Remove Paid Christian Holidays?

[RealDealNeverstop]

Should all government districts cease funding financial and schedule recognition for Christian holidays? If they did, would it be persecution or equality?

Unless the government is willing to recognize all religious holidays it should rescind tax payer funded endorsement of Christian holidays. This is naked discrimination and holds no Constitutional value as it puts a debt in the most basic principles of equality.

 

[cobweb]

Should all government districts cease funding financial and schedule recognition for Christian holidays? If they did, would it be persecution or equality?

Unless the government is willing to recognize all religious holidays it should rescind tax payer funded endorsement of Christian holidays. This is naked discrimination and holds no Constitutional value as it puts a debt in the most basic principles of equality.

As long as my family can still get time off from work/school to attend services on our holy days (most are not the same days as the Western ones) ... I don't really care.

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

As long as my family can still get time off from work/school to attend services on our holy days (most are not the same days as the Western ones) ... I don't really care.

Those would be arrangements between employees and employers but I am confident most employers would accommodate.

 

[SOAD]

Should all government districts cease funding financial and schedule recognition for Christian holidays? If they did, would it be persecution or equality?

Unless the government is willing to recognize all religious holidays it should rescind tax payer funded endorsement of Christian holidays. This is naked discrimination and holds no Constitutional value as it puts a debt in the most basic principles of equality.

Do you have any specific Christian holidays which government districts fund?

 

[AlexBP]

Should all government districts cease funding financial and schedule recognition for Christian holidays? If they did, would it be persecution or equality?

No. It would be neither persecution nor equality; it would simply be a silly and impractical decision. Almost everyone in the country chooses not to work, go to school, or otherwise use public institutions and services on Christmas and other major Christian holidays. Hence it makes sense that government offices are closed that day. Keeping them open would be a waste of money and a major aggravation; many offices probably wouldn't even find enough employees to remain open. (Strictly necessary emergency personnel are an exception, obviously.)

Unless the government is willing to recognize all religious holidays it should rescind tax payer funded endorsement of Christian holidays. This is naked discrimination and holds no Constitutional value as it puts a debt in the most basic principles of equality.

But that presupposes that discrimination is wrong. In fact, there's no reason why discrimination is always wrong. As for Constitutional value, many things that the government does are not listed in the Constitution.

 

[Vylo]

Some of these holidays are no longer exclusively christian, so that is a bit iffy.

I suppose they really technically should do away with the purely Christian government holidays, but I'm not horribly concerned about it. Much like "in god we trust" on our money, it shouldn't be there, but it isn't worth the effort to remove. It isn't indoctirnating anyone and only seems to agitate people who need a hobby. That isn't getting agitated.

 

[jayem]

Aside from Christmas (which is only quasi-Christian) there's no other national paid holiday which is specifically Christian. Same is true at the state level. Here's Missouri's state holidays.

 

[SOAD]

Aside from Christmas (which is only quasi-Christian) there's no other national paid holiday which is specifically Christian. Same is true at the state level. Here's Missouri's state holidays.

That was my thought. Christmas vacation is classified as secular, and includes a winter break. If there were paid Christian holidays, I would be against them the same as for any other paid religious holiday.

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

That was my thought. Christmas vacation is classified as secular, and includes a winter break. If there were paid Christian holidays, I would be against them the same as for any other paid religious holiday.

Christmas is listed as a federal holiday:
2012 Federal Holidays

The claim it is "secular" is a known laughable legal loophole and is no less silly than claiming water is dry when liquids are prohibited.

 

[Cute Tink]

I'm a little confused as to what you mean by "funding" the holidays. Are you referring to paying for decorations, paying for celebrations, or something else?

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

No. It would be neither persecution nor equality; it would simply be a silly and impractical decision. Almost everyone in the country chooses not to work, go to school, or otherwise use public institutions and services on Christmas and other major Christian holidays. Hence it makes sense that government offices are closed that day. Keeping them open would be a waste of money and a major aggravation; many offices probably wouldn't even find enough employees to remain open. (Strictly necessary emergency personnel are an exception, obviously.)


But that presupposes that discrimination is wrong. In fact, there's no reason why discrimination is always wrong. As for Constitutional value, many things that the government does are not listed in the Constitution.

