Outcry As Muslim M&s Worker Refuses To Sell ‘unclean’ Bible Book

[The Scribe]

Pornography to one is art or education to another. Of course, one must, and should, abide by anti-obscenity laws. Blasphemy to one is not to another.

But, to Christians and Muslims it's not art or educational.

Who said anything about selling inappropriate material to children. We are discussing adults rights.

You said you believe that a book stores should be a marketplace of ideas.
Why limit those ideas to adults? :saint:

I think you said the opposite of what you wanted to say with this double negative. But who appointed you the arbiter of what a Christian should do?

It has been corrected.

A Christian book store is where you would need to work, not in a secular one.

Depends on the Christian book store.

 

[The Scribe]

Selling a book may allow others to sin and I would agree that we should do our best to prevent that. But ultimately it is the choice of the buyer to sin, not the seller and selling the book itself is not a sin.

It's a sin if the book tells the reader there is another god other than Christ.

So, it would be okay with you to sell pornography?

 

[Walguy]

As Paul pointed out, if you believe something is sin, then it is sin for you. If someone believes that selling a particular book is a sin, they should not sell it. But they do not have the RIGHT to not sell it, if selling it is part of the job they were hired to do. If a job includes duties that a particular person considers sinful, he should not take the job. If he takes it and then refuses to do a legitimate duty of the job, he should be fired like anyone else who refused to do the job they were hired to do would be.
This falls in the same category as Muslim cab drivers refusing to pick up passengers with dogs, and phamacists who refuse to dispense certain legal medications. If such exceptions can be negotiated with the employer, so that a different person can sell the book or dispense the drug without inconveniencing the customer, well and good. But no one has the RIGHT to refuse to do the job they were hired to do. (Or to make insulting comments concerning a customer's choice of merchandise.)

 

[Matt Black]

Marks and Spencer have apologised to the customer. They have launched an investigation and, according to them, the store-worker's remarks were about her hands being 'unclean' (in which case why not use the more usual word 'dirty', rather than 'unclean', which has clear religious/ritual overtones?). In any event pretty much everyone here, Christian, Muslim or otherwise are united in agreeing that if the word 'unclean' was in reference to the Children's Bible, then she was totally out of order.

 

[Born_in_Crewe]

That story from M & S has to be made up. As Matt Black says, you wouldn't say your hands were "unclean", or at least its very unlikely you would say that. I think M&S KNOW what happened but they have made up this story in order to protect their own reputation and stop the story becoming too big.

 

[just-want-peace]

Regardless of your take on the actual incident, does anyone think that if the roles were reversed that there would not have been a nuclear media explosion about those " *&#(%^ Christians" acting like taliban/al Queda, etc. trying to force their beliefs on others????

 

[Trotter]

The Koran is basically a Bible rewritten by a man to elevate himself to the level of God.

Actually, the Koran has very little to do with the bible. It shares some of the same beginnings, but after that it is all Mo-Mo's fantasies and fairy tales. Sacred it ain't.

 

[David Lamb]

I believe that book stores should be a marketplace of ideas, where all kinds of books are sold.

For information, this incident did not happen in a book shop, but in a branch of Marks & Spencer ("M&S"). M&S sells mainly clothing, but also sells food, housewares and some books, but in no way is it a book shop.

 

[The Scribe]

Actually, the Koran has very little to do with the bible. It shares some of the same beginnings, but after that it is all Mo-Mo's fantasies and fairy tales. Sacred it ain't.

That's what I said he rewrote the Bible. He kept what he wanted and rewrote the rest.

 

[LadyEagle]

Thread closing warning. This thread will be closed no sooner than 12:45 a.m. ET by one of the moderators.

LE

 

[LadyEagle]

Closed per previous warning. LE