* A federal court in Oregon ruled that a federal Bureau of Prisons policy requiring chaplains to have a Master of Divinity degree did not constitute unlawful religious discrimination against persons without such a degree. A federal court in Oregon rejected a minister's claim that the federal government's refusal to hire him as a chaplain was based on unlawful religious discrimination. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has adopted standards for becoming a chaplain that require applicants to be ordained clergy and to have earned a Master of Divinity degree or its academic equivalent. A counselor ("Tom") for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, who was also an ordained minister, was rejected for a chaplaincy position because he did not have a Master of Divinity degree. Tom sued the Bureau for religious discrimination. A federal court dismissed his claim on the ground that he failed to produce any evidence ...
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