Religious Literature In Plain View

Bagan, Burma, Facebook-Travel+Leisure

Oxford states the secular is 1 'concerned with the affairs of this world; not spiritual or sacred'. 2 'not concerned with religion or religious belief'. 3. 'not ecclesiastical or monastic' 4. 'not bound by religious rule'. Oxford (1995: 1250).

This past Monday, I arrived back at my corporate employment in the security department, after the Easter break weekend.

A laminated 'Stations of the Cross' which appeared to be religious literature was located in the documents pile.

This literature was viewed by the corporate manager that reacted angrily to the senior security officer that had been working on the weekend asking why (paraphrased) this religious literature was out in the open in the documents pile when it should be in the closed desk drawer in the lost and found.

The corporate manager further noted (paraphrased) that we worked in a secular environment that was non-religious.

Interestingly, the corporate manager belongs to a famous, wealthy and corporate Nineteenth Century Christian restoration movement from the United States.

The senior security officer is Sikh and later asked me in private if the corporate manager was 'Anti-Christ'?

In my view, the corporate manager that has confessed his understanding of Jesus Christ to me previously at work was concerned with what would be perceived at the secular work site.

In the security department we do have some religious and philosophical dialogue among employees when not dealing with the public, but certainly the public and other departments are not involved in these discussions.

In other words, work is not mixed with personal views.

However, philosophically, what is the danger of someone from the public, a client, or another corporate department viewing religious literature from a corporate and secular perspective?

I reason that although there are many reasons that can be provided beyond the small scope of this limited post; a major reason is fear of offence.

A fear of offence in a major corporate place of business, a headquarters in Canada for a multinational corporation with over a trillion dollars in assets.

Therefore

Many in the Western world lack significant theological and religious education, formal or informal, and do not have the skill for any kind of rational conversation in regard to religion or philosophy of religion.

From the corporate perspective, Western society is secular and non-religious in general and their views need protecting.

Further

Although I can agree that the business context is not the context for religious and philosophical debate, I would reason that if the Western world had significant religious and philosophical education, such offence would not be as much of a concern in the corporate setting.

THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY (1995) Della Thompson (ed.), Oxford, Clarendon Press.