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[Queen Mum]

I work for a college.   The college is connected to a teaching hospital.

One of the programs that they offer employees is After Hours.    The program is for employees and their families- and they can invite guests to most events.  (I head up the scrapbooking events)

The program offers various bus trips.   I recently went on one to Montreal and will be going to NYC this weekend. 

I recently went on a chartered bus trip to NYC to see the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall.    I've known Jewish people who have gone and enjoyed the show - even though they have the live Nativity scene.    This time I saw an Indian family - the women in sari's and the men had the turbans on that some of them wear.   That indicates to me (possibly not correctly) that they are not "christian" in their beliefs. 

I sent an email to the director of the After Hours program asking if the program could do a bus trip to NYC to go to the show (if you buy group tickets you get a better price)   She said NO!  This is a religious activity and would not be allowed. 

However, this morning I got this email (Sent college and hospital wide)Upper Valley Amnesty International's
Sixth annual Holiday Card-Writing to Prisoners of Conscience
Wednesday, December 5
5 pm - 9 pm -- drop in anytimeJoin us to write and send messages of hope around the world to people who have been imprisoned because of what they believe in or who they are. We aim to assure these prisoners of conscience -- people punished for the nonviolent expression of their beliefs -- that they have not been forgotten. Ultimately, by drawing attention to their plight, we hope to bring about their release. Over 40,000 prisoners of conscience have been released over the years thanks to this simple action by people like you all around the world.While I appreciate that this is not religous in anyway - it is a HOLIDAY card writing project. 

It just rubbed me the wrong way and I wanted to address it.    A friend talked me out of it saying that I can't tick off the person in charge because it could impact the scrapbooking group.

What do you think?  

[anthacat]

to me it looks like you are comparing apples and oranges...although i don't understand why you can't do your trip if you have done it before and gotten good reviews.unless you are objecting to the political aspect of the card writing campaign (since it's amnesty international)? 

[Queen Mum]

I hadn't even thought of the political aspect!  But that is also a controversial thing for many.   

Yeah - I guess it's sort of like apples and oranges in some respects.   But I'm thinking that singling out this holiday for the sending of cards makes it a holiday thing.    Why not do the cards at other times of year?   

[bumblebby]

I don't understand what is wrong with learning about other religions.Nobody is forced to go to any event.We are supposed to be a tolerant society.