Podcast: Nathan Diament on Whether the Post Office Can Force Employees to Work on the Sabbath

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of religion. An employer can’t say that he won’t hire Muslims or Mormons or Jews, and he can’t fire one of his employees because of his faith. But how is religion defined? Religion, after all, is both a belief and a practice. It’s not only what happens in the head of the believer—it’s also the actions the believer undertakes based on his religion. That question has been a major point of legal battles relating to religion and the Civil Rights Act over the last 60 years.