Would you be offended ?

drogon.

So I always have this habit of saying "God Bless" at the end of a conversation. Recently a colleague of mine complained to my manager saying that he was offended I use that term - Sighting he is an atheists.

Honestly not a big religious man myself, but the manager just told me to stop saying that to him to avoid escalating conflict.

Would you be offended, should I stop saying it ?

The guy also uses the name of our Lord in vain all the time, when cursing. What would you suppose I should do ? Looking for some guidance

sammye333

Your colleague sounds like a geebag. I would punch him in the face.
Obviously joking
Just ignore him. He sounds like an idiot

ruwithme

God help him with ya.

rn

Professionally, I'd do my level best to cut out the habit of saying it.

Personally, your colleague is a donkey. Plain and simple. I'd be doing my utmost to having to avoid working or interacting at work with that person.

job seeker

Why would he be offended becuse you say god bless? That's pretty pathetic! Tell him to not be such a little bitch!

ThewhiteJesus

Lord have mercy on his soul !
There’s always someone like this but I guess you’ll have to stop

Quantum Erasure

God be with ye

Hercule Poirot

I'd refrain from using it at work simply because you've been pulled for it once and it's not worth the hassle

Obviously in reality it doesn't matter a sh1te, it's not as if you're saying anything wrong but unfortunately this is the world we live in these days and there are people who take offence for the sake of taking offence

Quantum Erasure

Gadzooks!

nthclare

Mod-

Do not rant about other forums here.

Irishphotodesk

drogon. wrote: »

So I always have this habit of saying "God Bless" at the end of a conversation. Recently a colleague of mine complained to my manager saying that he was offended I use that term - Sighting he is an atheists.

Honestly not a big religious man myself, but the manager just told me to stop saying that to him to avoid escalating conflict.

Would you be offended, should I stop saying it ?

The guy also uses the name of our Lord in vain all the time, when cursing. What would you suppose I should do ? Looking for some guidance

Work is no place for religion, unless you are a member of clergy.

If you are offended by the work colleague using the lords name in vain then you risk a tit-for-tat complain versus counter complain situation, and it will appear as vexatious on your behalf given the colleague has already complained.

If you apologise every time you “offend” this person, it will show you are conscious and making an effort, if you complain it will be viewed as petty, especially if you aren’t overly religious.

Ubbquittious

Lord save us and guard us. What is the world coming to at all? I hear this saying all the time but never used it. Now I might start using it

Happy Christmas everyone

People who say god bless to anyone in a work context are usually the least intellectually gifted colleagues one might have to work with. Unless you’re a nun or a priest I suppose.

As for taking the name of a famous carpenter, born to a liar of a mother and a cuckold of a stepfather, or of his sky daddy or whatever....

Well, let’s just say I don’t taketh his name in vain. Wouldn’t care to offend etc.

eviltwin

I’m a non believer and I wouldn’t be offended. It’s just a phrase and i use it myself through force of habit.

crosstownk

drogon. wrote: »

The guy also uses the name of our Lord in vain all the time, when cursing. What would you suppose I should do ? Looking for some guidance

Tell your manager that as a Christian (or whatever) you're offended by your colleague cursing in that manner.

nthclare

As a woman I know in Limerick says

TELP'IS

Littlehorny

A total non believer here also but wouldn't in the slightest get offended by that at all.
Don't give it a second thought OP, yer man complaining says more about him than you.
Don't say it to him again obviously but don't let a dope like that get to you.

cannotlogin

If this a sign of things to come, it won't be long before some crowd starts campaigning for 'religious consent' classes.

Most normal people can tell the difference where something is meant to be offensive or not and deal with it accordingly. Completely over the top bull**** imo.

I'd say you could easily defend it as a cultural trait and nothing anyone should be offended by

I'd challenge any warning given tbh

Atheist, btw

listermint

I don't believe this happened tbh. But sure it makes another after Hours thread.

Irishphotodesk

Any chance your colleague is happy to work through the Christian holidays ?...or does the person want the holidays but doesn’t approve of the religion !!

razorblunt

Sneeze around him and if he says “bless you” then bring him up for it.
Play the long game.

