Cook says discriminatory 'religious freedom' laws are dangerous, calls for action
In an editorial published by The Washington Post on Sunday, Apple CEO Tim Cook comes down hard on a spate of U.S. legislation he believes enables discrimination under the guise of religious freedom.
After posting a series of tweets on Friday speaking out against controversial laws in Indiana and Arkansas protecting "religious freedom," Cook went a step further and penned a scathing editorial condemning such legislation as "designed to enshrine discrimination in state law."
"Something very dangerous happening in states across the country," Cook writes, referring to a flood of new legislation some believe equates to government protection for discriminatory practices.
Specifically, Cook takes issue with recent bills that institutionalize the right to penalize homosexuals based on established "religious freedoms." As applied to Arkansas, Indiana and multiple other states, these laws are openly biased.
Baptized in a Baptist church, Cook says faith played an important role in his development, adding that he continues to be a proponent of religious freedom. However, he was never taught that religion should be used as an excuse for discrimination. For Cook, issues of discrimination harken back to his early life in Alabama during the 1960s and 1970s, when America's struggle with racial equality reached its boiling point.
"Discrimination isn't something that's easy to oppose," Cook writes. "It doesn't always stare you in the face. It moves in the shadows. And sometimes it shrouds itself within the very laws meant to protect us."
Cook, who wields considerable clout as CEO of the world's largest company, said he writes on behalf of Apple in condemning discriminatory legislation, adding America's business community has long recognized that "discrimination, in all its forms, is bad for business."
"Our message, to people around the country and around the world, is this: Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love," Cook writes. "Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we will never tolerate discrimination."
In speaking out so publicly, Cook hopes others will stand up against similar legislation, arguing bills currently under consideration will eventually hurt job growth.
After posting a series of tweets on Friday speaking out against controversial laws in Indiana and Arkansas protecting "religious freedom," Cook went a step further and penned a scathing editorial condemning such legislation as "designed to enshrine discrimination in state law."
"Something very dangerous happening in states across the country," Cook writes, referring to a flood of new legislation some believe equates to government protection for discriminatory practices.
Specifically, Cook takes issue with recent bills that institutionalize the right to penalize homosexuals based on established "religious freedoms." As applied to Arkansas, Indiana and multiple other states, these laws are openly biased.
Baptized in a Baptist church, Cook says faith played an important role in his development, adding that he continues to be a proponent of religious freedom. However, he was never taught that religion should be used as an excuse for discrimination. For Cook, issues of discrimination harken back to his early life in Alabama during the 1960s and 1970s, when America's struggle with racial equality reached its boiling point.
"Discrimination isn't something that's easy to oppose," Cook writes. "It doesn't always stare you in the face. It moves in the shadows. And sometimes it shrouds itself within the very laws meant to protect us."
Cook, who wields considerable clout as CEO of the world's largest company, said he writes on behalf of Apple in condemning discriminatory legislation, adding America's business community has long recognized that "discrimination, in all its forms, is bad for business."
"Our message, to people around the country and around the world, is this: Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love," Cook writes. "Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we will never tolerate discrimination."
In speaking out so publicly, Cook hopes others will stand up against similar legislation, arguing bills currently under consideration will eventually hurt job growth.
Comments
Here we go again
Cook would tell Quakers that they need to pick up an M-16 and go and kill people, denying their historical rights around the world , their right to conscientious objection.
The idea of religion based conscientious objection has existed since the incorporation of forced military service but was not officially recognized until the twentieth century, when it was gradually recognized as a fundamental human right as a part of the freedom of conscience.
?Sorry Tim, a lot of people love you but we don't sanction that you can every be 'married' since man on man, man on boy, men on dogs, one man and 10 women, are just something that a lot of us do not feel is normal human behavior, and as such, should not be encouraged, read your bible, and accept the wisdom therein. Tim, do you believe the idea that just because you 'love' ten people you could marry all of them?
When you are forced to do something against your beliefs you will understand. Popular opinion, and laws do not make something morally correct, just ask the Jews in Nazi Germany.
I'm patiently awaiting Apple to stop selling their products in the 19 states that have religious freedom laws. And I assume too then that Apple will move its offices from Austin to a state that doesn't have this so-called bigoted law? Put your money where your mouth is Tim.
Overlay that map to show which RFRAs actually cover private for-profit businesses and which states have separate anti-discrimition laws protecting sexuality.
You've got it quite backwards. What you' have just said above, is what Cook is telling you, and these States.
PS,
Thanks for the Godwin's Law moment. True sign of an imbecile.
Cook would tell Quakers that they need to pick up an M-16 and go and kill people, denying their historical rights around the world , their right to conscientious objection.
The idea of religion based conscientious objection has existed since the incorporation of forced military service but was not officially recognized until the twentieth century, when it was gradually recognized as a fundamental human right as a part of the freedom of conscience.
?Sorry Tim, a lot of people love you but we don't sanction that you can every be 'married' since man on man, man on boy, men on dogs, one man and 10 women, are just something that a lot of us do not feel is normal human behavior, and as such, should not be encouraged, read your bible, and accept the wisdom therein. Tim, do you believe the idea that just because you 'love' ten people you could marry all of them?
When you are forced to do something against your beliefs you will understand. Popular opinion, and laws do not make something morally correct, just ask the Jews in Nazi Germany.
What on earth are you talking about? Quakers and guns? equating gays with pedophiles? that's insulting, derogatory, and offensive, and frankly sir, you have just lost the plot completely. Go back to inbred Appalachia in the 1800's because you don't even belong in this century.
