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Ministers at work.

steve s

Philosopher
steve s
Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
5,865
Tonight's NBC Nightly News did a segment on the growing (according to them) trend of businesses bringing in ministers to deal with employees' spiritual needs. As expected from the spineless MSM, they didn't offer the slightest skepticism that this might be a bad idea. They mentioned that employees won't be forced to meet with the ministers, but failed to mention that people might feel coerced to meet with them in order to avoid looking like a heathen.

The counselor they talked to said [paraphrasing] "I'm here to answer people's questions about spirituality." Shouldn't people be seeking answers to those questions on their own time outside of work?

Also, the reporter mentioned that the particular business they were at was spending $150,000 per year on this. I don't think they mentioned how many ministers that pays for, but if it's just one....Damn! I shoulda become a minister.

Steve S.
 
It depends on how it is done. If they merely say "X is available" then no harm is done, but if instead they say "We want you to utilize X" and then make it obvious who is and is not using "X" then there could be a problem.
 
The way they made it look was that the guy was going around the office talking to people. Perhaps they were just doing that for the cameras. But if that's how it's done it would be pretty obvious who was making use of it.

Steve S.
 
Comes under 'a happy worker is a more productive worker'.

It sort of works like this - for every employee there is an amount they get paid, and there is another amount they get in the form of benefits.

The 'minister' idea might be effective if you had a large group of people with similar faith background. The downside is that you are going to have some employees who do not get much value from the minister.
An alternate strategy would be to provide subsidized counseling at a place of the employee's choice. But if the employee values a minister more than a secular counselor, then the tables are reversed.

So I can see where in a balanced program of employer 'counseling benefits' they might also provide an on site minister. $150k does sound like a lot though, unless maybe the minister is the son or daughter of your landlord...
 
RationalReverend said:
It depends on how it is done. If they merely say "X is available" then no harm is done, but if instead they say "We want you to utilize X" and then make it obvious who is and is not using "X" then there could be a problem.
Click to expand...

That is very simplisitic. Take Ashcroft as an example. He had his morning prayer meetings. No one was required to attend. But it was noted who did not attend and future raises, promotions and influence were adversely affected.

Fundamentalist religionists - and, yes, fundamentalist atheists - can exert subtle influence well beyond the 'obvious who is and is not using "X"' and for you to ignore that fact suggests a bit more than simple naivete.
 
Having only worked in one real office I guess my experince is that my Clients were always egar to offer up their relgious observations, as were other employees. The idea of having a minster in the office is less invasive in my experiance. If the minster is there an offers to speak to anyone who wants advice or just to get things off their chest is one thing, but when anyone minister or not overhears a converstion with a client or co-worker they often insert their two cents. At lest a minister (assuming they went to real seminary for graduate studies) would at lest offer you the opertunity to speak in private and not tell you that you're a godless heathen infront of others.
 
SezMe said:
That is very simplisitic. Take Ashcroft as an example. He had his morning prayer meetings. No one was required to attend. But it was noted who did not attend and future raises, promotions and influence were adversely affected.

Fundamentalist religionists - and, yes, fundamentalist atheists - can exert subtle influence well beyond the 'obvious who is and is not using "X"' and for you to ignore that fact suggests a bit more than simple naivete.
Click to expand...

The same can happen with anything from professional psychiatric counseling to Myers-Brigg type stuff. We could exclude nearly any non-mandatory character development or spiritual type program on the same basis. Frankly, I think people will complain about anything.
 
Bellatrix said:
Having only worked in one real office I guess my experince is that my Clients were always egar to offer up their relgious observations, as were other employees. The idea of having a minster in the office is less invasive in my experiance. If the minster is there an offers to speak to anyone who wants advice or just to get things off their chest is one thing, but when anyone minister or not overhears a converstion with a client or co-worker they often insert their two cents. At lest a minister (assuming they went to real seminary for graduate studies) would at lest offer you the opertunity to speak in private and not tell you that you're a godless heathen infront of others.
Click to expand...

The only kind of ministers I can think of that would call someone a "godless heathen" are the kind that abhor seminaries as intellectual perversions of Christianity. Mainly, they are independent churches of a Baptist, Pentecostal, or non-denom flavor. (That is not meant as a slight to those groups of people, I am myself a Baptist, but I recognize a lot of Independent Baptist Churches run on the anti-intellectual fire-n-brimstone paradigm)
 
RationalReverend said:
It is kind of strange they are having to pay the ministers....especially that much...
Click to expand...

Many years ago (about 45), Mad Magazine had an issue about "lapel buttons". You know, the big round ones with a message on them. There was one of Billy Graham wearing a lapel button that said, "God Is Bread". :D

ETA (for younger members) Back then "bread" was slang for money.

.
 
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frank462 said:
Many years ago (about 45), Mad Magazine had an issue about "lapel buttons". You know, the big round ones with a message on them. There was one of Billy Graham wearing a lapel button that said, "God Is Bread". :D

ETA (for younger members) Back then "bread" was slang for money.

.
Click to expand...

Most ministers I know don't make a lot of money. The Pastor of my church runs a family on a single income that is less than what teachers make. It makes me wonder if these are religiously trained counselors. A lot of seminaries couple psychiatry with religious teaching for their counseling programs.
 
NBC is right about the trend - meeting places/chapels for workers of the religious persuasion have been popping up over the last two years (as far as being noticed anyway).
 
RationalReverend said:
Most ministers I know don't make a lot of money. The Pastor of my church runs a family on a single income that is less than what teachers make. It makes me wonder if these are religiously trained counselors. A lot of seminaries couple psychiatry with religious teaching for their counseling programs.
Click to expand...

And I can tell stories of those I knew who drove mercedes, wore silk suits, and sported diamonds big enough to choke the animal of your choice.

So what? :cool:

As I would expect those whose beliefs proscribe pigs to avoid jobs that featured pigs in some manner, I will never work for a company that employs a religious of any sort. If a religious was brought into my place of employment, I'd resign immediately.

I would not sue, nor protest, nor make demands. I'd just be gone. I was looking for a job when I found that one, after all.

I don't want to work for anyone who is so open about his or her desire to have me be part of a "flock" that he or she will provide, at company expense, a shepherd.

Never mind the fact (and here, sarcasm wins out) that Atheists don't seem to merit having a "professional" installed in the workplace to bolster their opinions.....
 
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