# Atheists: Ever work for a religious organization? How'd it go? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681 "2018-06-08T15:05:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/41 "2018-06-10T02:32:13Z")
I forgot to mention something that is relevant. When I terminated my work at WWL, the catholic-church-owned station in New Orleans, I went to apply for unemployment benefits. I was told that I had none, because no contributions were made by my employer, which by being a church, was not obliged to pay the UIC tax on behalf of its employees. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/42 "2018-06-10T03:14:49Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I also learned some social conventions…I was introduced to one rabbi’s wife, a pretty girl with long black hair. Extending my hand in greeting, I was told that I was not allowed to touch her, since she might be menstruating, and she would therefore be unclean. This is a misunderstanding. Orthodox Jews avoid affectionate physical contact between unrelated men and women, and “Ultra Orthodox” Jews include shaking hands in that prohibition. This has nothing to do with whether the woman is menstruating or not. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/43 "2018-06-10T03:32:38Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > This is a misunderstanding. Orthodox Jews avoid affectionate physical contact between unrelated men and women, and “Ultra Orthodox” Jews include shaking hands in that prohibition. This has nothing to do with whether the woman is menstruating or not. All I know is the organization was an orthodox Kosher certification group and I was surrounded by rabbis of all ages. This is what they told me, and I wasn’t going to argue. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/44 "2018-06-10T05:31:19Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I was surrounded by rabbis of all ages. I’ve never seen a three-year-old rabbi. Are they cute? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/45 "2018-06-10T06:15:37Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Catholics are not evangelicals, and I doubt whether you will have any problems. Plenty of non-Catholics attend and work at most Catholic universities. In fact, Catholic Charities, which, among other things, is one of the several organizations in the U.S. that administer refugee resettlement in conjunction with the State Department, hires many Muslims, because that happens to be the religion of case workers who speak the languages of the refugees. From what I know, those employees have no issues at all with regard to religion by working there. The charitable agencies that do refugee resettlement are mostly faith-based, but they are forbidden from injecting their religion into that work in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/46 "2018-06-10T14:04:16Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Why? Isn’t that the purpose of having conversations? Are you suggesting people’s beliefs should be pre-stamped? My walk with God says not to judge … I merely wanted to discern who I am having a conversation with … I provided a solution to have each member fill out a volunteered bio form to click on so I could save time in discussing spirit things with a non believer. the moderator said it was wrong to point out Czarzasm’s problem as a point to make so I broke off the reasoning on why I desired a bio click. Do you read every post to see which way the member leans? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/47 "2018-06-10T14:13:47Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > My walk with God says not to judge … I merely wanted to discern who I am having a conversation with … I provided a solution to have each member fill out a volunteered bio form to click on so I could save time in discussing spirit things with a non believer. the moderator said it was wrong to point out Czarzasm’s problem as a point to make so I broke off the reasoning on why I desired a bio click. > > Do you read every post to see which way the member leans? “Czarcasm’s problem”?? Thanks for not judging. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/48 "2018-06-10T14:24:48Z")
I worked at a residential treatment center for “adjudicated youth” that was a product of the Christ United Methodist Church. Religion never came up and I was promoted to unit supervisor after a couple months. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/49 "2018-06-10T19:16:37Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > My walk with God says not to judge … I merely wanted to discern who I am having a conversation with … I provided a solution to have each member fill out a volunteered bio form to click on so I could save time in discussing spirit things with a non believer. the moderator said it was wrong to point out Czarzasm’s problem as a point to make so I broke off the reasoning on why I desired a bio click. > > Do you read every post to see which way the member leans? I’d say the leaning of each member usually becomes pretty apparent after a couple of posts. Some people are atheists, some are not; they can still have a decent conversation provided both parties keep an open mind. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681/50 "2018-06-11T16:54:29Z")
**GESancMan** , I’m late to the party, but just wanted to chime in that my experience with UP (friends on faculty and live mere blocks from campus) is the same as **thelurkinghorror** ’s and your friend’s. Normal-ass school–owned and operated by Catholics but not in practice a “religious” school. They’re CSC, so focused on education rather than (generally speaking) indoctrination. They’re certainly conservative in many ways–finally came around on including an LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination policy just a couple years ago and still prohibit nonmatrimonial sexual relations on campus (and, natch, do not supply birth control on campus). But near as I can tell you won’t have any issues regarding your (non)faith. . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-work-for-a-religious-organization-howd-it-go/815681.md?page=2)