Religion in the workplace

[Whatothink]

For the last month we have been sent messages email, background screens and management briefings for a particular religion.

the following messages to

”showing visible support,
encouraging meaningful conversations, and deepening our understanding of the experiences of those of observences”

as well as being told to be considered with meetings etc and thoughtful and supportive!!!

Well done.

The stupidest thing I gave seen on MN today.

Fasting for faith (so basically Lent) is the same as an adult man breaking the law to enter into a “marriage” with a child!

Jesus!

we just had a bake sale for Purim!

Did that involve cake during work hours?!

Well nobody was coming in on the weekend for it…😄

So you had a bake sale for Purim? Did this take place during Ramadan?
You see this is the problem. Offending someone is always possible.

I don’t think a message informing you that some people you work with are observing a religious festival and may be a bit hungry is really pushing a religion onto you. Try not to be so sensitive.

a poster upthread has a colleague who tells coworkers how he married a 14yo girl. His religion enabled this.

I would have a big issue with working with this paedophile & being told by my employer I must support him/his religion in anyway.

Would the poster who was interested in Ramadam at work because her colleague was lovely be as interested in Ramadam if the man giving the work talk had boasted about being a paedophile?

When we are being asked to "support" other peoples religion in the workplace, it seems we have to support the paedophile in his religion as much as we have to support the middle aged mother in hers.

Yes I have a problem with this. Why don't you?

not TOC (Tory Office Cake) in the month of Ramadam <faints>

So, no more bank holidays at Christmas or Easter?

No more Christmas lunches or parties or bonuses or Christmas jumper days?

Or is it just references to Islam that you want to ban?

I don't think you've been lectured to enough, given your attitude.

It was this week. Nobody was offended. Your post is weird.

This definitely happened.

But I also don’t see any comparison to child abuse and fasting. Nor do I see a post telling you people will be fasting means asking you to support any religion.

You are not working with a religion.

You are working with people. And a email saying some colleagues are observing Ramadan is not pushing faith onto you.

It's not weird. We have people on this thread saying no one should have cake in the office during Ramadan because it would offend Muslims. You have stated no one was offended. So having a bake sale for Purim didn't offend Muslims, despite it being Ramadan. Some people are adamant that a colleague bringing in cake for a birthday would offend. Its a case of some finding offence for another group who aren't offended.
And it's always possible to offend and not know it.

from the OP - her employer asked her to be involved in

"”showing visible support, encouraging meaningful conversations, and deepening our understanding of the experiences of those of observences”

i.e. learn about your colleageus religious choices and support them visibly and meaningfully.

The problem with this is when you pick up the "beautiful joyful peaceful" end of a religious stick, you are also picking up the "paedophiles enabled by their religion to marry & abuse young girls" other end of the stick.

many people simply want to live without caring about or being involved in religion for many good and valid reasons. This does not make them racist.

But so many who call for tolerance and understanding towards religion are very intolerant and not at all understanding on those of us who for whatever reason do not wish to have their employer guide them religiously.

Then again religions being intolerant of other religions or no religion is nothing new.

Political, as in left wing politics fetes some groups/topics (trans people, muslims (especially palestinians), climate change, critical race theory) and ignores or demonizes others.

Nobody was offended.

You clearly don't understand my point.
Please read the posts from people who say cake should not be in the office during Ramadan.

What experience? There are plenty of people who have to work on Yom Kippur. Surely workplaces should accommodate those people. My workplace doesn't because it is selective about who it thinks is important.

Nobody has said that no one should have cake in the office. Nobody has said cake will “offend”. And presumably the Purim bake sale could be in a different room? If, indeed there were any Muslim staff members at the place of work concerned? Which, considering that only about 6% of the population are Muslim is quite likely….

Lectured? When were you lectured?

No you are not bringing up paedophiles. You know that plenty of Islamic countries manage to combine their faith with legal ages of marriages that exclude pre-pubescent children.
Talking about ramadan is simply that.

Just like I can discuss Christmas without needing to also bring up that a number of US states don’t have minimum age of marriage as a sop to Evangelicals.

Strewth.

Nobody is required to support anything. Just get on with your work day.

I did.

Nobody was offended.

I don’t want to lose my Easter and Christmas bank holidays though.

I consider religion to be a personal thing and therefore it should be completely separate from the workplace.

"Nobody is required to support anything. Just get on with your work day."

Exactly my point - on this we agree.

Employers need to butt out of trying to steer people religiously.

But if you read the OP, this thread is exactly about her employer trying to get its employees to support religious people in their religion.

from the OP - her employer asked her to be involved in
"”showing visible support, encouraging meaningful conversations, and deepening our understanding of the experiences of those of observences”