Religion and Prayer in the Workplace

[SalixIncendium]

The issue is preferential treatment with those that are in the prayer group and peer pressure to join the prayer group for the perks.

Where in the thread was evidence presented that those who participated in the prayer were given preferential treatment or any perks? I missed that part.

Similarly back when they banned smoking in the workplace....folks would go outside to smoke. If you had chosen to shorten your life by smoking, you got multiple additional breaks. The smokers would say gonna go for a smoke, watch the phones. The nonsmokers were relegated to staying inside, no elevator ride down to chat for ten minutes with coworkers.

Sometimes decisions were made in the smoking clutch that affected those not there. Me? Everytime the boss said going out for a smoke, I started going...not smoking, just taking a break, and being involved in company decisions.

Similarly when I was in basic training for the USAF, smokers would be permitted to fall out behind the formation and smoke while non-smokers had to remain in formation at parade rest. A few non-smokers took up smoking as a result.

But unless we have evidence presented for preferential treatment or perks given to those who participated in the prayer, this really isn't a fair comparison.

 

[Thomas]

I suspect the entire issue of the original question isn't about whether prayer has its place in the workplace, but rather how much the separation of Church and state should be enforced ...

Quite probably ...

But I think another aspect is, for those like @Faithfulservant and myself, the question has potential triggers around it, especially when there seems to be a lot of assumption that tends to the negative rather than the positive.

It's something I don't really want to get into, I'll probably 'offend sensibilities' at the suggestion, so I don't go there.

I had actually decided not to engage at all ... can't remember now why I did, but wish I hadn't.

Suffice to say I sympathise with @Faithfulservant ...

 

[talib-al-kalim]

What if the request for group prayer was by and for members of a different religion than your own? Would you stay or leave? Or something else?

I don't appreciate it if someone starts a public prayer saying, "Let us pray". In Sunni Islam, we pray Salat together, reciting verses from the Quran. But at least in all communities I have joined, we join Dua (individual prayer) in silence; there are some Imams who do that in Juma (Friday main service), but I don't like it. I know that in Protestant Christian service, this is common practice (I think, less in Catholic mass). People who attend the service probably appreciate or tolerate it.
But in a non-confessional context, that's a no-go.
If you are in a group with a common goal with a value (commemoration, peace, mercy, drought), I think that it's adequate to leave a silence for prayer in the end. But at work, if it's not for a colleague who passed away, it's inadequate, and if it comes to pray for success in business, I would not only leave the session but probably also the company.
It never happened to me that people prayed in a business meeting.

 

[Faithfulservant]

Someone is always going to get offended. What boggles my mind is that prayer is the culprit this time. What does that say about the power of prayer or people that pray? We have a national day of prayer and all religions pray on that day at our white house. Wheres the outrage?

I still dont like this thread because i pray with people at work. Christians find each other and we know who our people are and that includes prayer partners. Prayer is everything.

As far as participating in other religious gatherings? As long as im not bowing kneeling and calling other gods God or praying to another god i would sit in respectful silence and pray quietly to mine.

 

[talib-al-kalim]

Why not? Is God exiled from the public sphere?

God is present wherever you are, my firm belief. But public prayer in business smells hypocritical, manipulative. abusive, at least disrespectful to me. Obeying God is revolutionary, still now. God is more than your boss. Anyone may share with me the concerns he or she wants to bring before God. But a boss forcing people to pray his prayer - no!

 

[talib-al-kalim]

I still dont like this thread because i pray with people at work

I actually got interest in the thread because it is a challenge for Muslim people to perform the Salat prayer during working hours. I have become pragmatic and pray outside office hours (even if it is not consistent with the decreed rulings).
I would like to have people around me and pray together. I would even share (silent) prayer with Christian believers. If you have the opportunity to meet and pray with people who share your belief at work, you are lucky. I think there's a big difference between people who join deliberately in a break at work and an official meeting with a prayer from the boss.

 

[wil]

When my cardiologist sent me to the cardiac.surgeon (my second open heart) he grabbed my hand, bowed his head and said a prayer.

