Posted on 02/04/2005 7:08:40 PM PST by DouglasKC
Is it OK to heal a leper on the Sabbath?
I'm all for Sabbath keepers observing their Sabbath. But I'm also against suing your boss because of YOUR religion. If you don't like the work hours, get a different job.
Sure it is. Our saviour Jesus Christ did it.
Suppose your boss told you that you can't have a bible in your car. Or read the bible in your cube at lunch. Or discuss religion with a co-worker.
I do agree though that the situation needs to be resolved in a charitable and Christian manner and that a lawsuit should be the last resort.
My car is privately owned. If it was a company car, I'd have to respect his wishes, I guess. But in my privately owned vehicle, I don't think he'd even know what's in it.
Or read the bible in your cube at lunch.
If he didn't want a bible on the work premises, I'd go outside and read it. Probably fetch it from my privately owned car.
Or discuss religion with a co-worker.
There can be many good reasons for this. Arguments over religion can lead to a disharmony in the workplace. Same with politics. Or sex. Or any number of topics that can be contentious. I'm in Ireland - and there's an unwritten rule in PUBS - yes Public Houses!!!! - that politics and religion should never be discussed (because it leads to rows).
Fighting for your legal rights in court is one issue, but there is also the issue of maintaining a good testimony as a disciple of the Messiah. Some questions you might want to consider:
Do I really want to work for an employer who lets me have the Sabbath off only because he was forced to do so by the court?
Will going to court result in resentment and/or jealousy in my workplace, and do I want to work in such an atmosphere? Is this job really worth fighting for?
Is it possible that letting me have every Sabbath off really would cause undue hardship for my employer’s business?
Even if the court rules in my favor, would there still be some hardship (though not "undue"), and would it be right to let my employer bear this inconvenience?
Oh, I think that the author is very measured in his response to what one should do.
But he/she does suggest taking legal recourse as an option. And that is something that I do not think should be considered.
I've had this discussion with my boss. With the growing Muslim population in Ireland, I've asked my boss how he feels about employing people with 'relgious' requirements attached to their employment. He said he wouldn't be keen. His words: 'If I hire someone who needs to pull out a prayer mat in the middle of the newsroom a couple of times a day, how can I tell the Catholics working here that they can't flock to the Church for Benediction, the Angelus and morning Mass?'.
I guess it comes down to where our priorities lie. If our first priority is to our faith then we should be ready to deal with whatever persecution and difficulties come our way. In America this is mitigated somewhat by the founders recognition that God is our creator. I'm sure that 200 years ago (or even 75 years ago) that nobody would have a problem with public prayers in our places of employment. The bosses would probably have been the ones leading the prayer.
In fairness...over here our company acknowledges Christmas, Good Friday, Easter etc. But Ireland is a Catholic country, predominantly.
Won't be long, I guess until someone is preaching 'Happy holidays' at us. But we're holding firm on the Christianity bit, to date.
I think companies probably celebrate whatever holy days are the cultural norm. I celebrate the holy days listed in the book of Leviticus (the "Jewish" days). I'm self-employed now, but when I worked it would have been great if my company had observed the same days. But in no way did I ever expect them to. I used my vacation days to get those days off. It would probably be the same with Muslims in a catholic country like Ireland.
Having all that said...if my company didn't observe those days. I'd work them. Same as I work Sundays if I'm required (not all the time, but sometimes)...or Christmas (I work for the news media...so the news doesn't stop on Christmas Day, if you know what I mean.)
But, I firmly believe a person who cannot observe their faith 'outside of office hours' should find a job that suits them better.
I agree that it's probably the best choice. God's way and the ways of the world are often in conflict. But sometimes religious discrimination can be intentional and blatant. In that case we should uphold our faith.
The Reformers did not break with the Catholic Church over the issue of the sabbath. Nonetheless, given the penchant of Protestants for interpreting the Bible their own way and making difference in biblical interpretation a reason to found a new church, it was inevitable that some Protestant would seize upon the seventh day sabbath passage as a pretext to start another denomination and anathematize all others. The JW's do the same thing when it comes to blood transfusions. The Calvinists do the same thing when it comes to free will.
You're stealing my lines.
This is a judaising imposition. Christians worship on the eighth day.
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That's between you and God, but Christ had some thoughts on this:
Mat 6:30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Mat 6:31 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'
Mat 6:32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Mat 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
I honestly believe that if we live God's way he will take care of us...
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