Dear Amy: My husband and I are helping my daughter and her husband with the maintenance of a farm that they just bought.
Last week, we called a company that used to do a service for the previous owner. We explained to the company owner that we needed this service immediately, as some very expensive trees on the property were dying because the sprinkler system was not working.
At first she was very friendly to my husband. When she said they couldn’t come out to the place for three weeks, my husband responded, “Jesus Christ!”
This woman got very offended. She said they would not service the farm because my husband offended her.
We have had a business since 1961; we have never been offended by an expression, and we have never mixed our personal beliefs with our business. We have always respected others’ beliefs and have behaved respectfully. Should a person mix religion with business? We are astonished by this incident.
– Astonished Consumer
Dear Astonished: If I were a vendor and a prospective customer spontaneously expressed his disappointment by saying “Jesus Christ!” – I’m not sure I would want to continue the business relationship, not only because of the nature and use of the term but also because I wouldn’t necessarily want to become entangled with a customer who was also a hothead.
I’m not sure that a person’s level of religious belief or practice really has that much to do with it. “Jesus Christ!” as a response isn’t widely heard on television, in popular culture, or in real life presumably because it makes Christians uncomfortable in a way that, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” no longer does.
The beauty of the free market is that you can choose to hire a vendor who doesn’t have these particular sensitivities.
…
Dear Amy: More on the subject of pre-meal prayer.
Our government has a special agency dedicated to defending discrimination by faith-based agencies. Faith-based organizations lobby vigorously to prevent access to medicines or medical treatments they consider wrong. These agencies receive enormous government funding on top of their tax-free status, which enables them to promote their agendas far more aggressively than secular organizations, let alone individuals. So I can understand why some people would want to draw the line against the imposition of faith-based behavior at the door of their home. On the other hand, I agree that a host’s first priority is to make a guest comfortable. If your guests want to pray, you should let ’em rip. Of course, when your original letter writer is a guest at her relatives’ home, they should show the same manners and “lighten up” and refrain from praying.
What do you bet they will?
-Not an Atheist
Dear Not: I understand your point. If a host is meant to adjust her behavior to suit her guests’ prayer practices, then shouldn’t those guests also adjust their prayer practice when they are hosts to non-believing guests? Well, no. I wasn’t suggesting that the host should force herself to pray along with her guests, but that she should tolerate it. Just as those who pray at their home tables should tolerate those who don’t wish to.
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