The Employers Forum on Belief says closing down over Christmas is ‘indirect discrimination’. The Forum, comprising major employers like Barclays, Sainsbury’s, West Midlands Police and the Department of Business, 
Innovation and Skills, advises that shutting offices could be resented by members of other faiths. They have to use up their holidays for their own religious festivals while Christians are given time off for Christmas. The Forum suggests that companies can ease tension by pointing out that shutting down at this time makes economic sense, and admits that celebrating Christmas should not offend minorities, yet recommends avoiding the use of religious-looking seasonal decorations.Source: Daily Telegraph (21/11)
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7 comments:
Oh don't you just hate it! I did a little cut and paste on my clip art heading and added a little drawing I made of Christ to "put Christ back in Christmas" so to speak. And, I say "Merry Christmas" with love and respect for all.
We used to be able to say that ours was a Christian country. I wish it still were!
A few thoughts. First, can the Forum point to any evidence that members of other faiths feel discriminated against by Christmas celebrations and holidays? Or is this more of the same secularist rumour-mongering?
Secondly, would the Forum like to comment on the fact that in Saudi Arabia it is forbidden to wear a cross or clerical collar at any time? Even during Gulf War 1, when there was a real risk of an Iraqi invasion and the Saudis were delighted to have Coalition Forces on their land, forces padres were not allowed to wear crosses. Christians living in Muslim countries have to live with Muslim festivals, and have to take their own holidays in order to celebrate Christmas if they so wish. Would the Forum care to reflect on "when in Rome..."?
Thirdly, just up the road from me in Keighley there is a set of lights across the road with a sort of festive pattern in the middle and on one side "Eid Mubarak" and the other "Happy Christmas". Both festivals are celebrated in the community. Good. As it should be - and nobody takes offence at the celebrations of the others.
Fourthly, how precisely does the Forum suggest that the world of work should function if all Christians took Christmas holidays while the members of other faiths tried to come in to work, and vice versa during Eid, or Ramadan, or Divali? Can we have a little realism, here? Even a bit of honesty, which is to admit that this has stuff-all to do with removing perceived discrimination, and everything to do with secularist embarrassment at the continuing survival of religious belief?
It isn't Winterval - it's Christmas! Happy Christmas! Be blessed - that's what God wants.
...and why does Blogger think I'm posting at 01.40, when the clock on my PC says it's 09.40? I'm confused enough, already...
Hi Tony! Very well answered - but there need to be many more letters to the Media along those lines. We seem to be letting the secularists have all the publicity. I don't know any Muslims who complain like this, and it's not only in Muslim countries that Christmas is not a holiday. My daughter who lives and works in Buddhist Vietnam does not have a holiday at Christmas.
Blogger is in a world of its own! I'm used to being called a night bird!
I am hoping to come to your neck of the woods on 5th February for the nephew of my nephew (a West Riding Police inspector) to another member of the Force. I hope it's not too cold!
Well, February in t'Pennines is never going to be warm, but it might be mild. Probably wet. In fact, bring a wet suit, wellies, and extra woolies, and you'll be ready for anything. Pennine chic!
Some wedding gear! But my days of wearing wellies were over long ago when I had to have both ankles completely fused - fixed at 90 degrees - making it impossible to bend my ankles into wellies. It shouldn't be as cold as my native Teesdale, and even there they don't get winters like they did in the 1930s, so that you could only see t'sheeps' ears above the snow!
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