Making a Jehovah's Witness answer the business phones with the greeting "Merry Christmas."

[The Librarian]

Making a Jehovah's Witness answer the business phones with the greeting "Merry Christmas." Is this legal in the USA?

[Melinda Mills]

If your job is that of receptionist/telephone operator you might have to do so on behalf of a company. That is where scriptures like this come in:  "Shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself, but the inexperienced have passed along  and must suffer the penalty". Proverbs 22:3; 27:12.   Foresight and thinking ability enable one to see what one would possibly be asked to do.  Employers have requirements that they pay for and they also have rights just like the employees.

I don't live in USA but the usual greeting nowadays is "Season's Greetings!"   This is more appropriate since all customers are not Christian.  Then there is also automated answering.

Always check out the company you are interested in working for and ask for a job description. This might help you to avoid having to do work that is not in harmony with your Bible-trained conscience.

[Matthew9969]

No, there is no law here that states a person must say merry Christmas for the business they work for. If they work for a charity or a Christian store they may be encouraged to say it, but I highly doubt you would ever see a jehovahs witness working in a Christian store or a charity.

[Evacuated]

On 12/8/2017 at 1:49 PM, Matthew9969 said:

I highly doubt you would ever see a jehovahs witness working in a Christian store or a charity.

Not in a Christian store if disseminating apostate material. But Charities? Many work for these without qualms of conscience.

On 12/8/2017 at 1:49 PM, Matthew9969 said:

no law here that states a person must say merry Christmas for the business they work for.

Isn't the question more about legal protection for those who conscientously refrain from the particular greeting? Can anyone be forced on pain of dismissal to deliver a religious greeting that offends their conscience?

[Matthew9969]

Quite a while back when I took a job with Goodwill, the brother studying with me warned me about working for Christian charities, I wouldn't be allowed to be a witness if I did.

And no one should be fired for not saying merry Xmas, neither should they be forced to not say it either.

[Evacuated]

1 hour ago, Matthew9969 said:

working for Christian charities, I wouldn't be allowed to be a witness if I did.

Rubbish!

1 hour ago, Matthew9969 said:

no one should be fired for not saying merry Xmas, neither should they be forced to not say it either.

But are they?

[Matthew9969]

As I've stated, different congregations allow certain things that others wouldn't.

I do know there are quite a few stores that will tell their employee's they can only say happy holidays only because a lot of people find Christmas offensive.