It's awkward. Even as a TBM I thought it was awkward. But I guess being employed by TBM's means that sometimes awkwardness is a standard procedure.

Anyone else experience prayer at company parties?

do they use a rameumptom?

Haha no, but that's a WONDERFUL idea!

Sorry you're subjected to such a display. I'm glad I've never worked in a situation like that.

I work on a US govt facility and this Friday is the annual "Christmas Party" which starts at 11:30 and goes to mid-afternoon then everyone will be dismissed early from work.

I'm not going. I objected to having a party during normal work hours and wasting taxpayer money. The bosses couldn't do anything, just said it's for morale. I replied, if people want to get together socially, they could do it after work like most companies.

While on active duty, one of the commands in which I served would have a Christmas party off base and during the evening. Being the only Jew in the unit made it rather uncomfortable for me as it was Christmas and only Christmas, with no regard for any other holiday or holy day.

Didn't you know? There's a war on Christmas and you, with your non-Christmas celebrating ways, are part of the problem. Christians MUST celebrate Christmas and MUST ignore the fact that there are several other holiday's going on around the same time, both for other religions and secular reasons. Christmas must be defended at all costs! Heaven forbid the holiday that stores prepare for long before Halloween, be tarnished in any way by simply acknowledging that there are non-Christians, let alone non-Christmas-celebrating people around.

This is a "Christian Nation" after all! ... Not a melting pot that was started with one of it's main tenants being religious freedom.

-- This kind of thinking drives me crazy... My own parents post "War on Christmas" crap on facebook... What's wrong with saying "Happy Holidays"? What's wrong with being inclusive to all people and whatever they happen to celebrate this season? I just don't get it.

I posted this on RfM the other day, but it bears repeating. If you need a good reply to the "War on Christmas" hysteria, you could let Jon Stewart do it for you:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/mon-december-3-2012-denis-leary

Uh, what? I shouldn't be surprised. You must live in Utah or Idaho or something.

I've encountered plenty of booze at company Christmas parties, but never once have I experienced prayer at WORK. Maybe in some other inappropriate places, but geez, I live in the Bible Belt and people are not quite that tacky down here.

Same experience here. Alcohol seems to chase away the unholy influence of Jesus.

The company party is this Saturday, a few hundred people will be there for the big sit-down dinner and entertainment. There was a prayer last year, there will probably be one this year. I wonder if anyone from the main office in New Jersey will be there and what their reaction would be.

A few years ago when I was still TBM I worked for a heavily TBM company that always had to have a prayer at the beginning of company lunches. That was tolerable, but as a TBM I couldn't STAND the way the boss would go into his testimony voice and shed a tear when talking about how great the company was. Made my skin crawl. My supervisor at the same company once told me that she couldn't believe how much heavenly father had blessed the company. I immediately started laughing when she said that, and she was miffed by my response. Sorry lady, I don't think HF goes out of his way to "bless" this company.

On top of the extreme TBM environment, that was possibly the worst job I ever had. They promised me a bonus structure and basically did a bait and switch on me. I worked my ass off for a sh!tty wage and got little respect in return. Unless I have no other choice, I will NEVER work for a TBM company like that again.

What about the people who feel weird not having a prayer before eating? Sure, they could just silently say a little prayer by themselves. Likewise, you could just wait silently while they have their ritual, you can think about something else. You can use the time to reflect on why you are glad you don't do that any more.

I am an avowed atheist. I understand where you are coming from, but we got to stop thinking that every one has to be accommodated. It is awkward because you have made it that way.

Release it. It is what it is, let them have it.

Nobody prayed at my husbands company party. Also, No mormons.

If they would have prayed, it would have been for the two open bars that were in the room.

The small, totally non-Mormon company I worked for here on the east coast had a Christmas party a few years ago where a Catholic employee offered a blessing on the dinner. So it's not just Mormons. We also have evangelicals around here that pray about everything.

When I worked in community mental health (we were county employees), we had potluck lunches for some holidays, and there was always someone who wanted to say grace. It just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I understood that I could just sort of sit quietly and tune it out, because that's what I did with my family, but that didn't feel right at work. I guess it was because they'd try to get everyone to be quiet for a moment and stop what they were doing. That was the part that bothered me. There were all these people working in the kitchen and chatting, and they'd have to stop for a moment for the prayer, whether they wanted to participate in a prayer or not.

So I asked the ringleader not to do it, and she said she felt it was OK and that she would continue until she was asked to stop (WTF? I just asked her to stop.) So then I met with our director, told her how I felt about it, and she was very understanding. From then on, the people who wanted to pray could still do it, but instead of shushing everyone in the kitchen, they gathered up and went into a side room for their prayer. They still invited/included everyone who was interested, but no longer interrupted everyone else.

There were no Mormons there, as far as I know. I was not the only RLDS person. There were all different types of Christians, including Catholics and born-again Evangelical types.

I work in a call center and people love to tell me Merry Christmas which I actually don't really care about. I just say Merry Christmas back even. But one old guy after he said it told me, "You know there is nothing wrong with saying Merry Christmas." Christians have such a persecution complex. One caller told me he had a riddle about what the correct response to Merry Christmas is. He said it had to do with something else without which Christmas would have no meaning. Then he asked me if I would consider myself a Christian. We aren't supposed to express religious or political opinions but I couldn't resist and said, "No I would not." He seemed a little baffled and so he just quickly told me the correct response was Happy Easter because without Easter Christmas would have no meaning. I find it a little annoying that people are proselyting to me while I am working. I don't think I could keep working there if the company had prayers at work.

Dh used to work at a company that was Christian- by beliefs, not necessarily by actions. At their christmas party wed have to listen to a Christmas speech by the owner and maybe a prayer before we could eat. i was mormon at the time so it didn't bother me much. We live in the mid-east province of Ontario, so it's not in any bible belt.