Atheists are at once arrogant and in-your-face about their nonbelief. (Imagine how arrogant a person must be to believe in a Categorical Negative — that God doesn’t exist, not just on Earth, but in the entire Universe or, as some cosmologists speculate, Multiverses.) Not content with their unbelief in God, atheists aggressively go after and make life difficult for Americans of faith.
Due entirely to complaints from one atheist, a privately-owned family restaurant in Pennsylvania is under a state discrimination investigation for offering a 10% discount to diners who present a church bulletin on Sundays.
Todd Starnes reports for FoxNews, July 5, 2012, that Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen in the town of Columbia, Pennsylvania, is being investigated by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
The complaint was filed by John Wolff, a retired electrical engineer, who told the York Daily Record, “I did this not out of spite, but out of a feeling against the prevailing self-righteousness that stems from religion, particular in Lancaster County. I don’t consider it an earth-shaking affair, but in this area in particular, we seem to have so many self-righteous religious people, so it just annoys me.”
According to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, a restaurant is classified as a public accommodation and, as such, are not allowed to discriminate based on religion — among other things.
Sharon Prudhomme, who owns the restaurant along with her husband, said she’s not discriminating against anybody – and plans on fighting the charges. She told Fox News Radio, “What freaks me out is the state of Pennsylvania is basically agreeing with this guy. We’re just a mom and pop. We’re not some big chain like the Olive Garden.”
Prudhomme said the trouble started in April of 2011 when she received the first of several letters from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based organization of “more than 17,000 freethinkers, atheists, agnostics and skeptics,” according to its website. The FFRF demanded that she stop giving discounts to patrons who brought in a Sunday church bulletin.
“I just filed it and blew off the other letters,” Prudhomme said. “I said I have no intention of taking it off the website.”
Last Friday the restaurant was served with a 16-page complaint from the state of Pennsylvania – accusing her of discrimination.
“I’m an American,” Prudhomme said. “This is America. This is my business and we’re not breaking any laws.”
She said a representative from the state suggested that she should compromise and sign an agreement that she would offer discounts to any civic organization in the town.
“I said, ‘Wait a minute – you’re asking my husband and I to give anybody coming through my door a discount?’” she recounted. “They said yes.”
“I said, ‘Are you crazy?’”
“We have taxes to pay,” she said. “We have utility bills, payroll, mortgages and they’re expecting me to give everyone a discount?”
Prudhomme said that’s just not going to happen.
“This is our business,” she said. “We’re the ones paying the taxes. We need the people coming in. Our life is in this – and then to have someone come along and tell me what I can do and what I can’t do?”
She wondered if their other discounts might be considered discriminatory — like the one on Tuesday night – where kids under 12 get to eat free. Or what about the senior discount? “Could someone under 65 complain?” she asked.
Wolff told Lancaster Online that he discovered the church discount on the privately owned restaurant’s website. “That rubbed me a bit the wrong way,” he told the online publication. “It’s not a big deal in itself and I have no animosity towards Prudhomme’s, but I do bear a grudge against a religious right that seems to intrude on our civil rights.”
If the commission determines there’s enough evidence to support the complaint, it could be referred to a public hearing. Should the restaurant owners be found in violation, it’s unclear what penalty they might face.
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If I lived in or near Columbia, PA, I would eat at Prudhomme’s.
Location:
50 Lancaster Avenue
Columbia, PA 17512
(717) 684-1706
Hours:
Monday: 4:30pm – 11:00pm
Tuesday – Thursday: 11:00am – 11:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 11:00am – 12:00am
Sunday: 11:00am – 9:00pm
Click here for driving directions!
Since most of us reading this don’t live in Pennsylvania, FOTM’s moxielouise has a brilliant idea — we can buy a gift certificate from Prudhomme’s and donate it to a church of our choice in Columbia, PA!
Click here to purchase a gift card from Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen’s. Gift cards begin at $25 and up.
Here are some churches in Columbia, PA:
- Holy Trinity Catholic Church: 409 Cherry St, Columbia, PA; (717) 684-2711
- Columbia United Methodist Church: N 6th St, Columbia, PA; (717) 684-5858 229
- Grace Episcopal Church: 36 N 8th St, Columbia, PA; (717) 684-6787
- Presbyterian Church: 360 Locust St, Columbia, PA; (717) 684-6271
- St Paul’s Baptist Church: 297 S 5th St, Columbia, PA; (717) 684-8452
- Assembly of Pentecostal Chrchs: 236 Cherry St, Columbia, PA; (717) 684-5595
Or you can send an e-mail to Prudhomme’s. Click here for their “Contact Us” page.
