Woman: I Was Fired For Saying 'Merry Christmas'-Company Wanted Customers Greeted W/ 'Happy Holidays'

[The Straight Story]

Woman: I Was Fired For Saying 'Merry Christmas'
Company Wanted Customers Greeted With 'Happy Holidays'


PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A Christian woman claims she was fired from her job because she greeted callers with "Merry Christmas," but the vacation rental company says it's no Scrooge and the woman is just a disgruntled employee.

Tonia Thomas, 35, said she refused to say "Happy Holidays" and was fired, even after offering to use the company's non-holiday greeting. The Panama City woman filed a federal complaint that accuses the company of religious discrimination. She is seeking compensation for lost wages.

"I hold my core Christian values to a high standard and I absolutely refuse to give in on the basis of values. All I wanted was to be able to say 'Merry Christmas' or to acknowledge no holidays," she said Tuesday. "As a Christian, I don't recognize any other holidays."

Thomas said she is Baptist.



http://www.clickorlando.com/holidays/18345634/detail.html#-

[dysfunctional press]

1. "As a Christian, I don't recognize any other holidays."

what about easter? isn't THAT supposed to be the MOST IMPORTANT holiday BY FAR for christians...? :shrug:

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. Crimeny. For centuries, Christmas was ILLEGAL because of Protestants like her

It was considered a "papist" holiday, based on a pagan festival and with no foundation in Scripture. For centuries in England and its colonies, the Netherlands, Protestant parts of Germany and other areas where Protestantism held sway any acknowledgement of Christmas as being different from any other day was a criminal offense.

I just cringe at willfully ignorant people like her.

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. Cool! She can work at my bank. I'd like them to be open on Independence day. n/t

[polmaven]

27. Well,

I'm sure she meant she only recognizes Christian holidays.

But she was being paid to work with people who have other than Christian beliefs, so she is, in my opinion, totally in the wrong. And I am saying this as a person with a strong Christian faith.

[TahitiNut]

29. Perhaps she just doesn't have a 'service' attitude.

I wonder how she'd react if it were suggested she wash the feet of the poor and homeless. :shrug:

[polmaven]

42. You're on the money.

I wonder how long she had been employed by this employer, and what she has done in the past.

[TahitiNut]

47. There is an honor and profound grace in such a 'service' attitude. It's a shame more folks

... haven't had the opportunity to experience the inner peace and sense of graceful humility and love that comes from surrendering to the lesson of "as ye do even for the least of these ..." While there are some intensely personal experiences that I avoid discussing, I will say that I eschew dogma and subjugation to organized religion and find some Truth in all major faith traditions. It seems clear to me that some of the rituals and practices remain as mere skeletons of more profound experiential processes that may, at one time, have been practiced as a means of awakening an inner comprehension of a spiritual Truth. The "washing of feet" is one such ritual. If one is fortunate enough to find a Teacher (Guru or Rabbi, if you will) who can guide one in such learning experiences, it's a life-changing experience which makes "born again" appear like a cheap, plastic imitation.

I strongly suspect that such Teachers were far more prevalent at one time in humanity's history - before we adopted the (imbalanced) one-sided 'intellectualism' that marks contemporary educational approaches. One of the often unnoticed elements of the "Flower Power" years was a reawakening of the meditative/contemplative/experiential basis for 'knowing' ... an approach that sadly doesn't yield to the 'factory method' of megachurches and megaschools.

(sigh)

[SharonAnn]

51. She was paid to do a "job". She can be a Christian on her own time.

She is not being paid to proselytyze.

The company sets the performance rules. If she doesn't like them or doesn't want to perform according to them, then she should quit.

End of rant!

[dysfunctional press]

53. yep. she has a very un-christian work ethic.

but then christian is generally synonymous with hypocrite, so it's to be expected, i guess.

[liberalpress]

2. I tend to believe...

the retailer on this one. Woman probably a wing-nut, offering talk shows something to talk about

[Sub Atomic]

56. They're getting their war on with my Christmas!!

[Joe Steel]

3. That's the way it is...

That's the way it is in the world of "at will" employment; the employer hires and fires as he wishes. Tough, lady. You should have followed orders.

