Multi-culturalism in America

I really believe that the separation of church and state is one of the strongest and most important ideals that the United States was founded upon. Still, almost every time I turn around, State-supported Christianity is just slamming me in the face once again.

This week happens to be one of the most offensive to me. You see, Tuesday night was the first night of Passover, one of the holiest nights for Jews around the world. It is a night of feasting and religious ceremony that starts precisely at sundown. Friday happens to be Good Friday, a minor holiday in the whole list of Christian religious holidays… and tomorrow is Easter.

Did businesses (in general&#41 close down in time for Jews to get home in time for sundown Tuesday night? No. If you wanted to make arrangements to celebrate this holiday, you have to go to your management and request for the time off. On this day, tens of thousands of American Jews had to go to their bosses, managers and supervisors to request that they are allowed to celebrate one of the most significant holidays of their year. Some Jews have been been told by insensitive managers that "Since it lasts a couple of days, can't you just leave early tomorrow?"

However, it is assumed that most people want to take a minor holiday off to just basically laze around. Christians don't tend to go to church for Good Friday and there is no prohibition to work or command to pray on this day. It's essentially just a day off which reminds Christians that they are the privileged class in this country.

Tomorrow is Easter, which to the best of my knowledge signifies the day that a large rodent arose from the dead to give chocolate to the children of Judea. Still, this is a day which has significant Christian significance, and all Christians (except for those wacky Orthodox Christians&#41 are to go to mass on Sunday morning. Still, does all commerce have to stop for the whole day? I mean, come on here… go to church at 10 am, get out by noon, and the city can re-open for business by 1pm. But no… tomorrow, the city will be closed all day. Aren't there enough secular Christians, Jews, Atheists and Agnostics out there to keep the city open until the Christians are out of church?

Yeah. I really see how well multi-culturalism works in America, as long as the multiple cultures that are trying to co-exist are Catholics and Protestants.