If the majority of people decided the third Tuesday of every month was a holiday should the government make it a paid holiday and schedule entire lives around it? Your "mob rules" justification is hollow.

Discrimination needs to be justified and if it is not, it is illegitimate. Why is it okay to give paid holiday funds for Christmas but no paid holidays for Islam?

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

I'm a little confused as to what you mean by "funding" the holidays. Are you referring to paying for decorations, paying for celebrations, or something else?

Everything from paid days off to paying city employees to putting up and remove Christian decorations, be it Christmas or Easter. Not to mention public schools having their menus dictated by Christian beliefs.

 

[cobweb]

Everything from paid days off to paying city employees to putting up and remove Christian decorations, be it Christmas or Easter. Not to mention public schools having their menus dictated by Christian beliefs.

Are public school menus really dictated by Christian beliefs? My Christian beliefs state that my family eats a vegan diet on Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 full weeks in August, from 11/15-12/25, and for 7 weeks in the spring.

I don't see any public school basing their menus around that or anything even remotely similar.

 

[SOAD]

Christmas is listed as a federal holiday:
2012 Federal Holidays

The claim it is "secular" is a known laughable legal loophole and is no less silly than claiming water is dry when liquids are prohibited.

Yes, it may very well be laughable, however the paid holiday is not limited to the government. I work private sector and I get Christmas off as a paid holiday. Everybody I know gets the day off with pay, or receives double time if working. All schools get the time off, so religious or not almost everybody gets the day off and workers get paid. It is not limited to Christians so it is fair in my book.

I do not mind if Christmas is a paid holiday for government workers.

I would rather see them lose Columbus Day and some other paid holidays in which I do not get time off or paid.

 

[DaisyDay]

Everything from paid days off to paying city employees to putting up and remove Christian decorations, be it Christmas or Easter.

Easter is the high holy day of Christianity, but I rarely see any public Easter displays that refer to the arisen Christ rather than the Easter bunny.

Not to mention public schools having their menus dictated by Christian beliefs.

Public school menus should accommodate religious beliefs and rituals as much as is feasible both financially and practicability but not be dictated by them. In other words, offer fish sticks on Friday but allow other choices.

Are there any public schools that keep Kosher? Or Halal?

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

Yes, it may very well be laughable, however the paid holiday is not limited to the government. I work private sector and I get Christmas off as a paid holiday. Everybody I know gets the day off with pay, or receives double time if working. All schools get the time off, so religious or not almost everybody gets the day off and workers get paid. It is not limited to Christians so it is fair in my book.

I do not mind if Christmas is a paid holiday for government workers.

I would rather see them lose Columbus Day and some other paid holidays in which I do not get time off or paid.

I never said it is endemic to government funded holidays. What private companies do is irrelevant to this discussion of government funded recognition of a religious holiday.

Why is it acceptable to fund Christian holidays but not other religious holidays?

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

Are public school menus really dictated by Christian beliefs? My Christian beliefs state that my family eats a vegan diet on Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 full weeks in August, from 11/15-12/25, and for 7 weeks in the spring.

I don't see any public school basing their menus around that or anything even remotely similar.

Schools do not have to serve food according to your personal religious schedule in order for schools to let Christianity dictate menus.

Fish being served on Friday is strictly a religious practice and most public schools follow it.

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

Easter is the high holy day of Christianity, but I rarely see any public Easter displays that refer to the arisen Christ rather than the Easter bunny.

Public school menus should accommodate religious beliefs and rituals as much as is feasible both financially and practicability but not be dictated by them. In other words, offer fish sticks on Friday but allow other choices.

Are there any public schools that keep Kosher? Or Halal?

Several states have Good Friday as a paid holiday.

Why should schools allow religion to dictate the menu? That is endorsing religion and since it is impossible to equally recognize all religious dietary standards it is discrimination to accommodate any specific religion.

 

[cobweb]

Schools do not have to serve food according to your personal religious schedule in order for schools to let Christianity dictate menus.

Fish being served on Friday is strictly a religious practice and most public schools follow it.

Not here they don't. The schools here serve pepperoni pizza every single Friday. It was the same way when I was in school.

 

[RealDealNeverstop]

Not here they don't. The schools here serve pepperoni pizza every single Friday. It was the same way when I was in school.

I didnt say all public schools serve fish on friday.