April 16, 2014

The Taboo Conversation..

Greetings!
 


I'm just going to dive right in here to this subject matter, for the most part. I've been chewing on whether I really wanted to write a post about this or not since it's such a sensitive subject and often times people get offended easily. It's been weighing on my mind and so here we are my friends at the very first religion post (and probably the last) that I've ever done. So without further ado...


I am of the opinion that you should never talk about religion (or politics) at work. Are there not wars on the very subject..? Yet, almost on a weekly basis something is said about religion at my job. This week the subject came up through a conversation about Oprah of all people. I love Oprah. Oprah is awesome. I feel like she interrupts her guests a little too much, but I still love her nonetheless. No one is perfect after all. ;o)


So my fellow co-struggler said that he didn't like Oprah because of her religious views and that she wasn't a Christian. Now, I've watched enough Oprah shows to know that she is indeed a Christian and has respect for all faiths no matter if she agrees with them or not. This co-struggler (let's call him Bob) stated that Oprah believes that all faiths really are just worshiping the same God, but may call him by a different name. So in other words Allah of the Islamic faith and God of the Christian faith are one in the same, the religious texts are just different. Bob goes further to say that Oprah likes to pick and choose what she likes from Christianity and basically makes up her own religion. Therefore.... because she believes this way, she cannot call herself a Christian. Oh... and let's not forget that Bob is of the opinion that if you're not Christian then you're kinda not gonna make it through the pearly gates and into the land of milk and honey otherwise known as Heaven.


The thing that bothered me about this whole little tirade was that he was very quick to judge someone because of their beliefs and say that they're not a Christian because of x, y, & z. So wouldn't that be the same thing as going to church every Sunday, yet not living Christ like because you aren't treating people like you would want to be treated? How is that being a Christian? (according to the rules of Bob) Who is Bob to tell someone if they are Christian or not?


My purpose with this post is to simply see what your views are my friends. Do you agree with how Bob thinks or do you disagree? It is my understanding that what makes someone a Christian is the fact that they believe in and follow the teachings of Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. That's why they call it Christianity and not something else. ;o) Also, do you too believe as Bob does that only the people belonging to your religion will go to Heaven (or whatever term your faith has)?


My Opinion: I don't agree with Bob. One's faith, spirituality, or the lack thereof is something that I consider a personal thing. It's a journey that only you can travel, even though there will always be outside influences. I don't believe in judging people, plain and simple. You also shouldn't spew things as fact if you don't know for sure. It has been my experience that the people that are the loudest in saying someone else is wrong in what they believe are the ones that are the most insecure in their faith/spirituality. Although I don’t agree with Bob, if he chooses to practice his Christianity a certain way, I respect his right to do so, just like I would expect someone to respect mine.

Am I asking you to share something personal by stating your opinion? I sure am. Why? Because I'm downright curious to see what others think in this matter. It doesn't matter to me what your opinion is, just as long as you are sharing what is true to you. The only other request I have is to respect the opinion of other commenters.



Ciao!

10 comments:

  1. Wow, A post with so much backing and no comments. I am amazed, I guess people are short to share their opinion on such a touchy subject.

    I disagree with bob on a huge level, I am an eclectic Wiccan/Pagan/Spiritualist type, and I mostly think like Oprah, I believe we are all walking the same path with different scenery along the way.

    My partner on the other hand is an athiest, and dispises all the religous paraphenalia that is shoved in your face constantly, where as I can just shrug it off as not being of interest to me or interested enough to read their views and move on, he gets a little more cranky about it. Religion is actually a topic we don't talk about in our house, he has his beliefs, I have mine its all good.

    I also like to let everyone believe what they like, you know he's islam, she is christian, they are catholic, her skin in brown, mine is white, his is black, we are all human, and supposedly the superior species but allow animals to show us up on the humanity front all the time. I think its all a failure as a society. Live and let live. I could probably ramble for hours but don't want to hog your blog. Might have to go and write my own on the subject, thanks for the inspiration.

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    1. Joy, I know quite a few people including myself that don't like religion shoved in their face all the time. Religion may work for them, but maybe it doesn't work for the next wo(man).. While religion has brought peace and comfort to some it has also segregated people from one another. Thank you so much for being brave enough to post the first comment!

