I am all for Freedom of Religion, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I think people get confused between the right to practice their religion and the right to be obnoxious about their religion.
Here is what has set me off this time....
You all know that I work 2 jobs. At Job #1 we have a new staff who is "Born Again". She carries her bible with her to work, and sits and reads it at odd moments throughout the shift. That is all good and well.
The issue comes in when she wants to testify to me. I mean, I am at work. I don't have the time to sit and listen to her rhapsodize about how wonderful her life is since she accepted Jesus. And when she goes on her hour long lectures about how praying will fix everything wrong in my life? Yeah, do I wanna discuss that at work? Not really. My personal life is just that, PERSONAL. And, really, I figure the Creative Force of the Universe has more important things to think about than whether or not I smoke or need to lose a few pounds. There are starving kids all over the world, child abuse is a horrid reality, we have a Climate Crisis on our hands....the list of things more important than my dress size is endless.
At Job #2, I have the exact opposite problem. There I work with a woman who takes belief in magic way into the Flaky Side. The woman is always asking me (in front of a 97 yr old devout Lutheran) if I believe in Magic, in Fairies, in Reincarnation. Then she goes on these long, rambling monologues about her experiences in the metaphysical world and how I need to get in touch with the Wonder Of Magic to enrich my life. The worst part of it is the dreamy "I~took~one~too~many~hits~of~acid~back~in~the~day" way she talks about it. I swear she is still seeing trails. And while she is off on her little 60's flashback where all is rosy and light if you just get in tune, our client is getting progressively more agitated. And personally? I don't care what you believe in.....anything that makes EVERYTHING rosy and wonderful has got to be illegal or bad for you.
Goodness Gracious.
Is my life so obviously horrible that these women feel the need to shove their beliefs down my throat in an effort to "fix" me?
I swear this behavior brings out the worst in me. I want to be truly cruel to each of them, just for fun. I don't know, maybe I could show up at Job #1 impersonating the staff at Job #2 and vice versa. Maybe then these women would leave me alone.
4 comments:
Maybe you could introduce them to each other! There would then be endless possibilities for them to fix EACH OTHER!!
#1 should remember that talk is cheap and that she has been told
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
Luke 6:36-38
Your personal life is 100% nothing to do with her and as for "praying fixing everything that is wrong with your life" who is she to judge that things ARE wrong?
As for #2... wow. If you want to get in touch with 'the wonder of magic to enritch your life' I would imagine that you would plant a tomato seed.
Blessings.
*shaking head* Sheesh!!! These ladies need to learn that the place for prostheletizing is NOT at work. In fact, if they keep it up after you've asked them to stop, it could be counted (in BOTH cases) as harassment.
OH! Now THERE'S a thought.... Bring a book titled "Harassment in the Workplace" with you to work, and when asked why you're reading THAT, maybe have a section regarding religious harassment ready to read back to them!!! *grin*
Seriously though, I hope you find a way to get them both to knock it off.
Oh Barefoot, that sucks! I've learned over the years to keep my religious and personal beliefs to myself, it's just easier that way--especially at work.
Can you find some busy work or some other task to send those co-workers to when they start their philosophical discussions with you??
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