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Tom Breen: Pagan Holidays Added to Excused Absences [LINK-ZUM]

When George Fain visits a grave to mark a pagan holiday, she won't have to worry about the work she's missing in her classes at Marshall University. That's because her absence Thursday on the Samhain holiday has been approved by the Huntington school, which for the first time is recognizing pagan students' desire to be excused from class for religious holidays and festivals. [...] "I think we may have opened a door," she said. "Now that we know we can be protected, that the government will stand behind us and we feel safe, it's going to be more prevalent."

[Article continues at link. A door has indeed been opened. There's no way to shut that door if Fain later switches to another superstition, such as Christianity. Fain gets Samhain off as a pagan and would have every right to expect Christmas off as a Christian. Or Ramadan off as a Muslim, or Passover off as a Jew. Huntington school must soon initiate a policy of not allowing people to change superstitions if it wants to keep students in class at all. Between all the superstitions I'm sure that most if not every day is some sort of Holy Day. That door just opens more and more wide once it gets started. Except there doesn't seem to be a provision for atheists. Could I get a day off from Huntington school because I sincerely don't believe in God? That door doesn't open much, if at all. A more reasonable policy might be for schools and employers to offer a set number of 'no questions asked' days off. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: atheist, christianity, education, islam, magick

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