At work, my coworkers read and quote the Bible throughout the day, they say prayers out loud at times, and they don't practice what they preach. One coworker in particular maliciously attacks employees verbally when she is upset, then goes on to be the preacher of the group.
I am Lutheran and very devoted to Christ and to my religious beliefs. However, I view religion as very private and personal. Am I being a prude? I just want to do my work at work, and leave my time to worship and pray in privacy? How do I get through each day?
-- Religious and Isolated
Dear Religious and Isolated,
The great emphasis on religion at your workplace is increasingly common: according to several recent media reports, spirituality is on the rise in the workplace. Ironically, however, your workmates may be in unintentional violation of the Eighth Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Steal." When a person contracts with an employer, the employee is obligated to spend the hours he or she is being paid working. This applies to as much to commendable activities such as religious discussions or prayers (other, perhaps, than very brief ones) as playing computer games or making personal telephone calls.
Pointing this out to your coworkers might well make you the favorite target of malicious gossip when you aren't present. It won't necessarily change their behavior, either. Perhaps the best approach is not to go after the worst offenders first; rather, choose those individuals who you feel might be more responsive to your message.
As for the most obnoxious and intrusive, the only way you'll get through each day is by interacting with them as little as possible. worker who is so verbally malicious, you might point out to her that when she attacks people who are not present, she is violating an important biblical commandment, "Do not go about as a talebearer" (Leviticus 19:16).
When I was a rabbinical student, I studied with the late Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, a great religious scholar, who was known for, among other things, his essay, "The Lonely Man of Faith." Unfortunately, it appears that that might be the position you are destined to hold in your workplace.
