How to Handle Religious Nuts in the Workplace?

[WVUforREDSKINS]

They go to church several times a week and make their kids go to all kinds of bible schools and stuff over the summer while they're out of regular school. Now this is all well and good but these people are VERY loud about being such "good" Christians...and they're very loud about it everyday.

They talk **** about people who don't go to church and who aren't religious and do all kinds of preaching inside the office. They talk about how great church was over the weekend and talk out loud about the sermons from the weekend..... just this morning this one dumb lady was talking on and on very LOUDY about how George Carlin's going to hell and apparently thinks it's funny to make fun of him for dying since he wasn't religious.

Any advice?

Ignore them? Send them emails of Carlin's "religion is bull****" bit.

They sound like empty people to me. I mean to talk about a Church sermon at work is pretty ridiculous. And mock someone who died is pretty Christ like don't ya think. Didn't Jesus leave instructions for the Christians? Lots of them don't have much to do. So they attack those who don't believe in invisible men or attack liberal authors for having a gay wizard.

[Disco Dave]

Here's the story:

I moved back to the North Carolina coast (where I'm from) from DC and started a new job 3 weeks ago and I love it.

I work in a building with about 1700 employees but my office only has 8 people.

Our office requires private access (blocked off from the rest of the floor) so people talk out loud and we have office-wide conversations (considering there are so few people in this particular office).

There are 2 women in the office here who are hardcore Christians.

They go to church several times a week and make their kids go to all kinds of bible schools and stuff over the summer while they're out of regular school. Now this is all well and good but these people are VERY loud about being such "good" Christians...and they're very loud about it everyday.

They talk **** about people who don't go to church and who aren't religious and do all kinds of preaching inside the office. They talk about how great church was over the weekend and talk out loud about the sermons from the weekend..... just this morning this one dumb lady was talking on and on very LOUDY about how George Carlin's going to hell and apparently thinks it's funny to make fun of him for dying since he wasn't religious.

All in all, they're not bad people but the day that they ask me if I'm a Christian isn't going to go well.

I'm not a hardcore athiest or anything but I'm simply not a big religious person and they're being irritating as ****. I believe there's a greater being but I don't buy into any specific religion and I don't want to get into a big debate at work but it almost seems inevitable by the way they talk.

I don't even really care if they talk about being Christians once in a while or talk about church but they simply take it too far.

Anyone know about the laws on religion in the workplace? Because for some strange reason I get the feeling that if someone was going on and on about being a Muslim that the company wouldn't tolerate that **** for very long.

I could go to my manager (who's very cool) but her kid goes to one of the bible schools that one of the two women teach so I doubt she would do anything about it but ask them to tone it down and then I have a feeling that I would be ostracized for going to the manager.

Any advice?

I'm just curious; where do you work? PPD?

I just tell religious Christian people that Jesus was Brown. They usually respond with "no he's white I've seen pictures of him at church or in the bible" :laugh: then I say how many white people do you think lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago? It agravates the Hell out of them to think that Jesus isn't white.

[skinfan133]

tell them to read the sermon on the mount again, and then add that "they have recieved their reward in full".

every good Christian ought to read the word of God more often.

in case they don't know where that is, tell them to start at Mathew chapter 6 and end at Mathew 6:18, and Mathew 7 versus 1-7

And I would like to appologise on their behalf, Jesus has no use for the prideful and boastful, and do not let your encounter with them sour your opinion of other Christians.

[skinfan133]

I'm just curious; where do you work? PPD?

I just tell religious Christian people the Jesus was Brown. They usually respond with "no he's white I've seen pictures of him at church or in the bible" :laugh: then I say how many white people do you think lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago? It agravates the Hell out of them to think that Jesus isn't white.

cracks me up too, and I'm a christian. Christians shouldn't care what color His skin was, I'd be just as pleased if He were polka-dotted.

and His skin would have been more olive, the residents of Israel at that time weren't arab, they were mediteranian. the arab conquest of the mid east during the early to mid middle ages changed the demographics there over a period of about 500-1000 years. lots of changes happen in the world.

sorry, I'm a history buff

[WVUforREDSKINS]

I'm just curious; where do you work? PPD?

I just tell religious Christian people the Jesus was Brown. They usually respond with "no he's white I've seen pictures of him at church or in the bible" :laugh: then I say how many white people do you think lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago? It agravates the Hell out of them to think that Jesus isn't white.

Very true.

Most likely he looked similar to a Palestinian.

[Disco Dave]

cracks me up too, and I'm a christian. Christians shouldn't care what color His skin was, I'd be just as pleased if He were polka-dotted.

and His skin would have been more olive, the residents of Israel at that time weren't arab, they were mediteranian. the arab conquest of the mid east during the early to mid middle ages changed the demographics there over a period of about 500-1000 years. lots of changes happen in the world.

sorry, I'm a history buff

Yeah, You know what I'm talking about. He would have been Brown, Light Brown or Olive skin tone. Not pasty white.

[skinfan133]

Yeah, You know what I'm talking about. He would have been Brown, Light Brown or Olive skin tone. Not pasty white.

with blonde or light brown hair. typical SBC

[GSF]

I would definitely feel compelled to find subtle ways to screw with those gals, but that's just me.