Seamai

If you happened to be speaking in Irish you'd be starting the conversation with "God be with you"
There's no getting out of that.

Demand in return they stop saying "goodbye" given it is derived from "God be with you!" and say you want Thursday off work because it is Thorsday and you are so offended to have to be held to ancient theistic norms.

Or go the total opposite direction and tell him to go watch Neil DeGrasse Tyson talk about the phrase "God speed". That should shake him out of his idiocy.

Godeatsboogers

I'm an atheist that wouldn't bother me one bit, ive said some far weirder attempting to be nice goodbye **** to people, words that have no meaning level ****.

I'd avoid the offended guy like a plague if I were you, or if you do have to deal with him say goodbye with Satan Curse instead. Complaining to the boss, thats like a bag of packet of eaten Maltesers level of energy expelled, that's a waste of Maltesers.

corner of hells

Make a voodoo doll of him and stick a few pins in it , see how he likes it then.
Maybe sacrifice a goat or something on his desk.

salamiii

what would Jesus do

PsychoPete

At work we all just randomly give each other the middle finger or insult each other non stop so saying "god bless" wouldnt even scratch the surface of the offensive scale. Thankfully we don't have a hr department

Zaph

<<mod snip>>

Well as a non-angry atheist I'd say that that guy sounds like a right knob who needs to cop onto himself. Unfortunately there are people on both sides of the religious divide who give their own sides a bad name through their antics, and this guy is clearly one of them. No sense in you getting into trouble over it OP, so I'd just say that you should make a conscious effort to avoid saying it when he's around and just ignore him as best you can.

Ted_YNWA

Mod

nthclare - bring your grievances with any mod action in A&A to the DRP forum

This is not the place to rant about it

jam_mac_jam

He has no right to comment on god bless, that's ridiculous. Also its no business of yours if he takes the lords name in vain.

If you have been told not to say it by your manager then stop saying it. It's ridiculous but some times in work you have to ridiculous things.

I am an atheist and I wouldn't even think to be offended by that. Religion is nothing to do with work so I wouldn't bring it in as he is doing.

peter4918

I don’t believe in God myself but your work colleague seems like an awful clown, if that’s all he has to be complaining about then he has little going on his life!

nthclare

Zaph wrote: »

Well as a non-angry atheist I'd say that that guy sounds like a right knob who needs to cop onto himself. Unfortunately there are people on both sides of the religious divide who give their own sides a bad name through their antics, and this guy is clearly one of them. No sense in you getting into trouble over it OP, so I'd just say that you should make a conscious effort to avoid saying it when he's around and just ignore him as best you can.

If the atheist can say JC I cannot understand why the op can't say God bless..

As you say there's two sides to this story, but there shouldn't be double standards.

Tired Gardener

Short answer, no.

Long answer, No, and I'm an atheist. While not a fan of religion/faith/etc, I am mature enough to understand that to some people it is a very important part of their life, so it isn't right for me to deprive someone of their belief. Saying God Bless is not offensive.

The person complaining is just trying to get attention.

DavyD_83

If this is genuine, and you're in Ireland this is one of the oddest things I've ever read. Your not religious but say "god bless" in work conversations and refer to people taking the lord's name in vain. One or both of those statements is not true I reckon.

If genuine, somebody has said they're offended by your frequent use of a certain phrase; try to reduce/stop your usage. I'm not sure religious or not comes into it.

McGinniesta

drogon. wrote: »

So I always have this habit of saying "God Bless" at the end of a conversation. Recently a colleague of mine complained to my manager saying that he was offended I use that term - Sighting he is an atheists.

Honestly not a big religious man myself, but the manager just told me to stop saying that to him to avoid escalating conflict.

Would you be offended, should I stop saying it ?

The guy also uses the name of our Lord in vain all the time, when cursing. What would you suppose I should do ? Looking for some guidance

Your colleague sounds like a person to be avoided at all costs.

drogon.

drogon. wrote: »

So I always have this habit of saying "God Bless" at the end of a conversation. Recently a colleague of mine complained to my manager saying that he was offended I use that term - Sighting he is an atheists.

