nativity scene at work

Ima2NYM_LTR

Thu, Dec 13 2007, 6:00 pm

I work in a state office building, as a temp for the state.

the office I work in is over decorated for this time of year. I said that s long as they kept their decorations out of my area, I wouldnt make a fuss...well they put up a couple of snowmen holding xmas stuff, I made an issue and they took it down.

Fixed, right?

NOPE!

My supervisor brought in a nativity scene. its not right in front of my desk, but whenever I am walking in that direction I see it quite clearly. I cant make another fuss, because there was a problem with my temp agency, and I just switched to a new one. Also...xmas music...and Im not talking just frosty and rudolph..I mean oh come all ye faithful and little town of bethleham and stuff like that (if I hear one more time some song claiming that he is the king of Israel I may throw the radio out the window)

how should I survive the next 1.5 weeks

anuta

Thu, Dec 13 2007, 6:23 pm

Rebecca,

since your supervisor didn't put the nativity scene ON your desk, I don't think you can make a fuss.
What you CAN do is bring a menorah and decorate your desk in blue and silver.
You can also use headphones, either the noise cancelling ones or the ones attached to an ipod with YOUR kind of music, and work to your music instead of the radio.

Ima2NYM_LTR

Thu, Dec 13 2007, 6:36 pm

Thanks

I had chanukah decoration up but I took it down late yesterday to differentiate. if I leave it up for another 2 weeks I feel I may be giving the message that they are just Jewish xmas decorations.

I do use my ipod, but not all the time..and the radio happens to be sitting right above my space (its been there longer then I have)

Crayon210

Wed, Dec 19 2007, 7:12 pm

Daven for the revelation of Moshiach now!

I'm sure it must be very annoying. I'm sorry. The only thing that will really fix it is Moshiach.

Hatzlacha.

louche

Wed, Dec 19 2007, 8:00 pm

greenfire wrote:

I'm with the menorah ... and I would have left them up ...

Personally I think that any religious symbols or displays in a public workplace violate the principle of separation of religion and state (if you think the USA is not a christian country, the very phrase "separation of church and state" proves that it is), but if they're going to thumb their noses at this principle, then by golly I'm going to ignore it, too.

Thing is, Chanuka was so early this year, and the holiday decoration lady so late, relatively, that I didn't even think to take out my one Chanuka decoration and put it up. It would be silly at this point to haul it out since it wasn't up at Chanuka.

This year my blow for our side consists solely of my plain unadorned office door contrasting with everyone else's tinsel-bedecked workspaces.

Clarissa

Wed, Dec 19 2007, 9:26 pm

I asked my husband, who works at a government job here, and he said he doesn't think there's any rule against having things like this on one's desk or in one's office. Not that it matters, but he said it wouldn't bother him if someone had a nativity scene or whatever in their space. He feels there is religious freedom and freedom of self-expression and all that, in one's personal workspace. Obviously, if it was in a general public area, that wouldn't be okay, because of separation of church and state.

Mimisinger

Wed, Dec 19 2007, 9:31 pm

Um, who says there's separation of church and state?

There's Menorah lighting at the white house, as well as a tree and there's a cresh (nativity scene) on the lawn.

Clarissa

Wed, Dec 19 2007, 9:33 pm

There's supposed to be separation of church and state. Personally, the White House public celebration of any religious holiday has always bugged me.

anuta

Wed, Dec 19 2007, 10:35 pm

I am lucky, we have a Jewish (conservative) secretary, and she was decorating office doors, I got a blue star of David covered with sparkles, she got a dreidel...

louche

Thu, Dec 20 2007, 10:24 am

Mimisinger wrote:

Um, who says there's separation of church and state?

There's Menorah lighting at the white house, as well as a tree and there's a cresh (nativity scene) on the lawn.

and don't think there hasn't been controversy over them, either. As clarissa says, there's supposed to be separation--it's one of the fundamental principles upon which the US of A was founded. I find nativity scenes on government property particularly offensive--there is no way one can argue that that is not a definitive christian religious symbol. Snowmen, wintry scenes, tinsel you can argue are just "seasonal", but a nativity is a religious symbol, period. I truly do not understand how they can justify such a thing. What more proof do we need that this is a christian country? they allow the menorah because if they didn't, they'd have to get rid of the nativity.

I for one would be quite willing to forego the menorah on the white house lawn if they'd abolish the nativity, too.

ChavieK

Thu, Dec 20 2007, 1:17 pm

I don't think there is much you can do unless someone tries to kiss you under the mistletoe. Do you want to be the one to stir things up? Is it worth it to you? Go with the ipod idea. Oh well if you can't hear people talking to you. LOL