Employer is a Jehovah's Witness w/over 20 employees. Can he put into policy "No Holiday Attire or Discussions"

Question

Approx. 40 employees in a personnel business. Employer wants no discussions for holiday event planning or for anyone to wear any holiday attire. Our normal dress policy is "business casual". Our company is located Ohio.

Answer 1

No he cannot. Call the ACLU on him. He has no right to impose cult beliefs on his employees. Could a Jewish employer force you to wear a little hat? of course not. Could a Satanist force you to observe satanic holy days? Why, no. This Guy needs a facefull of REALITY from an angry lawyer. We have religious freedom in this country, not only his, but yours as well. If he were to fire anyone for celebrating or discussing their own traditional religious belief/ceremonies, the yield ferom 20 lawsuits would bankrupt his company. Force the issue, like the founding fathers intended for you to. asking this of his employees is no different than telling them they must convert to being Jehovas witnesses. IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND BLATENTLY ILLEGAL.
I thought part of the J.W. doctrine was to obey and uphold the LAW>

Answer 2

If it's an issue about actually having a holiday party, do what we did at our company. A bunch of people from different religions were offended when we had a Christmas party several years ago, so then we changed it to a Holiday party, which pissed of the Jehovah's Witnesses, so we changed it to a "Winter" party, and told everyone that it is a winter get together, just like we have a summer picnic (most summer picnics are not holiday related, so the connection worked). Other than that, it's his company, his rules.

Answer 3

Sounds like your employer is using the "Golden Rule":
"S/he who has the gold makes the rules."

There is nothing that can be done. Because of common law Property Rights, the employer is free to run the business as s/he sees fit. Unless an employment law issue is violated, the Constitution stops at the curb.

Answer 4

Jehovah's Witnesses practice strict political and nationalistic neutrality, so they do not celebrate nationalistic holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day.

Other holidays derive from false religion, and so are incompatible with pure worship as adulterating interfaith. For example, Easter derives from the pagan god Oestre and celebrates "rebirth" and "fertility" instead of commemorating Christ's Last Supper and death as Jesus commanded:
(Luke 22:1-22) [Jesus] dispatched Peter and John, saying: “Go and get the passover ready for us to eat.” ...14 At length when the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them: “I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it becomes fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ... Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”

Seemingly innocuous holidays may have only a tangential connection with false worship, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day (although arguably derived from ancestor worship). Understated observance of these is not generally considered interfaith by Jehovah's Witnesses, but it is too easily misunderstood in some cultures.

Since such celebrations are not required in true worship, and can easily become a distraction, so Jehovah's Witnesses focus their attention elsewhere. In particular, they are focussed on the preaching work which *IS* a requirement for Christians:

(Luke 10:1-17) [Jesus] the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/w/2005/1/1a/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/w/2000/12/15/article_01.htm

Answer 5

in case you definitely look up the bypass connection with the scripture at John 18: 6 you will see it factors to John 7:40 six the place it states "The officers replied: “in no way has [yet another] guy spoken like this.” They knew he replaced into the "Christ" that's Greek for Messiah. It says not something approximately Him being God. alongside comparable lines, we could study Philippians 2:9, the place the apostle Paul describes what God did after Jesus died and replaced into resurrected. The verse says: "God exalted him [Jesus] to an effective place and kindly gave him the call it particularly is above another call." If Jesus replaced into God or equivalent to God formerly he died and God later exalted him to a extra physically powerful place, might that not placed Jesus above God? yet how ought to every person grow to be superior to God? And if he replaced into God formerly he died, how can God die? there is not any "secret" right here. Jesus is the Son of God. additionally, God continuously mentioned Jesus as his son, and Jesus continuously mentioned God as his father, exhibiting that God replaced into older and had extra authority. He additionally mentioned that he got here to do God's will and not his very own, exhibiting 2 wills; his father and his. 2 separate wills. in case you prefer to circulate on believing that God has 3 heads, then you ought to have 3 too, on account which you have been created in his image!

Answer 6

It does not matter what religious affiliation. If it is a single proprietor or family owned business, they can do and write policy however they desire. Just accept it or get another job.

Answer 7

Yup, he sure can.

Ironic.

Well, unless the "attire" is a requirement of your religion (like a yarmulka).

Answer 8

Yes, if he / she owns or pays the rent of the place of business.

You are on his / her time, not your own, while at work.

What you do after work is your business, at work you are on your employer's business.

Answer 9

if its his business he can do what ever he wants --if it doesnt pertain to work it should not be in the work place. it sucks but thats how it is

Answer 10

I don't see why he can't put that in there. Sounds fine to me.