 |
|
|
|
|
|
I
work at a medical health clinic. This week we had a mandatory in-service for
employees and were required to listen to a church sermon recorded by our social
worker who is a Seventh Day Adventist. We were also given a questionnaire
concerning how much effort we put into our work, our personal relationships, and if we chose, our spiritual
relationships.
My program director encourages moments of silences before meals and does not reframe from making comments regarding religious issues so you feel there is always a spiritual undertone. I am a Catholic and view myself as a religious person but also believe that the workplace is not an appropriate place to spout your beliefs. Everyday I feel like some issue is being crammed down my throat and it's very violating. If I can respect others; why can't I expect the same treatment? Do I have any protection from this onslaught?
Swallowing Hard
Dear
Swallowing Hard:
Religion at its worst has fostered ethnic cleansing, prolonged wars, bodily mutilation, denial of scientific findings, and hatred of non-believers. Religion at its best has fostered feeding of the hungry, peaceful mediation of disputes, and healing institutions. I can not know from what you say whether your medical health clinic is religiously founded, private for profit, or publicly funded. If it is religiously sponsored, it is natural that there would be religious icons and rituals. This has been the case for Catholic supported hospitals. If it is not religiously sponsored, then you have reason to object to captive in-service indoctrination.
However, even in publicly supported health clinics, individuals may practice their faith so long as they do not require others to do so, such as praying before meals and wearing prayer caps as the Amish do.
So if you work in a religiously supported clinic you may have to swallow hard and give thanks, or pretend to. At least you can give thanks that religion in your clinic does not prompt the worst kind of human behavior. It may foster healing attitudes, and that's good. On the other hand, its practice may foster self-righteousness, and that's bad. Hopefully, the frequent practice of worship follows the medical ethic of do no harm.
You apparently see its practice as one-sided and out of place. If so you can bite your tongue or speak up to suggest its practice is out of place. Persuading the devout to refrain from public display of their faith is nigh impossible without recourse to law. So that is why to answer your query one must know if yours is a public or private non-government funded clinic.
We have several question-answers on this topic in our Q&A Archive under the section on workplace values and culture. You may find them of interest. I am copying one paragraph I wrote in answer to one such question similar to yours:
If you want to have some fun with the dear devout soul quietly tell her that prayer doesn't work. She will welcome the chance to ask you why? Then you can say, "It has not persuaded me to your faith. And I have been praying for you to please stop talking about your religion and telling me and others that you are praying for us, and you have not stopped. So if you really want to make a believer out of me, you will stop!" Don't lose your sense of humor. Humor those who despitefully pray for you is a beatitude that you have not read.
You must ask yourself what is it about the practice of religion in your workplace that bothers you. If it bothers you much, you may need to seek work elsewhere.
We go when we can not change what bothers us. In good spirit, we do our best to change what really matters. WEGO comes from mutual respect and empathy.
Bill Gorden