It was without consent without warning and I felt offended, no...pissed off.

He is not my cardiologist anymore. This does not matter the form of the prayer or the religion (he was christian) ....he could have said it after I left, now true if a Hindu or Muslim or had done this I don't know their language...if it were in English I would feel the same thou.

Lastly, the majority of us live in largely Christian nations and I find Christians feeling more oppressed than other religions frankly ludicrous... I attend a Christian church, every year see millions of Christmas lights and hear Christmas songs in most every store I go.

 

[talib-al-kalim]

Patriotism citizenship and nationalism are not necessarily the same thing.
The idea I absorbed was the value of the nation's ideals and what is currently passing for nationalism seems to be a rejection of those very ideals.
Antithetical even.

Neither patriotism nor nationalism is founded on the Word taught by Jesus (p.b.u.h) and Muhammad (p.b.u.h). The Kingdom of God is beyond any nation, and our value before God will be measured by our steady willingness to do good. It is good and wise to be aware of your immediate environment, where you can contribute, to be there. That's usually by far a smaller circle than the nation.
I had a long time to wait for citizenship, and others never get it. But that's a modern delusion.
Patriote? For what? My country is near in space, where I live, and my country is near in mind, in the reign of God.

 

[talib-al-kalim]

When my cardiologist sent me to the cardiac.surgeon (my second open heart) he grabbed my hand, bowed his head and said a prayer.

It was without consent without warning and I felt offended, no...pissed off.

He is not my cardiologist anymore. This does not matter the form of the prayer or the religion (he was christian) ....he could have said it after I left, now true if a Hindu or Muslim or had done this I don't know their language...if it were in English I would feel the same thou.

I am able to understand you but I think you got it wrong. If I was a cardiologist (I am a material scientist dealing with dead matter) and I was facing the difficult task to help you, my prayer ( I would not pronounce it loudly, but Christians do) would be the expression of care and love. Even if it is not what you would do, see his perspective. We are here in the interreligious forum to understand each other. If it's not what you would do, it may still be a good thing.

P.S.: I'm often dealing with biocompatibility, but I rather listen to medical experience and contribute, but I don't pray for that reason; it's too far off.

 

[Thomas]

I actually got interest in the thread because it is a challenge for Muslim people to perform the Salat prayer during working hours. I have become pragmatic and pray outside office hours (even if it is not consistent with the decreed rulings).

I worked for a company which employed a number of Muslim contractors. They would pray in the footwell of a staircase in the basement, until the Boss or someone realised what was happening. A bit of shuffling, a room cleared, hey-presto – a prayer-space.

 

[talib-al-kalim]

I worked for a company which employed a number of Muslim contractors. They would pray in the footwell of a staircase in the basement, until the Boss or someone realised what was happening. A bit of shuffling, a room cleared, hey-presto – a prayer-space.

That's a nice gesture.
For me, the the room is not a big problem. There are some (I think usually 3) women from Bosnia praying together in a break room which else is hardly used because it has no coffee machine. But women and men are not supposed to pray together (except in the family). They pray Zuhr after lunch and Asr around 3 in the afternoon together. I go home for lunch. Remains the Asr prayer. I pray in the silent room, alone, because it seems that the other Sunni Muslim don't pray. It's a bit a delicate question to ask directly whether he would join because it's actually deemed obligatory so that someone who doesn't practice may feel uncomfortable. So I only mentioned that I go there for prayer, but the 2 colleagues who are Sunni Muslim didn't react... (I say Sunni not because I wouldn't pray with Shiites, but there is no Shiite, and the Alevi don't perform Salat)
I referred to the morning and the sunset prayer which I don't shift with the season, but do it between taking shower and breakfast in the morning, and before dinner in the evening.

 

[talib-al-kalim]

But women and men are not supposed to pray together (except in the family).

Not really true. But I can't just join, I would be supposed to lead the prayer in front of them. I don't want to disturb them and play their Imam.