What the OP actually said to that person: “Thanks, but I’m not really a church guy. Sounds interesting though”
There was no mockery or belittling.
Let me lay out the response stream so you can understand it more clearly.
To which I ask:
OP shared their inner monologue that’s dripping with contempt, and then suggested they were considering going, despite their contempt.
Whether or not they actually verbalized all the mockery and condescension, I think it’s a fair question to ask why on earth they’d consider attending an event that they’ve expressed such open contempt for (here on the board, not IRL), so much that they were considering snitching to HR for even being invited to an outside-of-work event. Not a lot of good faith on display.
If you are legitimately considering joining the group, it’s a completely reasonable question to ask. If you aren’t, it sure as hell suggests that you are, though. And i think that’s what’s awkward.
If someone asks you out to dinner, and you don’t want to go on a date with them, you don’t inquire about the menu of the place they want to take you, either.
Good question. I wish the OP would come back and clarify/respond.
Personally, if it was a group that discussed what different religions believed and what books they followed, I might sit in, having read quite a few religious texts in my time. If on the other hand this diverse group of believers were gathering together to study one particular version, I would think that indoctrination into a particular sect might be involved. A good reason to get the details, I would say.
If someone asks you to join a group that goes to the same kind of restaurant each week, or maybe even the same restaurant itself, at the very least you would ask about what you are being asked to eat.
The OP is not about a book club or a restaurant or a single date. It is about a Bible study group.
If one truly has a good-faith interest in attending, then it’s reasonable to get information about whether it’s more of a scholarly study or devotional reading.
OP described themselves more as a skeptical spectator. If they’re just going to have an internal laugh, or listen to the “cool accents” (???) then it seems like the text isn’t that important.
Myself, if I ever go to a “Bible study” it will be at an accredited institution from a degreed professor (not that I probably will, though it’s not a bad idea). Every time I’ve ever heard that phrase “Bible study”, it was more of a layman-led devotional experience. No reason at all for me to attend something like that. They’re not going to convert me, I’m not going to convert them, no sense in us wasting each other’s time.
I’ve studied Talmud with a group from my temple, under the instruction of one of our rabbis.
I’m also a bit of a religious tourist. And when i went to a Mormon service, they invited me to a Bible study group immediately after. I joined them. They used the king James version, in lots of different physical forms (Kindle, hardcover, paperback, tablet…) They read a part of the Bible I’m familiar with (some book from the Jewish Bible, not the new testament, nor the book of Mormon.) i found it interesting and participated.
I’d go to a group with a friend, too. But probably not a work friend.
Speaking as someone who has been a member of several different denominations over the course of my life, that’s always been my experience, too.
I suppose it’s possible that a layman-led Bible study could be a critical meta-analysis of the Bible, with members of different denominations (as mentioned by the OP) giving their own perspectives, and debating, but I think it’s pretty unlikely.
Far more likely that it’s a traditional “bible study,” probably with the leader using some sort of guide material, in which each session focuses on one or two passages from the Bible, and in which the members discuss the meaning behind the passages, and the applicability to their lives.
Also, for @Czarcasm , who is deeply interested in “but what version are they using?”, the biggest difference between biblical editions across denominations (particularly Catholics vs. Orthodox vs. Protestant) is in whether certain Old Testament books are included or not. If the study is looking at a passage in a Bible book which is in all of the denominational traditions, yes, the wording in different translations will vary slightly, but they aren’t likely to vary so greatly that it leads to people – particularly laypersons – arguing over the meaning of the passage.
We had a Bible study here that was a lot of fun, and not like that at all. It broke down when we got to Numbers, but Genesis and Exodus were nice.
Nowadays, I think it might have more discussion of the different layers and changes in translation and such.
Bible study classes at my church are led by the minister. Our ministers have always leaned to the “scholarly” study.
Providing a scholarly background that launches into a discussion of what something means and how it applies to one’s life is the structure I’m familiar with.
As a Christian myself, he may have realized that you had a lot in common, and mentioned this in the event that you were interested. It’s not “promoting religion” as long as he isn’t preaching, and your employment isn’t contingent on your participation.
If you are not interested, don’t participate. It’s as simple as that.
I was brought up Xtian, so my contempt is for what I’ve experienced first hand the most. I pretty much think all religions breed combative zealotry. Christianity at least promoted education of the poor and the arts back in the day when they weren’t warring about schisms, so maybe it’s not all bad.
I have read a little bit of the Quran online to see if it really promises 72 love slaves in the afterlife, and was actually surprised that it provides basic methods of accounting (I work for accountants). I also thought it was funny that the scripture griped about Allah’s prophets getting killed.
I will do so. His intentions were honorable, and I will continue to be friends with him.
I don’t think he’s purposely flaunting the rules. I think he most likely got recruited to the group, and there’s some area of religious tolerance that’s considered appropriate for the workplace. We have Islamists in our Kuala Lumpur branch, and a lot of accountants are Jewish.
Otherwise, we’re not supposed to advocate religion to pejorative levels, or harass others based on their religion, so I don’t think RD crossed the line.
Not overtly for religious purposes, but to get to hang out online with non-Americans and get a sampling of what their lives are like. It’s an opportunity to interact with the world beyond my tiny occupation of it.
I think inviting a coworker to your Bible study group is similar to asking your coworker out on a date. They are both actions that are not generally prohibited, and that are okay if everyone enthusiastically consents, but that have a risk of verging into forbidden territory if there’s any question about coercion. So i think both parties have an obligation to be very clear in their communication. Either, “yes, I’d like that” or “no thank you” are the best responses.
Also, as others have pointed out, (and as someone who has participated in Bible study groups, and similar) it’s not terribly important whether they all use the same version or not. I mean, it tells you a lot to know if they include the book of Mormon, or the New Testament, or the Koran. But beyond that, it’s unlikely to matter much whether each person’s Bible includes “Maccabees”, or whether it’s the King James or the Good News translation. I’ve certainly been engaged in serious religious discussions where i referred to the current Jewish Publication Society text and others were looking at the New Revised Standard Version or the New International Version. I helped convince a conservative Christian friend that abortion was not biblically prohibited in one such discussion, and the fact that we were looking at different translations never mattered.
Isn’t that what the Dope is for? That’s where I get mine.
I assume you didn’t really mean what “Islamists” conveys, but that you meant “Muslims”. Islamists is what you call politically radical Muslims who advocate for Muslim theocracy, while Muslim just means follower of the religion of Islam. The vast majority of Muslims are not Islamists.
I’ve never attended a Bible study that had the format of a class or a worship service. Even if someone is designated as a leader, they’re more a facilitator than someone who talks while everyone else listens.
However, beginning with a prayer is hardly atypical.
This. I came across the New English Bible sometime in my first months as a Christian, and its style of translation immediately clicked with me. Pretty much everyone else I’ve known uses other translations, but it’s never been a problem in a Bible study.
Could you be specific about the texts in question? Out here in Protestantism, denomination-specific translations aren’t really a thing.