That saying "Happy Easter" is out of place?

[Ethicaldebacle]

We're a Jewish family, and only celebrate Xmas in a secular / Santa way. We celebrate all other main Jewish holidays at home and our friends know this, yet they sent a message of happy Easter. Isn't this out of place? (They even knew we just had a Passover Seder!)

I don’t know. I’m not religious but have a belief system and my new neighbour is from Trinidad and has two young children. I was going to drop off Easter eggs but wasn’t sure if it would be well received so I didn’t. I wish I had but I wasn’t sure. I was going to send a Christmas card to my neighbours down stairs and again wasn’t sure, so didn’t. I kinda give up to be honest. I don’t know what to do or not to.

It can be hard.
But ultimately I can’t think anyone would really extend good wishes and mean to be insulting.

Never reject a positive and kindly message. There is little enough love in this world.

You are being very touchy.

My neighbour and good friend is Jewish - she receives my good wishes with a smile.

And I receive the Happy Easter wishes of my friends, in spite of being agnostic - I receive them as part of welcoming spring and welcoming their kindness.

It is this sort of rigidity of religious views that causes conflict.

I don’t follow a religion but have recently been told Eid Mubarak and given a token gift to celebrate. I think it’s lovely and I’m more than happy to recognise and respect occasions that are important to other people, especially when they are just spreading a message of kindness and well wishes.

You sound very intolerant, which I find sad because it’s a huge part of what’s wrong with our world.

Oh don’t! 😂 I got a 24 hour ban last week because I refused to gaslight my own actual self last week over a post’s legitimacy. You need to be 2 + 2 is whatever you say it is on here these days.

@Calliopespa I’d be ‘fuming’ too. I would then make sure I went on to ‘nip’ any exchange of holiday greetings ‘in the bud.’

On MN that’s “ fumming”

I’m atheist as it gets. I wished a few people a happy Easter yesterday whilst with DS9, it felt fun and pleasant, didn’t really occur to be religiously motivated.

See that's why I don't like threads like this from the OP, or all the shite from the Daily Mail.

The absolute vast majority of people will take a kind gesture as exactly that...a kind gesture.

There'll always be one or two who are determined to twist it into something it's not, but honestly just ignore them.

They really are the minority.

Easter very much is secular to a vast amount of people in the UK, chocolate eggs overwhelm. If you celebrate a secular version of Christmas and Santa Clause, then I'd imagine your friend wasn't trying to offend with a benign happy easter message. Its become a very family and friend orientated weekend in the UK, where people get together and have dinner/lunch, visit places together and gather, not unlike christmas day.

@Calliopespa Everyday’s a school day….

Indeed!

this. That’s exactly what happened with me. That makes me feel a bit better but also I wish I’d just done what I felt like and I ended up tying myself in knots not knowing what to do! And I’m not really like that in real life but I ended up scared I’d upset or offend when I just wanted genuinly to do a nice thing and I completely overthought it. And I wish I hadn’t.

It is this sort of rigidity of religious views that causes conflict

I completely agree with this. An understanding of what people are celebrating and when, as well as being invited to share food and good wishes with them, only encourages religious tolerance and helps stamp out the idea that certain groups of people are ‘other’ because of their faith. I think people’s faith can be a wonderful thing. I might not share those beliefs in any way, shape or form, but I’m happy that it’s a time of celebration for them and if I receive their good wishes then I want to return them. It doesn’t diminish your own faith. Nobody is suggesting you join them in prayer, start buying fireworks at Diwali, attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve or fast during Ramadan.

You didn't realise it was secular? You thought all those chocolate eggs in supermarkets were only bought by church attending Christians? 🤣

This 100%.

No wonder the world is as it is with such intolerance.

And why make life so unnecessarily complicated??

Also Jewish. Often people send greetings for their own pleasure - they are celebrating and also want to wish you some happiness too. Christmas has so many secular and British cultural traditions, so it's quite harmless to wish a non-Christian a merry Christmas. Easter doesn't have the same huge secular aspect, but it is still a sunny springtime bank holiday weekend for all cultures. Ultimately... lighten up, we're in the UK and a calendar guided by Christian festivals is part of our life.

Um, I think you'll find that it's "shaking and fumming."