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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Offered job by faith organisation

60 replies

SolidGoldBrass · 18/03/2015 14:45

AIBU either to take it or turn it down?
(I am going to be a bit careful on details so as not to out myself or anyone else).
I do part time admin, public sector work. I provided this faith organisation with temp cover recently and they have been in touch to ask if I want to take on the role regularly (it's still part time). But I am having a bit of a fit of confusion. I don't know which is the less moral choice - to refuse the job on the grounds of powerful disdain for religion, or to take the job despite disapproving of religion on the grounds that it's good money.

OP posts:
WrappedInABlankie · 18/03/2015 14:46

Id take it.

It's admin I assume you don't have to attend church/mass//give religious advice etc if you do I wouldn't lol

manicinsomniac · 18/03/2015 14:48

I'd take it.

If the religious organisation are aware and unbothered by you not sharing their faith then there's no need for you to be bothered by it.

LaurieFairyCake · 18/03/2015 14:51

Is it something you disagree with or something that you just don't share the same belief?

For example - say you were against giving money in aid to other countries but you disagreed with the principle.

Versus - working for a Christian Aid where you don't hold the same faith but you do agree with the actions they carry out

I think disagreeing is harder than just not holding the same belief.

But great to be offered the job even if you don't want it Smile - shows your appreciated

Original poster
SolidGoldBrass · 18/03/2015 14:52

I have politely informed them that I am not a member of their faith (having first asked the central public sector organisation that sends me to various jobs on the general policy - apparently some organisations do have faith requirements and others don't.) Waiting to see what they say.

OP posts:
CaulkheadUpNorth · 18/03/2015 14:52

I work for a church, and it is an occupational requirement of the role that I am a Christian. If it doesn't have that, then it doesn't matter whether you have a faith or not.

madreloco · 18/03/2015 14:53

Personally it would depend on the faith in question and what the work involves. For example I could happily do the accounts for a christian charity but would never do anything for the catholic church.

blankgaze · 18/03/2015 14:53

Are conditions of the job that you have to be an active and practising member of the religion? If not, looks like you have a good offer there.

One word of caution, if the religion is a proselytising one, (where they go all-out to convert strangers to their beleifs because only they have Gods Truth or somesuch) you're probably not going to be left alone until you either join their faith or leave because of the constant pressure to be one of them.

Kittykatmacbill · 18/03/2015 14:55

I don't work for a faith organisation but I do work for a charity with a very defined agenda, which i do agree with. However, I do recognise that If I had 'disdain' for it, I think it would be very wearisome to work for, all the office chat / banter Hmm will be focused on that and i. Would have to become very good at smiling sweetly... Just a thought, but if you like your colleagues and the money's good why not? Smile

Tizwailor · 18/03/2015 14:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tizwailor · 18/03/2015 15:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fugacity · 18/03/2015 15:06

Given your history of vitriol, you should not take the job.

LaurieFairyCake · 18/03/2015 15:14

Harsh.

You're not vitriolic. Your views are atheist as far as I can tell (forgive me if I'm wrong) and you're perfectly polite to Christians on here including me. As far as I remember you've pointed out that religious wars are wrong and that people fighting over their imaginary friend are wrong.

I don't find that at all offensive.

Though if you're working in real life you should probably stay away from the phrase 'imaginary friend' Grin People who aren't liberal Christians can be snarky about that phrase (instead of you know gentle and loving like they should be)

ilovesooty · 18/03/2015 15:21

Fugacity I think that's bang out of order.

I'm an atheist but agree with Laurie

richthegreatcornholio · 18/03/2015 15:29

I'm a strong atheist, but to quote Winston Zeddemore "If there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."

londongirlatheart · 18/03/2015 15:31

Name changed here so I can be more specific.

I work in an admin position for the Church of England. I was not expected to be a member of the faith although from what I can see some of the more senior roles do. I know a few who are catholics (not always practising). It stands to reason that there a lot of the employees are religious.

How did you feel when you worked there? Did it seem a good place to work. Maybe working there might change your mind about religion? Not because they will be trying to convert you

I am not an atheist but do not attend church. As long as you don't go round saying God doesn't exist.

The one thing which is not surprising is that when an e-mail goes round about illness or death there is obviously comments about praying for the family.

madhairday · 18/03/2015 15:33

I think you should go for it if you feel it's a good place you enjoy working at.

