Robert Eschliman, former editor-in-chief of the Newton Daily News, is suing his one-time employer on the grounds that he was terminated because of his religious beliefs. Eschliman was ousted last May after taking to his personal blog to express his thoughts on what he understood to be the “LGBTQXYZ crowd and the Gaystapo effort to reword the Bible to make their sinful nature ‘right with God.”
While Eschliman wasn't using the Newton Daily News to voice his opinions, the paper nonetheless felt the need to distance itself from him after its readers expressed their outrage.
“The First Amendment does not eliminate responsibility and accountability for one's words and actions,” wrote John Rung, president of Shaw Media which owns the paper. “As previously stated, he has a right to voice his opinion. And we have a right to select an editor who we believe best represents our company and best serves the interests of our readers.”
In his lawsuit Eschliman describes the entire situation as pure religious persecution.
“That blog post described my sincerely held religious beliefs regarding Holy Scripture and the definition of marriage,” Explaind. “My comments on my blog were personal in nature and reflective of my sincerely held religious beliefs.”
Read Eschliman's full intake questionnaire detailing his side of the story AFTER THE JUMP…
Final Eschliman Eeoc Charge.072214gcs1