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Actor Fired...For His Christian Beliefs???


Lucky
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After 1100 performances, actor Chad Kimball was fired from the Broadway play Come From Away. Now he has filed a lawsuit, alleging that the firing was due to his "Christian beliefs."

Here's the story:

https://pagesix.com/2021/10/21/broadway-star-claims-he-was-fired-for-christian-beliefs/?_ga=2.215747614.800555234.1634820651-312344572.1634302642

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30 minutes ago, Lucky said:

After 1100 performances, actor Chad Kimball was fired from the Broadway play Come From Away. Now he has filed a lawsuit, alleging that the firing was due to his "Christian beliefs."

Here's the story:

https://pagesix.com/2021/10/21/broadway-star-claims-he-was-fired-for-christian-beliefs/?_ga=2.215747614.800555234.1634820651-312344572.1634302642

Not sure why he is suing. Surely he could just pray and make it all go away??? (I could cite scripture, but I doubt that is necessary.) 🤓 

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I'm finding it hard to link his firing directly to his personal faith.  Covid restrictions are a public health issue and not a personal freedoms issue.   Thousands of churches have been operating in a virtual capacity, though there are a few - relatively very few - that have contradicted restrictions by insisting on in-person worship.  Worship does not require people to gather in one place.  Yes, it may facilitate the fellowship aspect of worship, but worship does not depend on it.  I question those who insist on gathering whether they are motivated truly by worship, or if it is primarily about the social aspects of it.

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8 hours ago, CuriousByNature said:

I'm finding it hard to link his firing directly to his personal faith.  Covid restrictions are a public health issue and not a personal freedoms issue.   Thousands of churches have been operating in a virtual capacity, though there are a few - relatively very few - that have contradicted restrictions by insisting on in-person worship.  Worship does not require people to gather in one place.  Yes, it may facilitate the fellowship aspect of worship, but worship does not depend on it.  I question those who insist on gathering whether they are motivated truly by worship, or if it is primarily about the social aspects of it.

For many people of faith, a sense of community matters.  Yes, you can pray and hear a sermon/homily alone in your living room, but in order to commune with others, share experiences, give and receive advice, the faithful need a community gathering.

As a practical matter, churches rely on in-person attendance for donations because virtual attendees rarely send checks by mail.  You lose your place of worship, whether in person or virtual, if your church can't pay its bills.

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12 hours ago, BSR said:

For many people of faith, a sense of community matters.  Yes, you can pray and hear a sermon/homily alone in your living room, but in order to commune with others, share experiences, give and receive advice, the faithful need a community gathering.

As a practical matter, churches rely on in-person attendance for donations because virtual attendees rarely send checks by mail.  You lose your place of worship, whether in person or virtual, if your church can't pay its bills.

I get that, for sure.  But in a pandemic everyone needs to be mindful of how their choices might impact the health of others.  As someone who believes, myself, I know it is less fulfilling when not being able to meet in person, but the right to gather in worship doesn't trump public health concerns.  Many churches now have pre-authorized giving, so hopefully the lack of attendance is not too impactful on finances.  And some of the operating costs are not accruing at the moment.  But I do understand what you are getting at.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Religious beliefs have no place in setting any company policy. In my 40year career in the theatre community I can say there is great tolerance across the board regarding faiths and their practices.

Behavior by an employee in relation to set company policy is  what seems to be at issue, which is as it should be, rather than their beliefs.

Renewal of a performer’s contract is always at the discretion of the producers. Talent is not the sole factor - there are other elements to being a co-worker, to having good work habits, that escape the grasp of very talented performers. This particular timing may have been such that Kimball feels (justly) under attack by outside forces regarding statements he’s made, and without other real explanation made available by the company, assumptions were perhaps made on his part as to the whole story.

His Union, Actors Equity, (the proper means of redress) is a powerful force against wrongful termination. Contract employment has a beginning and an end. Sometimes the contract gets extended, sometimes not. He may go on to another (even better) role in another show. But if the case he wants to make is made through PageSix, he’s in danger of being branded as troublesome.

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