I'm patiently awaiting Apple to stop selling their products in the 19 states that have religious freedom laws. And I assume too then that Apple will move its offices from Austin to a state that doesn't have this so-called bigoted law? Put your money where your mouth is Tim.
No. Apple and everyone should do the opposite. These States did that because they want people who don't share their beliefs to leave.
I'm patiently awaiting Apple to stop selling their products in the 19 states that have religious freedom laws.
Keep waiting. That would come across as "running away", not making a stand, conceding. Very un-Apple-like.
But now someone of a fairly recent rise in capitalistic power wants to force his beliefs down the throats of Americans and urges the f feral government to break from one of the few things that keeps them in check by overriding a state matter?
No tim. I respect your business acumen. And you seem to be a nice guy. But this is wrong. You are a gay man. I get it. But seriously, you have It backwards. Please stay out of politics.
Tim is ok with people of a particular persuasion having their way OVER RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. one of the reasons Columbus set sail to begin with and I'm not ok ith that. And neither should any other American.
If you want to be gay, fine. It's not illegal. But don't use politics to violate religion by forcing your way into a church job "or else." Or taking your same sex partner to a bed and breakfast operated by a religious owner.
Glad for these laws. If not for them, religious freedom in this country (one of the only places it exists in the world) would soon be a thing of the past. A few powerful people thinking their personal lifestyles should be given the favoritism to trample on others even stronger religious values is as selfish and draconian as can be.
The quickest way to get this law reversed is if businesses start leaving the state or refuse to do any business in it. Now I have no problem with this law and I think Tim Cook should stick to running Apple or let someone else be CEO so he can go fight for LGBT rights. I just want to see him put his money where his mouth is. Boycotting these states would be one way to do that. Of course he never would because the stock would tank and shareholders would be up in arms. Those 74 million iPhones sold last quarter weren't all bought by liberal progressives.
Tim Cook has a right to state his opinion, and I believe it is also the opinion of the vast majority of people who work at Apple. Yes, his words do hold more clout than that of the average person, and I respect him for exploiting his platform to do good and speak against discrimination. For those that are offended by this, feel free to stop buying Apple products. Nobody will notice or care, trust me, so stop using that as some sort of threat.
Cook would tell Quakers that they need to pick up an M-16 and go and kill people, denying their historical rights around the world , their right to conscientious objection.
The idea of religion based conscientious objection has existed since the incorporation of forced military service but was not officially recognized until the twentieth century, when it was gradually recognized as a fundamental human right as a part of the freedom of conscience.
?Sorry Tim, a lot of people love you but we don't sanction that you can every be 'married' since man on man, man on boy, men on dogs, one man and 10 women, are just something that a lot of us do not feel is normal human behavior, and as such, should not be encouraged, read your bible, and accept the wisdom therein. Tim, do you believe the idea that just because you 'love' ten people you could marry all of them?
When you are forced to do something against your beliefs you will understand. Popular opinion, and laws do not make something morally correct, just ask the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Conscientious objection is unrelated to sexual identification. Introducing this into the discussion does not help your case.
If the evidential trend continues, variations in sexual indication and preference will be shown by science to be as natural as variations in skin, eye and hair color. There exist many people born with ambiguous outer genitalia, and neither XY nor XX chromosomal arrangement, showing that Nature's relentless experimentation through evolution doesn't result in black and white, but rather a spectrum. None of this variation is the result of choice.
Your understanding of normal human behavior may just be the result of normal human ignorance. And you are correct, popular opinion does not make something morally correct, just as it did not make the Earth flat.
Retailers would simply get their products from another state and still sell apple products anyway.
Don't mix business with subjects like homosexuality and discrimination.
Are you honestly so stupid that you believe that gay marriage will lead to nationwide polygamy and beastiality? Get a grip.
And here I thought Apple was about great computing products.
They are, and also about making peoples' lives better through their products. When you have state-sanctioned discrimination of any person, you aren't treating everyone equal.
But you know religion is a choice, right? You can choose a different religion, if you want to. Go on.
And it's not a choice, either. As above, go on, choose a different sexual orientation.
No one is forcing anyone to give them a "church job". Tim Cook is saying that it's wrong to discriminate. You think a gay man wants a job in a church where he'll be sneered at and talked about every day by bigots and their bigoted views? No.
What you're actually saying here is that your religious leaders tell you be a nasty, bigoted person, and to discriminate against other humans just because of who they love. That is why people have to raise these issues against religion. You want a privileged position in society; you want the ability to legally discriminate against homosexuals because your religious leaders tell you that'll make a good person. It is funny that homosexuality (which Jesus never said a word against) brings out the most bigotry. A lot of cherry picking here... No one is asking to enact a law against those eating shellfish, or wearing multiple types of materials. Just homosexuality. Just the sexual stuff. Just as a gay man doesn't think about or care about what you do in the bedroom, why don't you stop thinking about what they do in their bedroom?
So I guess "Religious Freedom" is to harass and discriminate people. If you don't like what they think or feel, or any other reason, you can just deny them from anything you want.
Well at least the "Christians" don't kill people anymore...
I think a lot of people really forget why people wanted to settle in the new land, and the early years of America. They wanted to get away of the persecution and discrimination in Europe.
Im sorry, but things are changing, people are starting to see though Religion for what it really is. Why more and more people are leaving it.
Im sorry for you, I really am. As a young child you didn't have a choice, it was forced onto you, and maybe one day you will see how much of a lie it all really was.