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!

One place I worked was so busy we wanted to hire a banshee because so much screaming needed to be done but there wasn't any time to actually do it.

You remind me of a former colleague, LoveandHate

I worked for a company which had a lot of committed Christians. Not a deliberate policy, it just happened that way.

They didn't hide their faith but they didn't evangelise. They'd meet at lunchtimes and made it clear on the noticeboard that anyone was welcome to come or to ask about Jesus at any other time. That was fair enough. All except one of them was perfectly nice.

She was a horror. I'd be here all night if I told you the things she'd do and say. The best/worst example was when she told a Jewish girl whose non-Jewish stepfather had cancer that he'd die if the girl and her mum didn't convert to Christianity.

Our line manager told GodSquad that she shouldn't have said that. GodSquad replied: 'You think you're saving feelings, but I'm saving souls.'

When one of the Christians heard about this he tore GodSquad off a strip. His righteous rage was glorious to behold. He ordered her to apologise and repent. He or one of the others in the group would have been the only ones she'd have listened to and she said sorry, not because she meant it, but because he'd literally put the fear of God into her.

He was one of the nicest people I've known and he's not only a Baptist, but a pastor now.

The groups' faith wasn't dependent on converting people, thought I'm sure that would have made them very happy. They would do things for people for no reward because that's what they believed they should do. They weren't idiots but they were very kind and compassionate, which probably works better than smug self-righteousness if you're seeking converts

I feel quite sorry for (some) christians and glad not to be one anymore as LoveandHate is correct - their saviour commands them to spread the gospel and there's no scripture that says "but don't bother them while at work" and in their eyes if they don't offer you a chance to accept God into your life, your actually going to hell. It's pretty terrifying to feel your chucking out lifesaving rings in a sinking sea

I can see why they feel the need to ignore the appropriateness of sharing their faith in any situation when they believe they are potentially "saving" you and obeying their God by doing so.

I personally wouldn't stamp all over this guy, I'd really pity him for being trapped in this situation and perhaps somewhat patronisingly point out that I'm concerned he could lose his job over allegations of religious harassment.

Of course if he kept on and on a few more times I would totally report him and let him know that I had made it clear

hairbrush, you'd think they would feel embarrassed about trying to convert a grown adult in their place of work, wouldn't you?

Maybe some of them do feel embarrassed but have met someone who has told them they're not a proper Christian if they're not evangelising at every possible opportunity, appropriate or not.

lorelei
I actually never went there. The main purpose, I think, was for Muslim students and staff to go and pray, as before they'd have to do it in offices. As far as I know nobody checked your faith credentials, so you could use it as a quiet room, but to be fair the place already had lots os places to socialise and to be by yourself.

thanks Lweji

nice work place if you had lots of rooms for staff to scream in use.

They don't feel embarrassed Suburban, not usually, those who put the effort in to doing it are making the effort to submit more to their God than to social and professional boundaries

They feel righteous/proud of themselves

I speak as a former Christian. Iv been in that headset

It was more for students, I suppose.

And I forgot the most obvious quiet place. The library. I remember seeing some people dozing off in the comfy chairs. :)

"I can see why they feel the need to ignore the appropriateness of sharing their faith in any situation when they believe they are potentially "saving" you and obeying their God by doing so."

That's the problem though, isn't it?

That they think their want/need to share is more important.

You dodged a bullet there, hairbrush

I would question any religion that insisted you made yourself look a twat in front of your work colleagues.

Some religious people and the things they do. Who would believe it.

That is indeed the problem diddl

But faith is what many people build their whole lives upon, and for them it continues into eternity whereas a job (or even a career!) is a temporal thing

LoveAndHate
"I 'outed' you because Boney said Christians should be pitied"

I don't pity you because you are a Christian, I pity you because although you profess to be a Christian you are not very Christian in your posted views.

"But faith is what many people build their whole lives upon"

Of course.

It's that some seem unable to accept that it's not for everyone.

OP, please please please send a reply suggesting that the FSM is more your kind of god...

And I can't fucking believe auto-fucking-correct fucking put a fucking capital on 'god'- and it wants to fucking do it again!! It's a fucking conspiracy!

And loveandhate, I too thought immediately upon reading your initial post that calling atheists god-haters (fuck off, autocorrect) is just plain wrong. How can you have a feeling about something that doesn't exist?

Every time he mithers you about religion reply :o

Of course they cant accept that it's not for everyone - that's the whole point (to make disciples of all the nations)

There are various schools of thought and reasons within different Christian denominations why not everyone will like it or accept it but they're still meant to try with everyone if they subscribe to an evangelical form

DoctorTwo, I was not expecting that - my money would have been on Stephen Fry and the parasites in children's eyes....

Although I don't agree with loveandhate 's stance, whereas your logic that an atheist can't be a god-hater is impeccable, the amount of vitriol expended at the auto-correct function for daring to start god with a capital letter does indicate some degree of strong dislike, even hate, of god that seems irrational and illogical as it might be given your professed atheism!

For instance, I struggle to believe in god (btw my autocorrect doesn't capitalise so I'm going with the flow rather than making a point) in the traditional sense wouldn't go so far as to say I'm an atheist (more a panentheism), but I definitely don't believe in a literal Devil (which I am capitalising for effect)... Yet I have no great issue with capitalising as I am referring to a person, albeit a spiritual person who's the focus of all things evil that I can't bring myself to believe actually exists.

*'rabidly proselytise', that should read.

Flashbang "the amount of vitriol expended at the auto-correct function for daring to start god with a capital letter does indicate some degree of strong dislike"

for the record, I didn't say anything about capital letters, but I'm interested in your point. If auto-correct said Green Party instead of green party, or America instead of america, I would think that's because they are established recognised proper nouns for specific things where only one thing could be consdiered that thing.

Whereas, some people would say that when you talk about god you aren't necessarily talking about the same one - whereas we are all talking about the same America, IYSWIM.

My parents believe firmly in one god and all paths leading to that same god though, hence they would type "God". But then, would people who don't believe in that "there is only one god" type "god" or "God"?

Aaand now I'm boring myself

PS why doesn't auto-correct correct "devil" to "Devil"?

It made "sons" "sins" in my text t'other day, if I hadn't caught it in time, I would have been some major hot water with my friend about her sons/sins!!

Just shut up and go back to your diet.

Remind me, what kind of Christian are you again, loveandhate?

Rhonda - the kind who people of all faiths and no faiths agree on.