in Britain, uniquely, clergy enjoy none of the employment rights the rest of us take for granted. An earlier case involving a Church of England rector, Ray Owen, found that, under laws dating back nearly a century, clergy were not church employees at all but office holders - in effect employed by God.

Today Ms Percy's eight-year battle - now a claim for sex discrimination only - will go to the House of Lords, which could rule that in the 21st century clergy should, like everyone else, have the rights and protections that go with holding down a job. Mr Owen's attempt to take his case to the lords failed in 2001, when they refused his petition to hear the case.

Ms Percy, 39, claimed she was forced to resign from her post, covering six glen parishes in east Scotland at the southernmost edge of the Grampian mountains, after her relationship with a kirk elder, which she said involved sexual intercourse on one occasion, became public. She alleged in her tribunal application that she was discriminated against because the kirk had "not taken similar action against male ministers who are known to have had/are still having extra marital sexual relationships". She claims compensation for lost income, housing and pension benefits, and damages for stress-related illness and injury to her feelings.

More ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1599079,00.html

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Fascinating piece.

[htuttle]

1. Fine. Call God to the stand in court, then

If George Burns doesn't walk through the door, they lose the case by default and get a non-appearance warrant put on God.

[Taxloss]

2. How would He take the Oath?

"I swear by Almighty Me that I shall tell the truth, the whole truth, and noting but the truth, so help me Me"?

On edit: is your username based on "Brazil"?

[htuttle]

3. That's how George Burns did it

And yes, that's the origin of my username. I would have used the whole name, but they wanted me to fill out another form first. Bloody paperwork....

[Taxloss]

4. Kudos. It's a great film.

Wandering off the subject, my favourite George Burns line:

"Every morning I open my paper and turn to the obituary section. If I'm not in it, I have breakfast."