Adventist Church Property Trust NZ Found Guilty in Ropes Course Accident. The Tui Ridge Park, operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church Trustee in Rotorua, New Zealand, has been found guilty of one charge of failing to take all practicable steps to keep a paying customer safe. The customer was a woman who suffered a spinal chord injury and spinal fractures in a ropes course fall, determined to be the fault of park staff, who were not trained properly. Adventist Church Trustee was fined $46,000 and ordered to pay $40,000 to the victim. From New Zealand Herald, "Rotorua adventure company fined after fall."
Stretched the spectrum from good, bad and sad. Interesting articles, all.
@ageis711Oxyain One problem for SDA’s is the kind of music being played on Sabbath. So that runs into a problem for some instrumentalists. I doubt this case will send a chill to instrumentalists. Each have to make their decision as to what is right and proper to do on the Sabbath hours. Just because a famous SDA performed on Sabbaths doesn’t make it right for all others to follow suit. It will be interesting to see how this complaint works out. Most of these don’t make it to court, either due to summary judgments or settlements being reached that the contending parties can agree are fair and reasonable.
The refusal to play in a symphony orchestra on Sabbath, sends a chill to all rising orchestral students who aspire to such a position as principal in an orchestra.
There are church orchestras this holiday season who will be composed of many Adventists, some may hire professionals for these occasions. My daughter and granddaughter will be in their church’s orchestra for Christmas on Sabbath. The precedence she has set may hamper many more future instrumentalists; a sad rebuke to all those who contribute to our love of music.
It would be interesting to know who instructed her on Adventist beliefs about Sabbath.
BTW: World famous Blomsted, an Adventist, conducted many great orchestras before his retirement and saw no conflict with Sabbath performances.
It is hoped that it was her very personal decision and not a suggestion from others. As to the “kind of music being played on Sabbath” it would be unusual for a symphony orchestra to choose contemporary pop music. Spectrum should follow this for the final decision. “Religious Discrimination” is based on her choice, no one else.
Those who go to the EEOC to file claims of discrimination do so on their “very personal decision” not work on Sabbath, and not from “suggestions from others.” With the EEOC you have to file a claim that you sign, date, and even have notarized. It’s the person’s claim and no one else.
As to “pop music” for some in orchestras there is a genre of music in the classical category that some object to playing on Sabbath.
The religious discrimination does involve her choice, that is true, but also on the choices of others they work for. The EEOC seeks to sort out if the choices made were within the statues, and if an undue hardship would result in a giving a person of faith an accommodation. In this case, being that it is filed with the court and the EEOC not taking up the case, a Right to Sue letter was issued that gave the claimant 90 days to file with the court.
As I said earlier, most of these never make it to trial: summary judgment eliminates a good share of them (that is, the respondent, those being charged with discrimination, can prove the charges lack any evidentiary weight); or a settlement is reached (this comes usually if the respondent feels that it will cost more to fight the charge than by simply seeking a reasonable and acceptable monetary payout).