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.

‘it's not difficult to be respectful of other people's beliefs. I don't know how long people think a prayer will take, but I've never known a prayer in a meeting to take more than 30 seconds.’

You're right, it's not, so why are you advocating for one person to be allowed to disrespect the beliefs of all non-Christian or atheist people in that meeting?

Respect goes both ways - and subjecting others to your beliefs is disrespectful to theirs.

Absolute utter nonsense. We do not have to respect differences, we do not have to accept, and we certainly do not need to find a respectful way to opt out.
We need to.inform said person that she's being entirely inappropriate and to remove it from the agenda immediately, and not to try such a thing ever again.

Absolutely inappropriate.

YANBU.

I remember the Pakistan cricket team used to thank "Mighty Allah" after every win. They seem to have stopped doing it these days, possibly because somebody pointed out that when they lose (especially to Bangladesh) it suggests that Allah decided to desert them that day. So I wonder what this guy does when his lord and saviour Jesus Christ decided that the other team deserved the win.

I do like your suggestion of scheduling prayer time at X:55. That way Little Miss Pocketbook gets to feel all sanctimonious about supporting a rapist, nobody has to miss any of the actual work time, and everyone will know that the Zoom room is running fine (OP could treat the prayers as the equivalent of "One-Two, Testing"). Bonus points for OP if, when she turns her microphone on at X:59:57, the last few notes of a muezzin's call to prayer can just be faintly heard by everyone.

My first response was that this was not appropriate, especially in UK, then I remembered that both UK Houses of Parliament’s daily sessions start with Prayers, so maybe the argument that it is unconstitutional is not quite so correct.

I would protest that, IF prayers/acts of worship are to become a part of your business practice, then it should be multi denominations, including non Christian, and that everyone has the right to refrain from attending, if they chose to, with no recriminations. That should go down like a lead balloon with your American colleagues

A friend of mine once had a job where all meetings started with prayers, but she was PA to an Archbishop, so not unreasonable really.

www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/prayers/

Another Christian here who thinks it inappropriate. I would suggest that everyone who doesn't want to participate mutes and turns off their camera durng the prayer.

I work for a big multinational and this wouldn't be allowed at all. Check your company policy on it. We literally have training on how this type of thing isn't OK in the office.

OP is raising an issue in the workplace which may contravene UK employment law and asking for advice on how they should act. How is that ridiculous?

I've seen comments on Trumpism but no rants. Perhaps you could define what you perceive to be a 'rant' as opposed to a 'comment' and provide an example of a 'rant' on this thread?

Has anyone bothered to message A to inform him/her (as they no longer exists in the US) that it's inappropriate?
Just be late to the meeting - urgent budgie catching required.

Remember when we moved to the midwest in the early 70's, the first question was What do you do and the second, Which church do you attend. My father always answered to #1 "the least amount possible" and to #2 "we're an atheist family" Both answers flew over most people's heads so they just nodded and smiled.

I'd ask which faith is leading this week and say I'd like to reserve a spot for a humanist 'thought' next time, or if you are brave Satanist.

I knew before I opened your thread that it would involve an individual from a foreign country.
YANBU at all, this has no place in a meeting of any group other than a group of like-minded religious individuals.
I too would ask to be excused from this imposition on members of the group by one individual.

If prayers do become standard, you could have fun with ones to 'the Lord of Light' that don't slip in the name Lucifer until after the evangelical one has done an amen or 2.

😂 even better, I'd whip out a pair of rosery beads while you're at it. Don't forget to record it lol

Yank here. I've been working for more than 40 years and have never heard anyone talk about their church, bible study, or say "god bless 'Murica" in a work context.

Perhaps your unconscious bias is showing.

If that's what you think, you haven't read it.

I think you need to separate out three things

• your dislike of her politics
• you dislike of her religion
• Having religious observance during a work meeting

Yes @OliveThe0therReindeer your points 1 and 2 are valid, but it's point 3 that is inappropriate.

BECAUSE we live in a country which guarantees religion & belief (2020 Equality Act) religious observance during a work meeting - or almost any work situation - is inappropriate. Because one person's religious belief/belief may impede or contradict another person's religious belief/belief.

There's no hierarchy of protected characteristics: one person's belief does not trump another person's [different, even contradictory] belief.

As a UK agnostic the only way I could possibly feel comfortable with and accept it is if we had a religious team member who was gravely ill/terminally ill/just passed and everyone was just sending good thoughts/paying respects to that person. This of course really should be set as a moment of reflection/good will/respect for that person and not set in any specific religious terminology or anyone forced to say words not aligned with their personal views. I’m kind of thinking sort of how everyone observes the 2 minute silence on Remembrance Day.

Parliament starts every day with three and a half minutes of prayer.

https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/prayers/

'Sittings in both Houses begin with prayers. These follow the Christian faith and there is currently no multi-faith element. Attendance is voluntary.'

'Attendance is voluntary' - by the look of the empty benches so is much of the days proceedings.

I wouldn't join the meeting until the prayer was over. Utterly ridiculous. I have plenty more to add, but don't want to offend those religious folk. What really annoys me is that some of them feel entitled to offend atheists by spouting their religious rhetoric.

Unless it's Parliament. They start with prayers.

Tell her as a Brit the king is the head of the church and you'll need to sing some rounds of god save the king first.

I seem to remember prayer in council meetings was deemed unlawful https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2012/02/10/high-court-bans-god-from-council-meetings/#:~:text=The%20High%20Court%20today%20ruled,part%20of%20their%20formal%20meetings.

The thing about the prayers at parliament are a) it’s a historic precedence that b) people can opt out of without out detriment to their careers.

Keep politics and religion OUT of the workplace!!!!

I assume they thinks it’s appropriate but how narrow minded of them.
Sit quite and don’t join in.