Do you think it's unfair that certain religions get a national holiday on their holy days but others don't?

Question

For example, Chrisitians/Catholics get a holiday on Christmas and Easter, but there's no official national holiday for Hanukkah or Ramadan?

Answer 1

It's for that very reason that most employers (except small ones) give "floating holidays," that can be used upon request.

Look at it the other way: folks who aren't Christian get these days off, too! Who can argue with that?????

Answer 2

I've never thought about it before, but now that I do, yes. It is unfair but I think part of it is because Catholics and Christians make up most of the nation, and so that's the time everyone is demanding off and it's easier just to make it a national holiday. Hanukkah or Ramadan aren't as popular and so enough people can still work on those days and the businesses and banks don't have to close.

Answer 3

The better question is do you realize that only in America does the average worker not receive 22 paid days of vacation a year? Most Asian countries give this and more in benefits as it provides for more motivated workers. We hardly get the 7 to 14 days we're offered and then it's oftentimes with stipulations as to how many you can take in a row, etc. So, who cares what the national holiday is for - why is it we don't get our counterparts equality of work ethic? However, you did seem to omit, that we get off for certain race days, but not others. Now where is the logistics of that? I would personally like to do away with holidays and have paid time off to use as I deem necessary with no restrictions.

Answer 4

Assuming you're talking about the United States, and considering this country was founded on Christianity and the majority of people here consider themselves Christian, no, it's not unfair.

I worked with a lady at my last job who was Jewish, and she asked for several holidays off per year (Jewish holidays) and got them. The company was cool about it and didn't make her take vacation time or anything, but she did have to work on the days that all the Christians in the office had off (Good Friday, Christmas day, assuming it was on a week day, etc.)

Answer 5

This country was pretty much all christian not very long ago


Our Founders knew the Scriptures well. That’s where they got their ideas. The example of King Saul in I Samuel 13:8 is a case in point: Samuel had told Saul to wait for him to offer a sacrifice to God. Saul becoming anxious because Samuel "came not at the set time appointed" offered the sacrifice. Samuel had not been given the consent of God to re-delegate his authority; Saul usurped authority not given him, therefore God rejected Saul from being king.



Did our Founding Fathers know the Scriptures? They knew it well. They knew the laws governing the use of authority. There are three:



1. All authority is delegated from the higher to the lower.

2. Delegated authority is always less in the ones to whom it is delegated.

3. Authority cannot be re-delegated to another without the consent, tacit or expressed, of the one who delegated it.



Those who wrote our Constitution knew, as illustrated by the example of Saul and Samuel above, it is sin to usurp (steal) the authority of another. This is one more example of the fact that ours is a Christian form of government and ours is a Christian nation: our Founders found these ideas in the Scriptures and wove them into the Constitution.



A good rule to help understand authority comes from Scripture:



Authority is for the benefit of those over whom it is exercised (Romans 13:4 [So they are called civil servants, Matt. 20:25: minister or servants; not lords I Peter 5:2-4 ); On the other hand, dominion is for the benefit of those who exercise it, (Genesis 1: 29)

Answer 6

Nope, I don't think it's unfair. Canada and the US are countries that were based on the Christian religion back in the day. That's why we celebrate Christian Holidays. If you moved to Iran, do you think the would celbrate Good Firday? Definitley not. And I wouldn't expect a Muslim country to do so either. So, if you choose to celebrate a holiday other from the Christian holidays, then do so.

Answer 7

Christmas and easter are pagan in their origin and still have the pagan symbolism; the same applies to halloween. Jewish people have their own holidays and are permitted to observe them, but they are not national holidays. I think that christians should pay more attention to the Jewish holidays and study them to learn more about Jesus. (Each part of the Jewish ceremonial system represented Jesus and his ministry for mankind.)

The closest holiday that we have that is christian is thanksgiving.

Has anybody else noticed that preparation and marketing for halloween begins in September, and as soon as it is over there is a big push for christmas and then easter without much of a mention of thanksgiving? Why is that?

Answer 8

Very unfair but that is how the big one works. The Catholics have an ambassodor to the UN and is considered a country so it a political power as well as a Christian power. Think of that when you are studying about the beast power and how people will be forced to worship the beast. That takes political power as well as wanting worship.

Answer 9

Holidays off are a benefit that companies extend to their employees. They don't have to do it but do it because they want to attract good employees. It has nothing to do with being fair or not fair so get over yourself.

Government employees, however, probably should not have any religious holidays off, however, since that could be interpreted as supporting a certain faith. Since it is not feasible to grant every holiday of every faith off they should not ever get any holidays off, ever!!!!

Thanks for the 2 points Scrooge.

Answer 10

There's no official holiday for Wiccan's either. It is unfair but in today's society the government can't give us all our holidays off work. They'd just end up taking them away all together.

Answer 11

Not really. It's a matter of culture and tradition, and the holiday applies to anyone of any religion, so no-one is being discriminated against. Hence it's not unfair.