[nxylas]

18. The "at will" policies that she probably supports to the hilt

Because they're Republican policies, and therefore blessed by Jeezis.

[Bonobo]

4. Smell test = FAIL.

[rhett o rick]

7. Good post. Look at the time of mine. nm

[rhett o rick]

5. This smells to high heaven, so to speak. I bet O'Reilly put her up to it. nm

[liberalmuse]

6. Somehow I don't think that is the reason she was fired.

All I wanted was to be able to say 'Merry Christmas' or to acknowledge no holidays," she said Tuesday. "As a Christian, I don't recognize any other holidays."

[rhett o rick]

9. Apparently God wanted her fired. nm

[mwb970]

8. She was willing to give up her job to not have to say "Happy Holidays"!

Hundreds of thousands are losing their jobs involuntarily and this freak gives hers up so she can feel like a victimized martyr. Another sad, fallen soldier in the War On Christmas.

People like this are so lost and pathetic that I can only feel sorry for them.

[sandnsea]

10. It goes against her religious beliefs

so according to the new law Bush just passed, she can say whatever she wants. Everybody can do whatever they want at work and base it on their religious or moral beliefs.

I hope to see a lot more of this to the point the entire work place is fucked up and they have to admit the entire concept of letting people decide what meets their standard of morality is not going to work.

[spinbaby]

13. It's only free speech when they do it

They're the first to be offended by a "Happy Festivus."

[sandnsea]

32. Oh that too

In fact, I think we should all make an effort to contact our friends who work at religious organizations and encourage them to wish everyone a "Happy Festivus". And maybe turn this law on its head and use it to advance the right to be gay at work and everything else they've said religious bosses had authority over.

[spinbaby]

11. I've lost all patience with this kind of thing

It's like the pharmacist who won't sell birth control pills, except her aberration does less damage.

[Javaman]

14. this woman, in a word, is a moron. nt

[Lerkfish]

17. is that a cross between a moran and a mormon?

:)

[Javaman]

19. Ooo good one. :) nt

[Political Tiger]

16. Sounds like she was fired for insubordination.

The spin is that she was fired for saying "Merry Christmas."

These religious-Reich nuts seem to think they can can dictate the rules of their employment to their employer.

[Ellen Forradalom]

20. The phrase "Merry Christmas" is but the tip of a giant iceberg of attitude.

What's the difference between her attitude and "My parents don't run my life!" Grow up, lady. Unlike parents, employers can fire you.

[Vickers]

21. "was fired, even after offering to use the company's non-holiday greeting"

She stuck to her guns (until of course the shit hit the fan and she realized her fundy bullshit got her fired).

:eyes:

[Warren Stupidity]

22. Another Victory in the War On Christmas Comrades!

This is a great day! REMEMBER: FINAL ASSAULT IS TONIGHT!

[Joe Chi Minh]

23. The morons. "Holiday" is only a contraction of "holy day", emphasising the religious

significance of Christmas, when it had all but faded from the public consciousness, in favour of consumerism - now on the way out, itself by the look of it. Truly, God is not mocked.

[Crunchy Frog]

31. Yes, but it could be referring to someone else's holy day.

She must make sure that she's not acknowledging anyone else but fellow Christians.

[Joe Chi Minh]

38. If it refers to someone else's holy day, how can they complain? Sounds perfect to me.

Before Christianity came to Britain, it used to be a pagan holy day. Atheists try so hard to atomise society, but it won't happen. You'll always be a minority.

In Europe, you wield inordinate power in relation to your numbers, but it won't last.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

44. You sound threatened.......

What's with the finger-pointing?

[Joe Chi Minh]

63. Well, that's funny. It's just what I had been thinking about atheists.

Christians aren't at all phased at the thought of pagans having their own holiday on the same day, but there's usually a strident anger in the way atheists pitch their comments. It occurred to me that we could feel complacent becuse we form a large majority so don't feel so threatened.

I mean why be upset about someone wishing you a Happy Christmas. If a pagan said to me, "Happy Odin's Day" or whatever, I'd be tickled pink! What's to recoil in anger about?! So, someone believes in some other putative deity. It may be that they could end up with at least a Christian heart (the only thing that will matter on Judgment Day), and in the meantime, I could lose my own soul. God works to avery idiosyncratic schedules. But in this case, why pander to an aggressive minority, who want to impose their will on you. You could end up taking people to court for wearing a baseball cap, or having their hair cut in a certain style, or maybe driving a certain model of car. Society can't keep pandering to the increasingly idiosyncratic tastes of ever smaller minorities, which would be the logical conclusion to this line of thought.

