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Permalink Reply by Noah Wiles on October 17, 2010 at 4:06am

I'm pretty sure there should be some kind of HR guideline that would protect you from being forced to attend it. It might be worth it to start looking in to what may be on HR books for such things.

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Permalink Reply by Eoganacht on October 17, 2010 at 4:18am

Is this even legal?

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Permalink Reply by Atheist Exile on October 17, 2010 at 10:07am

Yes, I'm surprised it's gotten past HR. Are you working in the U.S., Lisa?

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Permalink Reply by Galen on October 17, 2010 at 4:41am

Just say that you deal with your stress just fine and you don't need some guy who doesn't even DO your job telling you how to deal with it.

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Permalink Reply by Jānis Ķimsis on October 17, 2010 at 6:05am

Unless this guy has told people to pray instead of seeking medical help. In that case he should have first hand experience of dealing with the fact that people are dying in his care and being powerless to help them. Also on being nuts, so that might be a problem for the sane.

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Permalink Reply by Ava Wilson on October 17, 2010 at 8:08pm

This really isn't an appropriate reason not to attend and something she could probably lose her job for. But if you base it on religious reasons, saying 'I'm not religious, I won't attend any spiritual program run by a chaplain for my stress; I'll seek my own stress counseling, thanks!' is a much better way to get out of it because jobs can't require you to violate your religious beliefs or lack thereof unless the job is religious in nature.

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Permalink Reply by Galen on October 19, 2010 at 11:28pm

She has not said that it's mandatory, just that she personally feels like it would cause her problems if she did not attend.

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Permalink Reply by Jānis Ķimsis on October 17, 2010 at 6:06am

Well, I'd say go, even if it's just so you'd have a funny and/or horrifying story to tell.

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Permalink Reply by Sydni Moser on October 17, 2010 at 7:12am

What if you were jewish or muslim, would they still be irate if you declined to go? No one is other than christian working in your hospital? Weird.

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Permalink Reply by Sophia Kousiakis on October 17, 2010 at 8:08am

I've been hearing a lot of this. Even if there were HR guidelines protecting a person, one will most likely (perhaps I'm a bit pessimistic) end up being ostracized for not attending. I heard of someone who never attended his morning work prayer sessions, until one day he was asked to join because someone's child had passed away. -DIFFICULT! He was then called in to the boss's office, for as the author says: "not being a team player."

Maybe one should be happy when they move from a company such as this one and finds an environment that's more suited towards their own 'culture' and open mindedness?

I simply believe work is work. Please excuse me from all prayer sessions.

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Permalink Reply by Sophia Kousiakis on October 17, 2010 at 9:45am

I hear what Mrs. Jones is saying and I'm very sorry for your loss Mrs. Jones.

Fred, I hope you don't mind me saying, that although this passive behaviour you describe might save someone their job and might be showing self control etc etc, this is not the point. The point is that some people do not want to attend, feels obligated to attend and knows that they will be ostracized should they not. This is wrong at the core. Should a woman who is being oppressed take the abuse so as to not rock the boat? Should a person not be true to how they feel if religion makes them feel as Mrs. Jones described as stressed and uncomfortable?

You say:" All my experiences of hierarchy at work tells me you have to pick such private fights very carefully or you fail to get any work in future." -I hear you. The issue I have with this though is that when does this behaviour stop? When do we evolve and move on to a work environment where one can openly say I cannot take part in this. After all it is not work related! It will only change when we, respectfully, start declining these offers, openly and discussing with christians or people of other faiths how we feel as atheists and why we choose not to take part in what are essentially ritualistic events. In a respectful, non-emotional manner.

You are not making a fool of yourself at all, your comments are kind and respectful. I have learnt the hard way that being too passive and accommodating of others' religious rantings is admirable but a sure fire way to stay in the dark ages.

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Permalink Reply by Mrs. Jones on October 17, 2010 at 12:16pm

Thank you for your thoughts,

I think this is right on the nail...
I am in the U.S. anyway.. not sure where Fred is from, but people unfortunately are conditioned everywhere in even my country to think this way; passive, shying away from being who they are. Fitting in is important to keep a job, friends, and to advance in any way. You have to be a member of the majority. ~this is the thinking, not how I feel about it. You're right on the money; we need a respectful revolution, a mass turn against going with the religious flow for comfort. Of all countries, founded on all things, this one is real backwards with discrimination against anything not Christian.

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