~Eowyn
Luby’s, here in Texas did the same thing years ago. Don’t know if they still do. Someone always feels they are being discriminated against! Oh poor pitiful me! I’m just sick of it. I need a scorecard to tell me what I can and cannot say, do, think, eat, live, wear. Did I leave anything out? Just sick to death of it!!!!!
This guy John needs a thicker skin!
This guy said the bulletin discount “rubbed him the wrong way…” Well, his ignorance of the Almighty rubs me the wrong way! If it bothers him that much, simply don’t patronize this establishment. That’s his right and his choice. It’s also these owners’ right and choice to offer this discount. These communistsocialistmarxistleninistmaoist America Hating/Destroying SUMBITCHES need to put their Big Boy pants on and simply mind THEIR OWN DAMN BUSINESS AND GET THE HELL OUT OF EVERYONE ELSE’S BUSINESS!
Think I’ll buy a gift certificate though I don’t live anywhere near and then mail it to one of their local churches to use as they see fit. You know, the athiests aren’t excluded; they can always attend church, pick up a bulletin and get the discount themselves if it’s such a stinkin’ big deal to them.
Great idea, moxie! I’ll buy one too. I’ll do an Update of this post with a list of churches in Columbia, PA.
I found addresses of some churches in Columbia, PA, and added that info to the bottom of my post, together with embedded links to buy Prudhomme’s gift card and to send them an email.
Wolf says “It’s not a big deal in itself and I have no animosity towards Prudhomme’s, but I do bear a grudge against a religious right that seems to intrude on our civil rights.”
Well the religious right was NOT intruding on “Our” civil rights. What he has done is trample on the civil rights of the restaurant and vented his spleen at the religious folks who have done nothing to impede his rights.
He’s a mean spirited weasly venomous hypocrite.
In short, he’s the one who is DISCRIMNATING.
You say that like discrimination is a BAD thing…shoot,if women
weren’t discriminating they’d go out with guys like me. We are
endowed by our Creator with the right to freely associate or
choose who we want spend time with…but not to force others
to put up with riff-raff like me
I love how you phrased it though : Let that mean spirited weasly
venomous hypocrite associate with his own kind !
No, please, NO! We don’t WANT him! Icky!
Calling out the heavy artillery over a 10% discount at a mom and pop restaurant?!?! REALLY?
Dear Mr. Wolff,
I don’t care if you buy, beg, barrow or steal… but GET A LIFE!
I am still confused as to what Civil Right this guy might feel was infringed on… He went out of his way to go on a private owned businesses website for a fishing expedition….. He has had nothing taken away from him, for all we know he never stepped one foot into this restaurant. Because he wants to make a point he could ruin good people… It seems like they will have THEIR civil rights taken away, because of a guy who has a hatred for our creator.. Or is it a fear?
A lot of professed atheists that are seriously fighting against Christian activity are in fact secretly Satan worshipers. I know this for a fact.
Thank you Dr. Eowyn for this terrific post! These good restaurant owners have not violated anyone’s civil rights! I am aghast at the State of Pennsylvania that they have found merit in Wolff’s spurious and groundless complaint. They are cowards! I, too, will buy a gift certificate!
Atheists don’t exist…just ignore them
…did someone say Luby’s…mmmmmm
Regardless of what you may think of his religious beliefs, the restaurant did (in a very insignificant way) discriminate on the basis of religion. The Prudhomme’s probably didn’t mean any harm from it, but the bottom line is that freedom to excercise religious belief, or nonbelief is a fundamental constitutional right.
Tell that to the Catholic church. Obamacare sure is supporting their right to excercise their religious beliefs. /sarc
Constitutional rights apply in all private businesses? If so, why do some businesses have the right to ignore your Second Amendment right and not let you carry a gun in their place of business?
So giving a discount to senior citizens is discrimination too?? Or to graduates? Or to mothers on Mothers Day? Or vets on Veterans Day?