If a society is not bound in some general sense by an overarching belief system, the alternative is bound to be increasing anarchy and anomie. Most of our laws even developed from a Christian culture.

It would have been really funny if she's said, Happy Holy Day, with a distinct emphasis on the word, "Holy". Then the supervisor had come over and said to her, "No. Say it as one word, and pronouncing the first syllable as 'holly'", as in the plant. And then she agreed with an engaging smile, and continued to say "Happy Holy Day". All this, again and again. You imagine at the employment tribunal her supervisor, saying that after repeated warnings, to which she appeared to acquiesce, she still kept saying holy day. Judge: "But, but, isn't that the true meaning; you're not parroting a formula, but referring to something special - in fact, "holy".

[Crunchy Frog]

64. Are you calling me an atheist?

I don't adhere to any religion, but I'm not an atheist. At any rate, that post was not about myself, but about this lady who doesn't want to acknowledge any holiday but the Christian one. I'm just fine with holidays. The more the merrier. :shrug:

[marshall]

61. Holiday is a very old Christian term referring to numerous holy days

It like many other Christian terms and ideals has been borrowed by other religions.

[rateyes]

24. I'm glad she filed a lawsuit...

that way she'll not only lose her employment, she will lose a lot of the money she made while employed to a bunch of lawyers.

"You can't fix stupid."

[TahitiNut]

25. Is "Parlock" her maiden name??

Inquiring minds want to know. :shrug:

[Crunchy Frog]

26. She wants to have the legal right to discriminate against

non-Christian customers? Sounds like she was legitimately fired.

[gravity]

28. If she doesn't want to do her job, it is her problem

I always feel that people who make a big deal out of "Happy Holidays" cause a lot of other problems at work too.

[tjwash]

30. I swear they recycle this same exact story every year.

nt

[47of74]

33. How long will it be until Bill Orally dredges this up as another example

How long will it be until Bill Orally dredges this up as another example of his war on Christma?

[snooper2]

34. LMAO

"She said the trauma of being fired and the pay cut has made for a tough holiday season for herself, her husband and their 6-year-old son."


Jesus will get you through it lady :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Warpy]

35. Lady, you don't own December

so boo fucking hoo.

Cry me a river and then jump into it and drown.

IMO, the company was just as silly as she was but I strongly suspect this wasn't the only "stand" the silly cow took. I strongly suspect she was fired for generally being an intolerant asshole.

[crim son]

36. Her choice.

When people are struggling to find work, she decides now is the time to assert her belief that Christmas is the only holiday celebrated at this time of year. I hope she struggles to find a new position.

[MADem]

37. What a fucking dipshit. She was hired to do a job, and she failed to do that job.

In this economy, there are a hundred people lined up to take her place. She can kiss her persecuted ass goodbye.

She may not even get unemployment, because it was her own gross and avoidable negligence and failure to follow directives that caused her termination.

[southernyankeebelle]

39. How nice

This woman should have been fired. The company wants her to say happy holidays than she should. The business has clients that are not christain. Like a lot of good christains it saddens me because Jesus was a Jew and he wasn't born in December. Lady needs to get a life outside of church. The country is part of the bigger world. I am a christain but I respect others religion. I finally realized one day when I moved to a very small rural southern town and there was only 1 catholic church and 30 or 40 different other churches. So as a minority church I can understand how others would feel. I wish all people of faith understand that people aren't against your religion for saying happy holiday. It is respecting everyone's religion. Now we will hear O'Reilly crying that its the liberals fault. It isn't we ALL love christmas even if its not the birth of jesus.

[RetroLounge]

40. Just another dumbfuck for Jeebus

:eyes:

RL

[CrownPrinceBandar]

46. Another dumbfuck..........

who doesn't get what Jeebus was all about. I see alot of modern Jeebus-freaks missing the point these days. Love ≠ intolerance.

