Thankfully, church-state law in the US does not allow judges and governments to determine whether someone's beliefs are theologically sound, only that they are honestly held. And nobody is suggesting that Pam McLaurin's religious objection to having her fingerprint taken is anything other than her true belief. Still, that puts the Texas school teacher in conflict with a certification requirement that she submit to the procedure for the purpose of a background check.
According to her attorney, Scott Skelton, of Lufkin, Pam McLaurin believes the book of Revelation literally and that getting a fingerprint would bear her the mark of the beast and she would be "be tormented in burning sulfur."
McLaurin teaches at Big Sandy School District in Dallardsville, which is in Polk County..
Skelton said McLaurin, who has taught at the district for 20 years, is willing to undergo any other type of background check.
I'm no expert on background checks. But this strikes me as one of those cases that really should be solvable with a reasonable religious accommodation. This arises when it comes to Amish objections to photo IDs and automobile laws, with religious objections to swearing when taking an oath, and many other minor clashes between religious belief and state regulation.
Here, the background check is the goal, not the fingerprint. If there is another way to achieve that objective (which sounds like a perfectly legitimate requirement for a school teacher), why not allow it? What matters is not how in-the-mainstream or out of it McLaurin is when it comes to her religious beliefs. It's whether she passes the requirements of her occupation and performs her duties properly.