[Zguy28]

It agravates the Hell out of them to think that Jesus isn't white.

No it doesn't.:2cents:

[Zguy28]

Of course. What on earth could I possibly have against hot babes getting all drunked up and uninhibited? However, anyone quoting from pretty much any book on a regular basis is just annoying. It used to bother me when people would quote the Quran all the time when I was Muslim. Maybe I just don't care to know what God has to say about whether I have oatmeal for breakfast or not.

Just out of curiosity, how would you feel if a co-worker constantly quoted the Satanic Bible or the holy book of the Wiccans as the basis for just about everything they do? Whether it makes you feel uncomfortable or not, it sure as hell would be annoying...in part due to the unstated implication that the other person should be adhering to the same code of conduct. Also the very act of quoting the book as though you're Commander Data or something just comes across like you're being a "Richard". :2cents:

FWIW, try asking a representative sample (i.e. don't just pick people you know will tell you what you want to hear) of your co-workers how your constant quoting of the Bible makes them feel...assuming that you do that.

Hilarious. :laugh:

I don't walk around spouting off Bible verses constantly. But I do give my opinion (which is based on the Bible usually) just like everyone else.

:2cents:

[Destino]

Ah... how high minded of you... the "I don't care what people want to hear, I'm going to spout off anyway" response. I was wondering when that would break through the thin veneer.

I have no problem being who I am. I'm not a fan of arrogant folks that think their opinions on what is acceptable need to be obeyed by everyone else. The easily annoyed are often the most annoying people to work with.

Really? Then please, pray tell, explain what you were saying. It's the logical derivation of your comments. What you're really saying is that it's not something you'd admit to believing (the fact that you walk around with a holier than thou attitude not the fact that you have "faith"), but believe nonetheless.

Yeah really. I'm happy to explain it - I look inward and focus on me. My decisions and morality come from my faith. This is not a judgement on you and your systems of belief. If you are insulted by someone elses personal faith, you have a problem.

[#98QBKiller]

And I would like to appologise on their behalf, Jesus has no use for the prideful and boastful, and do not let your encounter with them sour your opinion of other Christians.

Don't worry bro, it doesn't affect my opinion of Christians as a group or of religious people in general...like I said earlier, anything can be taken too far and the bad ones don't represent the majority...they're usually just the loudest and get noticed easier.

Send them emails of Carlin's "religion is bull****" bit.

Wish I could, but they're definitely not worth risking my job over.

So they attack those who don't believe in invisible men

Or like my friend put it, they attack people who don't believe in a "bearded skydaddy" :laugh:

[techboy]

Yeah, You know what I'm talking about. He would have been Brown, Light Brown or Olive skin tone. Not pasty white.

That's His mom. His Dad isn't so easy to peg, skin-color wise.

[Corcaigh]

That's His mom. His Dad isn't so easy to peg, skin-color wise.

His dad was smart, very hard working ... probably Asian.

[pjfootballer]

Or your own palm.

Forget to charge up your sarcasm meter today?

[Zguy28]

Forget to charge up your sarcasm meter today?

Huh?

It was a reference to werewolves.

Remember the show? http://www.warlockvideos.com/Werewolf.html?gclid=COnw4OGF0I8CFQNYYQodoVB7qA

[pjfootballer]

Huh?

It was a reference to werewolves.

Remember the show? http://www.warlockvideos.com/Werewolf.html?gclid=COnw4OGF0I8CFQNYYQodoVB7qA

Sorry, I've never watched the Show. Guess my sarcasm meter was low on batteries. :laugh:

[joeknows]

yeah i think the best thing is just try to ignore them...... it isnt a battle that you can win..... there will be no winners...... if you can use an ipod save it for the times when they are most boisterous about it ......maybe they will notice...... but by all means.....DO NOT TELL THEM YOU ARE NOT CHRISTIAN UNLESS YOU DECIDE YOU ARE JEWISH, MUSLIM ,BUDDHIST ETC......... otherwise they WILL evangelize you. my experience as a non christian has taught me that sometimes its better to choose my battles wisely.

cracks me up too, and I'm a christian. Christians shouldn't care what color His skin was, I'd be just as pleased if He were polka-dotted.

and His skin would have been more olive, the residents of Israel at that time weren't arab, they were mediteranian. the arab conquest of the mid east during the early to mid middle ages changed the demographics there over a period of about 500-1000 years. lots of changes happen in the world.

sorry, I'm a history buff

and just for the sake of this subject, here is a good site....

http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc06/htm/iii.lvii.iv.htm

The Problem of the life passion of St. C? us, and the external appearance of Jesus possessed but minor interest for the Church Fathers, although the Catholic Acts of the Holy Apostles ascribe to him an olive complexion, a beautiful beard, and flashing eyes. Further details are first found in a letter to the Emperor Theophilus attributed to John of Damascus (in MPG, xcv. 349), which speaks of the brows which grew together, the beautiful eyes, the prominent nose, the curling hair, the look of health, the black beard, the wheat-colored complexion, and the long fingers, a picture which almost coincides with a hand-book on painting from Mt. Athos not earlier than the sixteenth century.