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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 10459
[Religious]
Date Posted:
7/17/2004
5:34:03 pm EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 5,242
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Comments: 6
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New Moon Upheld As Religious Holiday
Author: Jeff Lee, CanWest News Service Source: The Victoria Times Colonist (Canada)
Title: NEW MOON UPHELD AS RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY
Whenever there is a new moon, Harold Derksen must be given the day off from work. So says the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.
In a ruling released this week, the tribunal declared that Myert Corps Ltd. of Abbotsford violated Derksen's religious rights when it denied his request for time off to celebrate his religion, which requires him to refrain from working under a new moon.
The church's adherents celebrate five holy days a year and weekly "dark to dark" Sabbaths starting Friday evening and ending at the evening's nautical twilight on Saturday. Each lunar new moon, which occurs every 29.5 days, is also a cause for celebration, resulting in a strict observance that no work or trade is done for which money is paid, Junker wrote.
Submitted by and Thanks to: Annette
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Community Thoughts: There are 6 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Score One For Religious Freedom | Jul 18th. at 3:39:53 pm EDT |
by Brian (Mission Viejo, CA) - wc_xemail
I've heard about Xian sects like this, and while much of their doctrine is as creepy as that of any other fundamentalist sect, they take the new moons and weekly Sabbaths as seriously as Muslims take Ramadan ( which is also determined by sighting of the new moon) . Now, if their religion only let them see themselves as connected to these celestial events and an essential part of them, instead of seeing both themselves and the Moon as just cogs in Yahweh's wheel, there'd be quite a bit of common ground between us.
Of course, if the employer wanted to fight on religous grounds, I suppose he could have cited God's Word® and said "Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them." and it would have been his belief against the employee's :)
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| A Litte Research | Jul 18th. at 3:15:17 pm EDT |
by Starwalker (Beaufort NC) - wc_xemail
the church website (below) says:
Observes the original Holy Day sequence set forth by the apostles and the Messiah including the weekly Sabbaths, the New Moons and the annual Sabbaths, according to the biblical manner with reference to an additional page: about God's Calendar (No. 156) Find More info -- HERE
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| This Kind Of Thing Is Actually Covered.... | Jul 18th. at 1:59:22 am EDT |
by Jason (Maryland) - wc_xemail
Under the federal anti-discrimination law, time requested off for religious holidays has to be granted or accomodation made by the company unless there is an "undue hardship" to the company. So far I haven't been able to figure out exactly what that entails (I think perhaps it's determined on a case by case basis) but it's up to the company to prove the hardship if they want to keep you from taking the time off. They are required to "reasonably" accomodate your request but of course, they don't have to pay you for the missed time. Of course the company can always find something else to fire you for if they decide they don't want you anymore and then it's up to you to prove it had something to do with the religious issue. Stupid loopholes....
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| Is It Sincere? | Jul 17th. at 11:02:52 pm EDT |
by Nightwolf (Ohio) - wc_xemail
Well, I don't know if my place of work would give the OK to take off every full moon. I may have to take a vacation day.
The question to me is iif this case is sincere. If so, then progressive companies will grant the day. Others will not.
If it is not sincere then well, that person must deal with making up ways to get out of work. In the end it will all even out but it will not help others with true beliefs.
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| I Don't See... | Jul 17th. at 10:39:54 pm EDT |
by Larry D. Hols (An island in the sea of Kansas) - wc_xemail
I just don't see a problem with a request to not be scheduled due to religious conflicts. When I managed stores, I scheduled around every request due to religious observances without any question. There was never a problem with store operations due to such scheduling.
Didn't matter what religion was involved, if they needed the time off, as a reasonable, capable boss, I provided them with appropriate scheduling. Nobody should ever feel as if they have to work just because their religious holidays don't fit with the mainstream calendar.
Larry
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| Um . . . | Jul 17th. at 9:44:50 pm EDT |
by KarEEna (Perth, Australia) - wc_xemail
You know? Lots of people work through their religious holidays because they don't fit in with the flow of the workforce. I mean, Jews go to work and school on some of their most sacred holidays because Christmas is considered a holiday but Hannuka isn't. Pagans go to work or school on most of the holidays and just go home and celebrate on the night. Devout Muslims find a way to integrate their prayer times into a normal day/week without disrupting too much. Why does this guy *require* a day off a month? It sounds a bit over fanatical to me.
Oh, and why is a Christian sect celebrating the new moon? It sounds kind of Pagan to me. Does anyone know more about this group and why they observe a lunar calendar?
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