God-bothering at work

[WhereToSheNow]

New MD hired his buddy/neighbour 6 months ago for a few hours a week to act as a Management Consultant.

The Management Consultant, who we call "Pokey" (because he keeps jabbing us in the arm) has some sort of official capacity within the Baptist Church, and his website is all about the application of his faith within business.

I didn't have a problem with that, as he hadn't mentioned religion.... until last week.

He attended a "World Leadership Course" and emailed us his notes, with several quotes about God and Jesus, telling us to read them and "feel free to ask any questions". In a meeting the following day, he asked us what we thought of his email.

I told him that I don't want to be included in emails that reference any religion/god, at which point he became very defensive.

Later that day I received another email where he said that he was sorry if the contents of his previous email had offended me, but that he hoped I would gain some insight that would assist me in my professional or personal life.

AIBU to think that my work should a) be a secular space and b) my personal life is none of his business!

Well I would tell him to stop jabbing my arm as I didn't like it, and to stop banging on about God as I didn't like it, and if he carried out I would make a formal complaint I was being harassed.

I am a Christian, by the way. I think he has lost the plot completely.

LoveAndHate

"Hysterical" LOL

religious belief is a very personal thing. And should stay that way.

It's this kind of statement that exemplifies the tendency towards intolerance in our society today. I don't share most of religious stuff that many people believe, but a society that only tolerates the expression of views that align with the predominating liberal consensus (which I largely share btw) is ironically highly illiberal and intolerant!

Yeah, I'm torn between reporting the post or pity the fool.

phone ACAS and ask them what action you can take.
effing ridiculous, it's harassment, albeit by far not the worst form, but harassment none the less.

That was to Boney.

Flashbangandgone
It's not intolerance.
We simply must not bully people at work. Be it physically, or pushing a religious agenda (and there are a few religious people on this thread agreeing with the OP, including myself). Work is supposed to be free from religion and politics.

I don't evangelise as a rule, btw, but I have been known to evangelise back to people who try it on with me about how my church is soooooooo wonderful that I would be sooooooooooo happy to take them to meet the congregation and they will be sooooooooooo fulfilled they will want to leave their religion immediately and join mine.

I did actually try this with a senior member of the Scientologists once and it was most amusing seeing them trying to get me while I was trying to get them. Their best suggestion was that I belong to two churches at once .

Before you all think 'it's not for me' might I state that we serve chocolate biscuits after all services, and sometimes chocolate during services when it loosely fits with the sermon. Ha! Knew you would be tempted!

He has no right to put his paws on you and invade you space.
Who does he think he is forcing his religious views on people.
I used to pass by a Baptist Church on the way home from work and I kept on getting accosted, the third time it happened they were trying to give me some fake money, I told them they were being offensive, not seen them since.

So this World Leadership Course was nothing to do with work?

Yet he sent an email that he expected people to read & comment on in a meeting at work?

And even with his "sorry" email.he was still trying to push the non work related email?

loveandhate

How very Christian of you to instruct someone on how to be a Christian and then accuse them of pretending to be one.

And you wonder why people don't want this shit in the workplace.

Did you read the OP's post about him sitting practically on top of her?

I did, and commented that the OP was nbu about that aspect of the situation.

I did, and commented that the OP was nbu about that aspect of the situation.

So how do you propose she ignores someone who is constantly in her face?

"I suppose none of you hysterical posters ever bore your colleagues to death about your kids/diet/C25K."

I'm going to start sending mass emails about my kids and report back.

Lovenadhate, not to be too pedantic or anything, but atheists aren't god-haters. We don't think God exists, so there is nobody to hate! Subtle but rather key point. What is very clear even to my godless self, though, is that you haven't AT ALL understood the bits in the bible about tolerance, kindness and loving your neighbour.

We simply must not bully people at work.

Annoying and inappropriate as it might be, to call receiving an email referencing God 'bullying' is ridiculous!

Yes, there have been hysterical reactions on here: 'Bullying! Harrassment! Contact the Secularist Society!' Absurd.

I would love to hear what you lot talk about at work.

You know what? I don't want my boss's corpulence intruding on my personal space but I don't start a thread about how annoying her fat is; I would rather eat my own eyeball than listen one more time to my colleagues' crashingly boring diet and exercise regime, but I don't start a thread about it.

If the OP had anything about her she'd have sorted the jabbing out the first time he did it.

And I'm not telling other Christians how to be better Christians; I'm pointing out the fact that the God she worships commands her to spread The Word. If she doesn't like it she should reconsider whom she worships.

Ramming it down someone's throat better.

Lweji

As loveandhate professes to be a Christian I would go for pity.

Zoe, like it or not, you hate the very notion of God, as do a raft of mners who flock to these threads.

Can you explain what the OPs agitator has done that shows intolerance or not loving his neighbour?

Be careful, Boney, although she won't appreciate my pointing it out here, LWEJI IS A CHRISTIAN

So how do you propose she ignores someone who is constantly in her face?

I'm not... If he's constantly in her face then she should not ignore that; she should report it! I just thought there was overreaction over the god bit.

LoveAndHate
And I'm not telling other Christians how to be better Christians; I'm pointing out the fact that the God she worships commands her to spread The Word. If she doesn't like it she should reconsider whom she worships.

That is pretty much telling someone how to be a "better Christian".

Yes, there have been hysterical reactions on here: 'Bullying! Harrassment! Contact the Secularist Society!' Absurd.

You are funny, do you also do the one about it only being a joke?

Zoe, like it or not, you hate the very notion of God, as do a raft of mners who flock to these threads

zoe is right. Atheist do not hate God nor the notion of God. They simply don't believe. Why is that so hard for you to accept?

Can you send back a patronising email about everybody learning something from this experience, that everybody brings value to work through their own personal experience but that the workplace is best kept secular.

And in the spirit of everyone learning from each other he might find this link interesting, personal space, particularly this bit "Entering the intimate zone of somebody else can be very threatening. This is sometimes done as a deliberate ploy to give a non-verbal signal that they are powerful enough to invade your territory at will."

LoveAndHate

but Lweji isn't flipping this around and making it the OP's fault.