Like Caulk says, it's only certain positions in churches etc that have the occupational requirement thingy. If it's for say a Christian charity then that isn't in place, and they surely wouldn't have just presumed you shared their faith but instead asked you because they thought a lot of you, whatever you do or don't believe :)

Maybe avoid the buckethead thing too Wink

Hope it works out for you.

OnlyLovers · 18/03/2015 15:34

God, this is really hard. I'm trying to imagine being in that position (I don't call myself an atheist, but have no religious faith and have a dim view of organised religion of every stripe).

In THEORY I think I'd turn it down. In PRACTICE though, if I needed the job and the work/money/hours etc were good ... I don't know if it'd be that easy.

InfinitySeven · 18/03/2015 15:36

To be fair, I don't work for a religious company (or industry) but we still get a lot of comments about praying for the family when something bad happens.

I'd probably accept a job with a different religion provided that I was just a non-believer in that religion, and not against it.

I think everything else would be normal - you can't go into any job and start denouncing religions, so I shouldn't think that will be an issue.

darumafan · 18/03/2015 15:38

Not quite the same situation but I work for a company where everybody is a Christian except me. I didn't know when I started but it became obvious very soon after. I have never felt any prejudice from anyone other than my direct colleague. My lack of faith doesn't affect my ability to do my job.

PurplePITA · 18/03/2015 15:52

I don't think it would bother me as long as it was an ok organisation. I wouldn't work for lots of types of companies (cigarette/spammers/cold callers/militant religions etc) but I would imagine there would be lots of religious organisations that I could work for despite being 100% atheist and being someone thst usually dispares of a lot of religeous activities.

I have happily volunteered for religious organisations and I sent my DC to religious schools (we were overseas and didn't have much choice)

The thing is OP is that if you do work for them you should do so happily. You can be very, ahem, Hmm forthright on Mumnet and I don't think it would be fair to be go into the job unless you are happy with it.

I imagine that your real life persona might be totally different to your online one though and I'm sure they wouldn't have offered you a job unless they liked you.

Well done and good luck.

Scrounger · 18/03/2015 16:07

I work in a catholic school and I'm an atheist. I work in the finance / admin area so I don't teach. They knew when they took me on that I wasn't Catholic and someone occasionally has to explain the religious bits. However I don't think I'm the only one and religion isn't discussed much outside curriculum areas and the ethos of the school. I view my role as being good at what I do and helping the school function well administratively so that they can provide a great education for children.

TheAssassinsGuild · 18/03/2015 16:08

Seems like it should be a straightforward decision for you, given that you already have experience of working there.

Were your co-workers 'OK' or just too 'out there' in their religious beliefs for your liking?
Was there any attempt to get you to engage in their religious practices, and how did they react when you declined?
Were there any questions/conversations about your own beliefs? How did this go? Were your own beliefs respected?
Were the tasks you had to complete 'vanilla' or were did they involve a degree of endorsement of the religion that you were uncomfortable with?
Is the mission statement of the organisation and are their aims objectionable to you?

You have experience of this place, so whether the conditions are acceptable to you should be fairly obvious to you, I would have thought.

If financial considerations are clouding things, could you take the job but be actively looking for something else that is more in line with your overall way of thinking?

TurtleRabbitChicken · 18/03/2015 16:13

Knowing your posts I think you would struggle working in a Christian organization full time.

buffyp · 18/03/2015 16:21

I am going to defend fugacity here. I have been on several threads where sgb has been very vitriolic towards people of faith including one where she stated that she hated and had no respect for anyone who believed in sky fairies. You are lucky Laurie if she treats you with respect because it certainly hasn't been my experience. If you are going to dish it out then you need to be prepared to take it back and fugacity is perfectly entitled to call sgb on it. As for whether she should accept the job, personally if I felt as strongly as she does about people of faith then unless on the breadline I think it would be extremely hypocritical but I doubt that would bother her.

ItsAllKickingOffPru · 18/03/2015 16:27

I'd just consider what that particular wing of that particular faith does in the organisation. If your post doesn't involve speaking to people about a belief system you don't buy into then I don't see any great moral problem with taking it. I can respect views I don't share without feeling hypocritical working in that environment.