To have objected to ‘prayers’ at work

[Iamthewintersale]

Will try to keep this brief… Work in a team of 12, 6 in U.K. and 6 in USA ( mid-west) and once a week we have a team meeting that we take turns in running.

Tomorrow is the turn of A. A is a Republican, church goer, voted Trump because she wanted, quote ‘More money in my pocket book and illegals dealt with’.
So far so MAGA. This came up pre-election as she’s the only Trump fan on the team and was open about it.

On the agenda for the meeting is ‘Prayer’ as point one. I pinged manager a note saying what?? A thinks it would be nice to start off with a prayer. As a team. I have asked for it to be OFF the agenda. US manager thinks it’s ‘harmless’ but has said will clarify.

AIBU to think it’s totally inappropriate??? I’m an atheist for a start, most of my U.K. team are the same or at least agnostic.

Seems weird that she’s never tried this before, but suddenly Trump ‘god saved me to MAGA’ is inaugurated and a team prayer is in the agenda.
We are a large global company, BTW, not some local mom & pop outfit that sells bibles…

YANBU - work is secular. She keeps her views and prayers to herself own time.

YABU - lighten up, what harm can it do.

DH is a corporate lawyer and ‘morning prayers’ is in his diary a lot. It is just jargon for a catch up meeting. We aren’t allowed to eat or drink in teams meetings during Ramadan with our GCC colleagues which is fair enough. I work in a v v global company and we avoid any talk of politics or religion. We don’t have any Americans though so …

Perhaps I'm wrong (& IANAL) but to me the "morning prayers" in law offices are likely linked to Pray Tell.... as in another way of saying, let's have a Team Catch up / Town Hall / All Hands etc....

More likely to be linked to 'pray in aid' than 'pray tell'. The former is a specific legal term about asking for/using something as assistance and support.

Thanks @NoBinturongsHereMate 🙏, good to know. Anyway, not related to religious praying.

And in US civil procedure (varies by jurisdiction and type of case), a pleading will include a "prayer for relief." Prayer is a long-standing legal term.

Makes sense - “prayer” used as a synonym for “petition”.

(sorry I didn’t mean to hijack the thread with a legal discussion)

Yes exactly. I’m totally familiar with the term in that context, but it sounded strange to me in the context of a meeting.

It's a tradition found at senior levels in professions or government and not particular to lawyers. A regular weekly meeting of senior staff with the boss and colleagues providing an opportunity to raise matters, make requests or highlight anything of note. It's not for religious prayer.

It’s a military thing as well, morning prayers can be used to describe the brief on the overnight situation.

A lot of companies have designated prayer rooms for private use.

If she feels a prayer coming on, the godly trumpet can take herself off to the designated private prayer space and let it all blurt out in her own time.

on what planet?

and how do you think the person that suggested that prayer would react if a colleague of a different religion suggested they do the same? I very much doubt they would "quietly observe" if it were, say, a Muslim or Pagan colleague leading a prayer.

Typically absolutely fine in my experience.

I tend to find in day to day life that those with a faith tend to have far more respect for others faith than those with none do.

Commonly demonstrated in church schools, where admissions criteria tend to run along the lines of :
practising our faith
practising other faith
have our faith
Have none.

‘I tend to find in day to day life that those with a faith tend to have far more respect for others faith than those with none do.’

And I find that you can’t generalise and that entire bloody wars have been started over a lack of respect from one faith of another faiths beliefs and practices.

Lol, that reminds me of the time I was told by a Christian that he was surprised to find out I was an atheist, as I had such good morals.

Some zealous religious people are very judgmental.

I don't have any respect for others' faith.

I do have respect for the people with faith. Subtle but very important distinction.

Faith has fuck all to do with whether a person is a good or a bad person.

And if someone "needs" faith to be a good person then I would argue they aren't a good person.

Yes, it can be lonely having to always look to my own conscience. And scary. However, if I should fall from grace, let it be because of my own failings, and not because I mindlessly aped other people who claimed to be the arbiters of morality. Because that is what a lynch mob is, and I want no part of it.

People should remember that as far as the Christianity is concerned, we are all sinners. People don’t go to church because they are better than others. It is because they want to do better. Or should do.

It's still inappropriate and unprofessional. "Express your religion" on your own time.

I agree completely. I'm amazed and a bit horrified by the number of people I've heard make comments about how "everyone" would rob, murder or rape if they thought they wouldn't go to jail or hell, apparently oblivious to the fact that some of us actually have morals and integrity that are totally unrelated to fear of punishment.

Or make it a free-for-all and allow all personal views to be expressed.

I am sure someone will have something to say about Man. Utd. this season ?

Your belief in a sky fairy may be important to you, but to some it's as valid as your favourite SugarBabe.

I have to be honest. sometimes fear of punishment helps 😀But that would still be a secular response.

In the event there is an afterlife, then by the very definition of the supernatural it will be beyond our reach. In fact the only thing less likely than there being some sort of afterlife is that I need Russell Brand to explain it to me.

I don't think most employers (or employees) are in favor of making the workplace "a free-for-all" though. 🥊 Work is stressful enough without having to deal with that nonsense. Hence my comment that people need to proselytize on their own time.

Fear is definitely the only thing that keeps some people in line, but that's completely unrelated to morals imo. If your only reason for not murdering your entire family is a fear of god/hell/jail, you're really not a good person even if you call yourself a Christian (or Muslim or Jew or whatever).

We may be in fierce agreement. However the starting point to stamp out this bullshit before it catches on is to start with an acknowledgement that your religion means fuck all to me.

By all means, if you religion says you need to do the hokey-cokey every day before a bowel movement, then I would never dream of stopping you.

However, if you religion says we all need to do the hokey-cokey every day before a bowel movement, then you can fuck right off in all the languages I can remember.

Yes, you are special. And so am I. Deal with it.