Honestly not a big religious man myself, but the manager just told me to stop saying that to him to avoid escalating conflict.

Would you be offended, should I stop saying it ?

The guy also uses the name of our Lord in vain all the time, when cursing. What would you suppose I should do ? Looking for some guidance

You nearly had me, and then you let slip.

bigar

There are unfortunately people that are looking for something to be offended by. In the current culture, their view is held in the highest regard as everyone has become over sensitive and try to accommodate the feelings of that person, even if it makes feel you uncomfortable.

I believe your manager is wrong to ask you to change your ways. They should have told the other person to accept you, and others, as they are when there was obviously no malicious intend. Also applies to you, OP, as you will have to accept that someone will take the name of the Lord in vain at times. Taking the name of the Lord in vain has no value to that person anyway.

If you want to be cheeky, you can say that you are offended that although being an atheist he appropriates your Lord when things go wrong. Perhaps he is closeted Christian and that makes him angry?

I am agnostic and when someone wants to bless me I happily accept it. Blessing someone as a Christian is held in high regard so I see it as that someone holding me as such. Good boost for my self-esteem.

McGinniesta

Whenever he does anything even mildly offensive then report him.

Report him for everything you can.

You won't beat him so join him.

mikemac2

Greet him with Dia Duit everytime you meet

BeerWolf

OP, I'd be offended for you breathing in the same air I breath...

drogon.

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

If you are offended by the work colleague using the lords name in vain then you risk a tit-for-tat complain versus counter complain situation, and it will appear as vexatious on your behalf given the colleague has already complained.

Just to be clear, I have no issues with that. But was just pointing out the hypocrisy

Gruffalux

As someone else said Goodbye is God be with you.
Dia dhuit means the same.
People in the country always say things like God willing, or God bless - I think it is sweet.
If the other person is saying oh Jesus Christ! or some other exclamation it is the same in essence though not intended. If people say Oh my God! does he get offended?
I notice a lot if people say Aww bless. It started with my English friends but now loads say it. I usually wonder who do they think is doing the blessing. The fairies? Themselves? Invisible priests? The great void?
Anyway stop saying it to the persnickety gobshyte. Or else say when finishing little chats with him May the Divine Wow bless you with a vast multitude of strong sons and limber fertile daughters.

TuringBot47

drogon. wrote: »

So I always have this habit of saying "God Bless" at the end of a conversation. Recently a colleague of mine complained to my manager saying that he was offended I use that term - Sighting he is an atheists.

Great timing. Tell the manager that your man/wan can work the Christmas shifts/be on call etc.

drogon.

TuringBot47 wrote: »

Great timing. Tell the manager that your man/wan can work the Christmas shifts/be on call etc.

To be honest, the manager was smirking when he told me this. He knew it was BS, but just cautioned me to prevent things getting out of hand and causing unnecessary conflict.

There was even cases of him being grumpy when people decorate their desks for Christmas. That being said, he would always turn up for Christmas dinner and drinks!

Mrsmum

Well Holy God ( as Miley would have said).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t5w10

jmlad2020

Does your colleague have multi coloured rainbow hair and consider themselves a liberal

drogon.

jmlad2020 wrote: »

Does your colleague have multi coloured rainbow hair and consider themselves a liberal

Nope - He is a middle aged man (in his early 50's)

Nykay

To be quite honest, often people say that certain phrases they use are "just habits" as an excuse for continuing to be rude; or may even think that they're not being rude themselves. For example someone might say that calling someone "boy" is just a habit, but you can be sure that they'll quickly lose that habit for certain people of high status!

But anytime I hear "God bless" I think I can rest assured that it's genuinely "a habit", and that such a person says it to everyone. Therefore I won't take offence.

screamer

Next time finish off with God damn you. As he’s an Atheist he should not be one but offended...... he sounds like a total dickhead TBH. If he’s swearing a lot, then yes report it. Leave it a while though.