Title VII Suit Seeks Relief From Biometric Fingerprinting

The Columbia Missourian on Sunday covered an unusual Title VII employment discrimination case brought by a fundamentalist Christian who was fired after he refused to use a time clock that is triggered by his biometric fingerprint. Donny Attaway, a member of New Covenant Faith Center in Independence, Missouri, believes that fingerprinting could be the "mark of the beast" warned against in the New Testament Book of Revelation. The Alliance Defense Fund attorney defending Attaway admits that this is an unusual interpretation of the Biblical passages. Many others believe that the mark of the beast is the number 666, or rely on the passages from Revelation to oppose using a Social Security number for identification. The suit claims that Attaway's employer, QuickTrip, should accommodate Attaway's religious beliefs by permitting him to use his Social Security code at work, as is done for employees with broken fingers.