Head Tale

Being in the US, especially on a major religious holiday, is always eye-opening to me as an atheist. For example, this chart ran with a newspaper story whose title and anecdotal themes suggested people were coming back to faith but which the hard evidence clearly suggests otherwise…

I will concede that religion and religious pressure are occasionally a good thing. All but one of the stores in Minot’s shopping mall were closed on Easter Sunday and even though we’d gone down with shopping as one of our main goals, I was still more than okay with this. (Of course that same pressure means retailers can’t open until noon and bars and restaurants can’t serve liquor at all, not only on Easter but ANY Sunday in North Dakota, something I do have a problem with.)

Re-reading, I feel like I should clarify my position. I’m not opposed to businesses, attractions and other organizations being open weekends including Sunday though I also appreciate when employers recognize Sunday’s historic role as a day of rest/time for family by paying employees a premium or otherwise recognizing this special service. But I also feel that some days should be (excuse the pun/blasphemy) sacred. Christmas and Easter are two biggies with strong religious connections but which have become important days for being with family, no matter your religious beliefs. In fact, I’d love to see maybe four sacrosanct holidays per year where only the most vital services are available (hospitals = yes, Wal-mart = no; fire stations = yes, libraries = no.)

How about Easter in the Spring, Canada Day in Summer, Remembrance Day in the Fall and Christmas in Winter? Is four days a year when the vast majority of citizens get time for themselves a bad thing?

Anyhow, this song ran through my head all weekend…