Boss told me off for exclaiming Jesus Christ

[GloMum]

The other day my boss told me off for exclaiming Jesus Christ when I was surprised during a work meeting. Boss told me it’s rude towards people from different religions and asked me if I’d done my DEI training. I have, and I enjoy friendships with colleagues from varied backgrounds. I feel really stressed now in case I slip again, and embarrassed I should be told off.

YABU - This is an inappropriate exclamation at work
YANBU - It’s just an exclamation and you shouldn’t be told off for that.

Good point, this was in Ireland! 😅

Is this a wind-up? If you were a Christian, surely you wouldn't "take the Lord's name in vain"?

I did that once when i dropped an enormous file on my foot. My colleagues found it funny, even the religious ones. Your boss needs to get over himself.

Forget about it.

If you slip again, it’s not a huge deal.

If you feel 'J' coming to the surface, try and shorten it to Jeez and at least your boss will see you are trying to adapt.

It's nothing to do with "these days" I'd say it was less acceptable in the past.

Have you ever met any Irish people?

And in Line of Duty, Adrian Dunbar says 'jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey' which made me chuckle 😄🤭

I would not use this expression because I choose to give Christians the same level of courtesy and consideration that I give to other religions I encounter at work and elsewhere. I wouldn't use the name of Allah in a way which would be offensive to Muslims so why would I think it ok to use the words Jesus Christ in a way that might be offensive to some Christians.

But so what if you don't like it? Why do you get to impose that on others?
If someone is not themselves religious, why would they be bothered about a blasphemous expression?

I am a teacher and an 8 year old exclaimed it. I asked him not to. He said he was saying it because he doesn't believe in jesus. I told him I don't go around exclaiming "the abominable snowman!"

Yabu. Find something better to say.

It's not swearing though.

'Jeez-o' on two doors down .

I'm sorry i haven't travelled much (planning to change that this year) but I'm sure that saying 'jesus christ' is very cultural

It's the sort of thing I'd blurt out without thinking.
It can offend some people so I'd just try not to do it in future but would be mildly amused at the same time.

It's not nice or necessary

But just because one priest wilfully and habitually breaks one of the Ten Commandments, that doesn't mean that a great many Christians need to change their beliefs to fall into line with him.

A former Bishop of Durham famously said that he didn't believe in the resurrection; again, that doesn't change anything for all of the Christians with actual Christian beliefs.

It's very strange for a person to instinctively exclaim the name of somebody supposedly very precious to them like that whenever something bad happens or takes then by surprise.

You don't tend to hear people instinctively shouting the name of their own mother in an angry way - with or without an added expletive in the middle - every time they stub their toes on the bed or accidentally smash a glass.

In a similar vain, I work with someone who says it very loudly every time he reads something that he doesn't agree with or finds surprising.

Once in a meeting I couldn't get upset about, but this is multiple times, every single day.
I think even if he was loudly exclaiming fucking hell, or what the fuck, at the same volume and frequency that would piss me off too.

I do swear, but it just feels so ... unprofessional.

He's very early 20's and I have been swinging between saying something and not because I don't want to sound like someone just having a moan.

Pretty much where I am.

I learned this could cause offence after repeatedly saying it on holiday with some Catholic friends. Hiking through a swarm of bees caused me to swear, and after a few minutes one said they didn’t like this particular expletive and could I please stop. I avoid saying it around anyone I do not know for sure wouldn’t be offended these days. It’s not that I think there is an absolute right not to be offended or that religious belief is beyond question, but I do believe in not causing unnecessary offence. And certainly not in the workplace.

We live and learn. Just like how I’ve stopped using words like moron as an insult or how my dp, who is from another country, has found out in various ways that certain words are not work-appropriate!

I find it offensive, and I had to say it every night on stage are few years ago. The character I was playing was very sweary, but that was the only thing I hated saying.

When entering a church is totally different isn't it.

Not to all of them. I’m one and wouldn’t find this offensive, though still inappropriate in a workplace.

As cussing goes, it’s fairly mild. But some people really don’t like blasphemous stuff.

“Christ on a bike” is a personal favourite.

I'm a Christian and it doesn't offend me. I say it quite a lot myself but never at work. I think it can be offensive to some people.

It is slightly nonsensical as I do say "for God's sake" or "oh God" at work. Which should be equally offensive but somehow isn't.

Probably unprofessional.

I had a colleague who let repeatedly let those two words go after a difficult call with a client.

Other colleague is a friend confided it offended her as a church going Christian.

Well put