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  2. Hm interesting topic. I agree with most of what you say but I also feel that some religious beliefs show how that person is as a person. If I knew a person whose religion sttaes that you must kill the first born female in a family because she is weak and will pull down the value of the family.... I have a problem with that. The West Borough Church is a good example. After listening to their hateful views, I do not think I could respect and member of that religion.

    On the otherhand, most religions teach the same general rules of love and giving. I think that 99% of religious views are ones own and shoud not interfer with your view of that person.

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    1. You make a valid point! Someone's religion does give insight as to who there are as a person and like you said most of them teach the whole do good and treat others as you'd like to be treated, etc... It just irritates me when people discriminate, if you will against others that don't believe the same way they do. Many thanks for your comment, it is much appreciated. :)

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  3. Well I won't go into what I believe in my Faith, but I will say I agree with you. You should not discuss religion, or politics at work, or if I had my way anywhere. It causes conflict, and anger, because people take it so seriously. Especially politics. Politics is a joke, a bunch of men and women who have learned to lie to your face with a smile, and you say thank you and vote for them. I do discuss religion and politics at work, but only if I have time, and only if I know enough info to support how I feel. If I do not I do some research and then I am prepared, lol

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    1. Hey Melissa, thanks for your comment!! Isn't it amazing how much conflict both of those topics cause? I'm sure debates would still get heated, but I think people forget to respect their peers opinions and if people could remember that, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

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  4. Since others have posted their opinion on this subject, here's mine!

    Religions for the most part are a man-made device to control the thinking of its followers. They use the teaching of Jesus, Allah, or whoever they tell you to follow, as a way of legitimizing their agenda. I grew up in the Baptist Religion and learned a lot about how you are supposed to treat your fellow man(woman), but the people who were telling you how to act in church were the same people who were doing the bad stuff when you weren't looking! (Clergy included).

    It is now my belief that there are only 3 things that determine your value in life...Control, Belief, and Opinion!

    Every Decision, Every Law, Every War, Every Rule that we are told to follow is based on these 3 things! Think for a minute about everything that's going on in your life right now, and everything that has happened to you in the past, and you will see that this is a fact!

    Sorry, I got a little bit off the subject!

    Religion does do one good thing that I have noticed, It gives you Hope! Whether that hope is real or not is a matter of what you're willing to believe!

    Discussing religion with people who think they are religious is the worse conversation that I have ever had at work or any place else. That's why I always avoid the conversation!

    David

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    1. If by 'your value in life' means that control, belief, and opinion affects how people see you and treat you then I totally agree with you. Having a faith based conversation with someone who is religious instead of spiritual is a very hard conversation to have. I've found that people who are spiritual AND religious are more open-minded about things not only in religion, but life in general. Almost every religion I've studied (even Christianity) was created as a spin-off of another one before it, because someone didn't agree with the beliefs of their peers. Respect that and you can respect others beliefs. Thaaaaaannk you for your comment!!

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  5. It is definitely a taboo topic in the work place. At my last library job, we were not allowed to give our opinions to patrons on religious or political topics. If someone asked what we thought even in a casual conversation, we were supposed to say we couldn't discuss our personal views at work. We weren't even allowed to encourage people to vote since they have a right to choose to not vote. Mostly this is because it was a county job so we had to remain neutral so it didn't reflect back on government institutions. This was totally fine with me because it meant that I didn't have to get into an awkward conversation with anyone.

    This policy wasn't as strict between employees, but overall we still didn't talk about it too much since it can cause serious tensions. When coworkers become friends though (or when your friends become your coworkers) the line can get a little blurred. Although I don't mind talking about religion or serious topics to people that are my friends and happen to be coworkers as well, but I try to keep it light and talk about not so serious matters at work. Besides, there are plenty of fun, nonreligious things to talk about!

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  6. Yea, colleagues and chats about religion are not always a great idea. Unfortunately we can't choose our colleagues.
    I had this one male colleague once that told me on numerous occasions I would go to hell because I was not baptized or member of the baptist church. It was getting rather annoying at one point.
    Strange enough he thought the same thing about his daughter, who moved away and married a guy whom was not baptized. He probably never understood the exact reason why she moved away, but I think I understand quite well.

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