Michigan Woman Wants Christian Roomate

[bonnie]

I’ve always tried to acknowledge when other self-identified Christians are being ridiculous. Like this: Harold Camping you’re being ridiculous. Stephen Broden, so are you. But the crazy train can go in more than one direction, and this week it seems to have picked up passengers at the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

Here’s the story. A single, 31-year-old nursing student living in Grand Rapids posted a sign at her church seeking a Christian roommate. Someone in the church saw the sign and reported the young woman to the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, which then filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. What was the exact nature of the complaint? Nancy Haynes , director of the Fair Housing Center said, “It’s a violation to make, publish or print a discriminatory statement. There are no exemptions to that.” What was the discriminatory statement which was made by the young woman? “I want a Christian roommate.” Yep. Awful, isn’t it? The complaint also includes this damning indictment against the young woman: “The claimant believes the statement expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths.”

Harold Core, director of public affairs with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, told the Grand Rapids Press that the Fair Housing Act prevents people from publishing an advertisement stating their preference of religion, race or handicap with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling. After reading this story I spent a few minutes searching on phrases like “Jewish roommate wanted”, “Muslim roommate wanted” and “Pagan roommate wanted”. Looks likes we’ve got our work cut out for us if this hideously discriminatory practice is going to be stopped.

But lest we be confused, Nancy Haynes of the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan clarifies that the problem is not that the young woman in question wants a Christian roommate.

She can be a Christian and she can even use that as a criteria for who she wants to rent to. She just can’t state that. Because to state that is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. There are certain exceptions that apply. She can actually, in practice, not rent to a non-Christian. But she can’t make the statement. The statement alone is a violation of the act. What she can do in practice she can’t make a statement about.

Ohhhh, I get it. Wait. No, I really don’t. So… saying you want a Christian roommate is an act of discrimination, but choosing not to split rent with someone because they are a non-Christian is NOT discrimination. Unless you say it. In an ad. The important thing is that you waste the time of non-Christians who are apartment hunting by allowing them to think that you might want to share living space with them,when in fact, you don’t. Because you want a Christian roommate. But you can’t say that.

Haynes added this – perhaps rhetorical – question for us all to ponder. “If you read it and you were not Christian, would you not feel welcome to rent there?” That sentence structure is a little tortured, but I can still make out how lame the argument is. No, I would not feel welcome. And were I a non-Christian, I’d probably appreciate knowing where I stood. Apartment hunting is not an esteem-building exercise, and contrary to what reality television tells us, it’s not that much fun when complete opposites are stuck in a confined space together. It’s hard enough living with any roommate, much less one who disagrees with you on the most fundamental issues of life. Is that such a terrible thing to admit?

Well, if actually posting that you would like to share living space with someone who shares your belief system is illegal, perhaps we can use code. Something like: Single female seeking roommate who likes Beth Moore conferences, Hillsong dvds, and Francine Rivers novels. Dislikes include: Sam Harris and Dos Equis. No cats.

I’ll leave it to the other world religions to come up with their own codes.

[fccool]

I guess, desiring a clean roommate who does not smoke or drink would be a discriminatory statement too :)

[cricket]

The good news is this case was dropped:

Quote:

Case Dropped Against Michigan Woman Seeking Christian Roommate

We kept telling the media that eventually, someone in Michigan would come to their senses and drop this case. And on October 28, HUD did drop this case, stating, “in light of the facts provided and after assessing the unique context of the advertisement and the roommate relationship involved in this particular situation potentially involving the sharing of personal religious beliefs, the Department defers to Constitutional considerations in reaching its conclusion. Accordingly, the Department finds that there is No Reasonable Cause to believe that the Act was violated in this matter.”

The bad news is, it might still come back to haunt:

Quote:

Or did it? Because in the same letter, HUD states that if the allegations in the complaint are “proven, the allegation would constitute a violation of Section 804© of the Act.” Furthermore, HUD then gives permission for the complainant to sue our client in federal court! “Notwithstanding this determination by the Department, the Fair Housing Act provides that Complainant may file a civil action in an appropriate federal district court or state court within two years … of the alleged discriminatory housing practice.”

I think it absurd that another church member would have seen issue with her posting that on a CHURCH bulletin board. I could understand if it were in a newspaper or other public setting, but in a church?!? Of course, the woman shouldn't have had to qualify her request--assuming only Christians would be reading it.

[John317]

That unfortunately says a lot, doesn't it?

[phkrause]

That unfortunately says a lot, doesn't it?

Absolutely :(:(:( very sad.