US News Man fired for not wearing "666" sticker

[The Helper]

(AP) ATLANTA - A Georgia factory worker claims in a federal lawsuit that he was fired after he refused to wear a 666 sticker he feared would doom him to eternal damnation.

Billy E. Hyatt claims he was fired from Pliant Corp., a plastics factory in northern Georgia near Dalton, after he refused to wear a sticker proclaiming that his factory had been accident-free for 666 days. That number is considered the "mark of the beast" in the Bible's Book of Revelation describing the apocalypse.

Hyatt, who said he's a devout Christian, had worked for the north Georgia plastics company since June 2007 and like other employees wore stickers each day that proclaimed how long the factory had gone without an accident.

But he grew nervous in early 2009 as the number of accident-free days crept into the 600s. As the company's safety calendar approached day 666, Hyatt said he approached a manager and explained that wearing it would force him "to accept the mark of the beast and to be condemned to hell." He said the manager assured him he wouldn't have to wear the number.

Lawsuit: Man Fired Over '666'

A Georgia factory worker claims he was fired after he refused to wear a '666' sticker he feared would doom him to eternal damnation.

www.gpb.org

 

[FireCat]

They're both ridiculous!

 

[Hatebreeder]

Is that Hellhammer?

Anyhow, I think Belief shouldn't reach further than one's own hand or habitual districts, because it will collide with other beliefs and it will only cause problems. The other side of the coin ignored the fact that an individual is proposed to his beliefs.

Dismissing a worker for refusing to wear a sticker ist plain stupid.
Those corporates should start to show some appriciation.

 

[Vellu]

Yay Tenacious D!
I'd understand if someone wouldn't want to wear a sticker for religious reasons and firing someone for that is weird. Is there something missing from the article?

 

[The Helper]

Spoiler

[video=youtube;rrSiIqCpxB8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrSiIqCpxB8[/video]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrSiIqCpxB8

 

[Dan]

I think if something offends you and is as simple as a sticker, it really shouldn't get someone fired.

At my work we have a "Merry Christmas" pin that we wear each year. My Divisional manager chooses not to wear his because he is a Jahova's Witness. I feel like it's his prerogative really.

Some people don't like saying the Pledge of Allegiance... It's all pretty stupid to get angry over.

 

[Jesus4Lyf]

Anyhow, I think Belief shouldn't reach further than one's own hand or habitual districts, because it will collide with other beliefs and it will only cause problems.

Wait, is that a belief which reaches further than your own hand and habitual districts? In fact, it's already colliding with other beliefs! What if it only causes problems??

They're both ridiculous!

You're ridiculous. Considering that the guy is a Christian and the text surrounding 666 is quite vague to some, it would seem a reasonable step of caution not to wear the sticker if you thought there was any chance that it meant eternal damnation. If you were in his shoes and believed what he did about it, you would do the same.

To better understand, here is the sole reference to 666 being the mark of the beast in scripture. I'll cut it up for you.

Revelation 13:16-18 (AMP)
Also he compels all [alike], both small and great, both the rich and the poor, both free and slave, to be marked with an inscription [stamped] on their right hands or on their foreheads,
So that no one will have power to buy or sell unless he bears the stamp (mark, inscription), [that is] the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Here is [room for] discernment [a call for the wisdom of interpretation]. Let anyone who has intelligence (penetration and insight enough) calculate the number of the beast, for it is a human number [the number of a certain man]; his number is 666.

Then later...

Revelation 14:9-10 (AMP)
Then another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a mighty voice, Whoever pays homage to the beast and his statue and permits the [beast's] stamp (mark, inscription) to be put on his forehead or on his hand,
He too shall [have to] drink of the wine of God's indignation and wrath, poured undiluted into the cup of His anger; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

Now obviously the dude doesn't know his text, because obviously this was not the mark of the beast, but one might see where he's coming from.

I'm only posting this to help people become more aware of other cultures and how they feel about this. Refraining from posting my own interpretation or anything, because it's off topic. But if you want to know more about the reference to 666 and why it is -actually- significant and what it means, this may help.

Anyway, dudes deserve the lawsuit coming to them.

 

[FireCat]

it would seem a reasonable step of caution not to wear the sticker if you thought there was any chance that it meant eternal damnation.

I might understand. If he doesn't want to wear a such a sticker.
then that's fine! Well, I wouldn't force someone to wear it. And he shouldn't have been fired for it. That's for sure! But it is Just a odd death number!

 

[Fatmankev]

I feel as if, according the the excerpts from the bible, that wearing a 666 sticker shouldn't pose a problem; after all, it says only that those who apply it to their hands or foreheads will be doomed to eternal damnation, not those that wear a sticker on their chest. However, I still feel it's the man's right not to wear one, if it does anything to bother his mentality.

 

[Jesus4Lyf]

I feel as if, according the the excerpts from the bible, that wearing a 666 sticker shouldn't pose a problem; after all, it says only that those who apply it to their hands or foreheads will be doomed to eternal damnation, not those that wear a sticker on their chest. However, I still feel it's the man's right not to wear one, if it does anything to bother his mentality.

You're exactly correct, but some people might feel unnerved about it even being vaguely similar when it comes to this sort of thing.

 

[xPass]

Forcing a Christian to wear what their belief call the "evil thing"? Plain stupid. And idiotic. Wait they're the same thing.

 

[Hatebreeder]

Wait, is that a belief which reaches further than your own hand and habitual districts? In fact, it's already colliding with other beliefs! What if it only causes problems??

Maybe my choice of words weren't good enough
What I meant was, it's all good and fine if you choose to be religious. IMO, if that brings certain traditions, you should practicize them at home, or in certain districts ( dunno, can you say it like this? ), where other people that share this common interest gather ( ex. Church ). I've seen it often enough, that a few "Royal Catholics" or whatever they're called simply offend other people by forcing their beliefs apon them ( ex. You will burn in hell, this and that, if you don't w/e this and that ). If one has to endure the lecturing everyday, it's only natural that a conflict will occur, sooner or later.

Imagine someone would do that everyday at your Workplace.

 

[Slapshot136]

I don't get why he didn't just request the day off - it's not like it was going to be on a random day or anything, he could have counted what number they were on and how many business days there were left

 

[The Helper]

For Great Justice!