[RetroLounge]

48. Better put, thank you.

she misses the whole point.

thanks

RL

[LynneSin]

52. the Jeebus freaks have a serious problem - they read all of the bible except the gospel

because if they read the Gospel, the actual books about Jesus, they'd have a fricking clue.

[alfredo]

41. Christmas is a minor holiday compared to Easter. Everyone gets born, but

not everybody gets crucified, reanimates then flies into the sky like that guy in Heroes.

[Obamanaut]

43. According to the article, she said it will be a tough holiday season

- one wonders why it won't be a tough christmas instead, if she is that insistent on calling this particular holiday christmas and not by any other name.


From the article "She said the trauma of being fired and the pay cut has made for a tough holiday season for herself, her husband and their 6-year-old son."

[TygrBright]

45. Yknow, this SHOULD be a non-issue.

Back when I was putting myself through school, I took a good many jobs doing switchboard work, acting as receptionist, etc. I ALWAYS understood that as the "face" and "greeting voice" of my employer, my job was to say what they wanted me to say, not whatever I felt like saying that day.

IOW, if they wanted me to answer the phone "Dewey Cheatham & Howe, Good morning/afternoon," I did not have the option of answering "Dewey, Cheatham, and how may I direct your call?" even if I thought it was funnier, memorable, etc.

Likewise, if my instructions were to rise, come out from behind my desk, offer to take a visitor's coat, and offer them coffee if the person they were there to see was in a meeting, it was not permissible for me to glance up, smile, and say "So-and-so is in a meeting and will be with you in a minute, please make yourself comfortable."

And so on.

Of COURSE she was fired. Personally, I think it's blowing up a tempest in a teacup to fire here solely on those grounds, but I'm willing to bet a substantial sum that she has a history of being annoying and otherwise unsatisfactory and this was just the last straw.

speculatively,
Bright

[LynneSin]

49. She's working a job and the job had a requirement - say "Happy Holidays"

clearly the woman was not willing to listen to her superiors. And in this market she can be fired and about 20 other people could be hired in her place.

[norepubsin08]

50. FUCK HER!!!!

That's the problem I have as a Christian is that the fundies (I belong to a mainline church that doesn't jam it's Christianity down other people's throats) try to legislate their belief system on everyone else. Talk about going against the constitution and the principals of what our nation is supposed to be....I have had a firm belief that almost all fundies are stupid and simple minded and the only smart ones are in it for evil!!!

[Nikki Stone1]

62. No, thanks. I want to be able to look at myself in my morning eggnog.

:)

[guitar man]

54. gawd, some of the comments

are as bad as the subject of the article. Like this little gem on page 2 of the comment section. :eyes:

And one more thing...if you aren't Christian or Jewish, it isn't a holiday for you, so what's the point in wishing a you happy holiday? That's like saying "Happy Mothers Day" to a childless woman, isn't it?

piss ignorance at its absolute worst...If I had time today, I'd sign up there and straighten that idiot out. :grr:

[mondo joe]

55. If you can't do the job, don't expect to keep it. I would fire her too. NT

[taught_me_patience]

57. Vacation rental company in Pensacola

I'm sure many of the clients of the company are Jewish. Company doesn't want to offend their clients. I support the firing in this case.

[gtar100]

58. I doubt that's why she was fired; probably fired for being stubborn and self-rightous.

Her type of attitude is from years of indoctrination. She may think it's about her holding to her "core Christian values" but from the outside, she's arrogant and narrow-minded.

[Warren DeMontague]

59. *

[kevinbgoode]

60. Shouldn't that read "an alleged Christian" or "self-described Christian"

Why are conservatives the only ones allowed to be described (without evidence) as "Christians?"

Hell, I never see gays called "Christian"...except a couple of times when accounts say "a gay who says he is a Christian" - but yet con-artist con-servatives, no matter how unloving they are, no matter how un-Christ-like they behave, are allowed a complete free pass.

As for this "religious discrimination" claim, how can she claim "religious" discrimination when she already admitted she didn't recognize any other religious holidays but her own? As a representative of the store, is she entitled to belittle other religious beliefs at will? I think a customer should file a suit against her and the store claiming SHE was trying to advocate her religion over all others - and worse - attempt to lead customers to believe that there were special sales for "Christians" only.