tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post4159738999194573390..comments2023-11-02T06:28:23.104-07:00Comments on ... and now for something completely different.: Atheists in Businessdbackdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10700991588554336491noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-58785137298333834772010-03-01T07:20:20.710-08:002010-03-01T07:20:20.710-08:00I think if you're a male and there is morally...I think if you're a male and there is morally questionable conversations going and you don't participate, you will be asked why, eventually.<br />I wasn't suggesting that only Christians make this choice, but saying this is one of the ways Dan gets outed and now that he has been...it's open season in his yard.Sadie Louhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07362158642491145353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-869343860958982732010-03-01T07:05:13.182-08:002010-03-01T07:05:13.182-08:00Religion, by and large, is certainly treated as a ...Religion, by and large, is certainly treated as a private matter over here. Public displays of religious feeling/belief are normally considered questionable if not actually rude - most especially in people holding positions of power. We've had quite enough of that in our bloody history not to want to go through that again!<br /><br />I think it might have something to do with the fact that the Catholic minority have been basically oppressed for the past few centuries so talking about religion in public could be (potentially) dangerous. <br /><br />Of course the Church of England isn't big on public displays either - it's all very low-key. You certainly don't get them knocking on your door preaching at you!<br /><br />I do think however that we should be much more secular than we are.CyberKittenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394155516712665665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-90953816694286201302010-03-01T06:12:13.913-08:002010-03-01T06:12:13.913-08:00CK -- But religion seems to be treated in a differ...CK -- But religion seems to be treated in a different manner over there. Frequently, your bishops seems less religious than our "normal" politicians.dbackdadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10700991588554336491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-79032266593530548212010-03-01T04:17:28.352-08:002010-03-01T04:17:28.352-08:00dbackdad said: CK -- I am really jealous of how yo...dbackdad said: CK -- I am really jealous of how your country handles religion.<br /><br />Not well enough unfortunately. We'll have a new law soon making sex education compulsary in schools - except that religious schools (which frankly shouldn't get a penny of state funding - but they do) are exempt.<br /><br />There is still quite a bit of room for increased secularisation I feel..... Removing bishops from the House of Lords would be a step in the right direction.CyberKittenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394155516712665665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-31778429090571662392010-02-28T19:04:40.131-08:002010-02-28T19:04:40.131-08:00Sadie -- By no means am I implying that it's j...Sadie -- By no means am I implying that it's just being atheist that submits one to undue scrutiny. I too have been in work situations where someone with a particular faith (Muslim, Mormon) have been put in uncomfortable situations.<br /><br />And being averse to a discussion of strip clubs doesn't make one Christian. It just means he's a good guy. I'm no more likely to get in those discussions than he is.<br /><br />CK -- I am really jealous of how your country handles religion.dbackdadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10700991588554336491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-44229096900696858952010-02-26T14:39:03.715-08:002010-02-26T14:39:03.715-08:00Not surprisingly - living in one of the most Secul...Not surprisingly - living in one of the most Secular countries on Earth - religion hardly ever comes up at work (or anywhere else for that matter). <br /><br />There are some people I know for sure are Christians and I know a few who are very vocal in their disbelief (and I have friends on both sides) but most people I work with are silent on the subject and I wouldn't have a clue about most of their beliefs.<br /><br />In the UK it's illegal to discriminate against anyone on religious grounds and my company takes that very seriously. You do hear of the odd case of religious discrimination on the news but such things are newsworthy because of their rarity value (and often turn out to be rather less newsworthy than they first appear).CyberKittenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394155516712665665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-54630804245914944562010-02-26T11:41:13.630-08:002010-02-26T11:41:13.630-08:00I don't advertise I'm a Christian. I am us...I don't advertise I'm a Christian. I am usually asked or I am in a situation where it is eventually guessed or explained. <br />A Christian faces the same world an atheist does. There are just certain aspects about our day that give us moments of being "outed". <br />For instance: My husband works for a large corporation. He starts the day in a yard with mostly male co-workers. Often times, their conversations are disgusting. They will trash talk about a fellow employee or they will talk about strip clubs...if my husband doesn't participate, he gets attention and often this leads to an explanation of why he doesn't include himself in the conversations.<br /><br />I'm the same way. I will be outed because of what I won't engage in or because of how I prioritize my day. I don't wear a badge-neither do I boast bumper stickers on my car or wear a cross around my neck.Sadie Louhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07362158642491145353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10882105.post-35755234808380953142010-02-26T11:17:37.286-08:002010-02-26T11:17:37.286-08:00It's like Francis Collins' recent book on ...It's like Francis Collins' recent book on the "proof" for his god (which does not address, I assume, how the "proof" supports HIS god and not some other...). It seems highly improper for a government official, and the head of a huge government scientific institute, to openly promote religious--and very un-scientific--views. And yet the fact of the matter is that no one could be elected to any major office in this country if they openly deny a christian god.<br /><br />The cards are openly and overtly stacked toward a single outcome, and deviations are not tolerated. What's amazing--even <i>miraculous!</i>--is that we ever got the legal Establishment Clause protections in place; we could achieve no such separation today, I'm confident.<br /><br />(WV: cheadin)wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.com