I usually keep my religious non-belief to myself. However, in December I told one of my boss's clients that I'm an atheist. This is somebody I've known for 10 years and that I had very high regard for. He said he had never met an atheist before and I laughed it off. Thought nothing more about it.

Last week my boss told me that this same person approached her and told her she should FIRE ME for being an atheist. After all this time, it's still preying on his mind that I don't believe in the invisible Sky Daddy.

I was pretty hurt by this, amazed that somebody who knows me as a good, honest, reliable worker could judge me to be unworthy of employment simply because of my apparent lack of Christianity.

To her complete credit, my boss thought the whole thing was ridiculous, but reminded me that I should never discuss politics or religion in a work setting. Point taken, boss.

It's hard to imagine someone with their head so far up their rear that they think they have never met an atheist. Probably 10% of the people around him don't believe. He probably doesn't think he's met any gay people either!

I like my job. I'm not willing to risk my position by coming out of the closet. You never know who above you might fear the ungodly. In a way I feel spineless, but in other ways I feel like I'm winning (not in a Charlie Sheen way) because I've been getting the prime projects. There are many in-your-face Christians where I work. I'm not going to be like them.

Sorry that happened DebbiePA! Vent here, not at work.

Why are atheists hated on so much? You don't really see too many of them strapping on suicide vests or methodically spreading their beliefs through violence like most major religions have at some point...

I'm not an atheist but holy crap, I can certainly respect their position!

Christians believe that you should be moral because God will reward/punish you based on your actions. They think that people who don't believe in God have no moral compass. Because they have a childish understanding of morality, they fear that atheists will lie, cheat, steal, rape, murder, etc. because they have no fear of God.

but whatever.

Nice rebuttal.

Christian morality is a childish "Big Daddy will punish/reward us". Mature morality is based on empathy and understanding how your actions affect others and putting yourself in their place, hence the Golden Rule.

Christians focus on irrelevant issues like sex, while ignoring gross injustices and even perpetuating them themselves.

Of course, there are Christians who have matured beyond the childish Santa Claus phase of morality, but it's not because anything their church taught them.

true words

axeldc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice rebuttal.
>
> Christian morality is a childish "Big Daddy will
> punish/reward us". Mature morality is based on
> empathy and understanding how your actions affect
> others and putting yourself in their place, hence
> the Golden Rule.
>
> Christians focus on irrelevant issues like sex,
> while ignoring gross injustices and even
> perpetuating them themselves.
>
> Of course, there are Christians who have matured
> beyond the childish Santa Claus phase of morality,
> but it's not because anything their church taught
> them.

And a poster on another thread thinks that without religion, people will turn to crime. Both ideas are wrong. Atheists are as moral as any other people and Christians don't behave only because they are afraid God will zap them. Both ideas are very simplistic

I can't tell you how many Christians I personally know who THINK the only reason they're moral is because God makes them be moral.

The reality is that people will behave the way they choose to behave and pretty much everyone chooses their own morality -- it's just how they rationalize their choices that varies.

for Jesus dying for your sins, and you being forgiven.

Perhaps a minor correction, but a correction nonetheless.

Your first sentence applies more to Judaism and Islam; not to Christianity -- this is in fact the major difference.

I used to work at a manufacturing plant here in North California as an electrician. You could not be in any management position in the company without professing Christianity. Isn't that the same as requiring Devil worship? My last boss had a sex dungeon in his house, and he proclaimed Christianity. I told him that I didn't think wife-swapping sounded very Christian, and he got pissed off at me. Might be part of why I got fired, eh?

Also I was an avowed atheist. I don't harbor lies.

Cheat, steal, lie, have sex with children or animals.....

.....as long as you confess Jesus then you are saved and a good person in the long run.

It's so insane.

In New York State (my home) requiring someone to profess christianity to hold a management position is illegal

I'm certain it's not legal in California to require an employee to be Christian. However, it is commonly practiced in blue collar industries. It's a remnant of ignorant times.

Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination Questions And Answers
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html

That's so frustrating and ridiculous.

The reality is, there's a terrible double standard when it comes to discussing religion in the workplace. While they are the exception, not the rule, some Christians see nothing wrong with:

-Requesting prayers for luck/deal closing, etc. I shouldn't say request, if they just requested, it's easy to just nod and shrug. I'm talking about situations where they say "Lets stop for a sec and pray that Jesus will make XYZ happen" As an atheist, you just have to bite your tongue and go along with it, or you say well I'm an atheist, and then it becomes an issue of discussing religion in the workplace.

-Asking which church you attend, or if your church does XYZ, or ask if you go to church and then follow up with "why" when you indicate you don't go to church. While these questions are not appropriate in theory, in application, they are seen as fine. If you answer that you don't go to church, and as a reply to the follow-up "why" you say that you are atheist, then YOU are bringing work into the workplace.

There are so many examples, but the point is that a coworker, colleague, client's assumption that you are a believer, and their discussion that is geared toward this incorrect assumption, is seen as benign and not unprofessional/boundary-crossing. It's when you bring out the atheism, then it's unprofessional and boundary-crossing.

I'm not proud to admit this, but in the workplace, I fall into the nod-and-shrug category of atheists. That is, I don't usually correct people if they assume I belong to a religion, and I rarely say I am an atheist (unless someone tells me that they are an atheist, but even then, I usually keep the conversation to a minimum because once a coworker overheard an exchange like this and complained that it was offensive to overhear coworkers discussing their mutual atheism ... though if this sort of thing really offended her, she probably should avoid eavesdropping when walking by people's office doors). Similarly, while it irks me internally when people request we join in prayer for this or that in the work place, or try to get me to go to their church, I would never complain about it. I'm ashamed, because I feel like if more atheists stuck up for themselves and outed themselves, it wouldn't be such a stigma and there wouldn't be so many closet atheists. But on the other hand, I go to work to do my job, not lobby for political correctness. That said, I'm not a closet atheist, I'm almost evangelically atheist in my private life,

just sayin!! :)

Reminds me of a discussion between co-workers. I worked on a pediatric bone marrow transplant unit. Of course the kids there are very sick. Often they die during treatment or get through treatment, only to relaspe and die. In the end only about 40% are cured (basically a BMT is a ditch effort when all else fails so 40% really isn't too bad, just depressing at tmes).

Anyway, we had a doc that was raised by a minister father in a very strict, religious household. Don't know his whole story, but it was well know he is now an atheist.

So conversation came up and a nurse says to the doc, "I can't believe you can do this kind of work and not believe there is a God."

Doc shot back, "I can't believe you can do this work and BELIEVE there is a God." Touche doc.

One of the many small things that got me thinking.

Ya, well he also said "Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" —Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

Consider the source.

Just sayin'...

Ron

But here's one from The Shrub's Dad anyway:

"I put confidence in the American people, in their ability to sort through what is fair and what is unfair, what is ugly and what is unugly." –in 1989

to religious comments and questions at work, if you're atheist:

"What church do you go to?"
"I have my own religion, and I consider it to be very private, so I prefer not to talk about it, especially at work."

"Let's pray that XYZ will happen!"
"You go ahead and pray if you feel it will help. I don't think it's appropriate."

that I was raised as a Catholic but add the vague comment, "I'm not really very religious."

I do agree that you have to be careful whom you tell that you are an atheist because so many will treat you like you have the Ebola virus or something ...

Sherman: Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?

Bush: No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.

=================================

This was Daddy Bush not Bush the younger.

Can't remember who said that.

After all, why would any American business want to employ someone who concentrates on work!

Timothy