I am following with interest the discussion of SB 215, which its sponsors claim to be some kind of protection of Montanans’ religious freedoms. It seems some folks are interested in the subject but might not yet have read the proposed bill/s.
Frankly, I am not sure what the bill’s sponsors are trying to accomplish. The content, as I read it, intends to prevent Montana laws from “overburdening” Montanans in their free exercise of religion. What might such “overburdening” look like, I wonder?
A previous letter to the editor, whose writer admitted he had not read the bill, used two examples of what he thought the bill might do for adherents of religions that are extreme minority religions in our state. I find that interesting and a bit puzzling. I am reasonably certain that there is no Montana law that requires kosher delis to sell pork or explicitly Muslim daycares (is there such a business in Montana?) to hire non-Muslim caregivers.
