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Scenario:
Sophia, age thirty-four, is a professional Catholic
manager. She supervises nearly twenty employees
in her department. The company she works for has
an open policy toward Christians. There's even a
Christian Bible study that meets in the building
once a week.
Sophia has no interest in joining, but she's heard
some anti-Catholic rhetoric being spouted at the
water fountain this week. Having read the latest
issue of Envoy, she knows just how to counteract
the apostasy, but she doesn't want to disturb the
favorable Christian atmosphere in which she works.
What should she do? What would you do? |
Sophia
has an obligation to the Church to right any wrongs
that may harm our designated task of bringing the
Word Incarnate to the world. She may need to reexamine
her definition of a Christian workplace. Christians
don't engage in idle gossip that only serves to
hurt and alienate people from one another.
Also, Sophia should attend one of those Thursday
night meetings with a well-thought-out agenda. This
agenda should include a list of common misconceptions
concerning the Catholic faith and a short history
of the Church. Her demeanor should be pleasant and
informative.
She should encourage questions and give appropriate
answers. Sophia should have literature, including
copies of Envoy Magazine, available for their perusal.
This would satisfy her responsibilities to the Church.
This would also ensure a truly Christian atmosphere
in which to work.
Dolores Chadwick, via email |
Learn,
learn, learn. The more she learns about her faith
and Sacred Scripture, the better off she is at defending
herself as a Catholic (and defending the Faith).
To put it lightly, they smell fear.
As good a magazine as Envoy is, it is only a beginning.
She will need to read the Bible. She must become
familiar with it and understand that it is truth.
When the Bible is presented as truth, what they
say about Catholicism really doesn't hold water.
She will need to be careful when approaching these
situations. They (usually) know the Bible better
than we do and often quote Scripture out of context.
I always make it a point to read the context before
and after quoted Scripture to find out what they
were talking about. In doing so I usually find error
in their statements.
Marcelino Hernandez, via email |
Fortitude
up, Sofia! Time to pull out her mighty sword of
anti-heresy and correct her brothers and sisters
with love! She should go up to the fountain, smiling,
and mention that she is a Catholic and that what
they were saying about Catholicism is a common misunderstanding.
She will then proceed to slice, dice, and julienne
their anti-Catholic rhetorical nonsense with the
truth! "Peace be with you," she says as
she walks away without any further consideration.
Tune in next time when Sofia encounters Dr. Goodfeel
and his dreaded "warm fuzzies" . . .
Randy D'Agostini, via email |
I
managed twenty employees, and this can be tricky.
First, you must kindly refute any untruth you hear
at the time that you hear it. If you don't know
the answer (but you do know it's not true), tell
the person you will get that information for him.
I would not join the group. Too difficult to mix
your religious faith with the authority of being
boss. Always supervise with Christ in your heart,
but remember that many do not share your faith and
would love the opportunity to belittle or undermine
your faith.
Via email |
I
experienced a similar situation and am happy to
share my thoughts. The only difference is that my
employer is a large organization with twelve hundred
people at my location, and the organization, while
not anti-religion, is not very Christian, either.
Most of the group was Protestant - Baptists and
other Evangelicals mainly. I was the only regularly
attending Catholic at the weekly gatherings, and
the only middle management member. Controversy was
avoided to a large extent, focusing more on what
Christians have in common than on the differences
of our denominations.
As time went on a Seventh-Day Adventist joined.
He seemed to be in line with the group but began
to show his real self after a couple of months.
He, as a front line supervisor, began to discipline
employees in his unit who did not agree with everything
he said. He initiated rumors about those in other
departments.
As a Catholic, I became the prime target. Rumors
turned into vicious allegations. He is an African
American, and I am an Irishman. Finally it got a
little too heated and the other black male, a Baptist,
confronted him and let him know he was a hypocrite,
liar, and a poor example of a Christian.
All hell broke loose. The Baptist and I were accused
of racism and fraud. These accusations were made
through a vice president who is an atheist.
I have never been pulled through such a keyhole
in my life. In the end all allegations were dropped,
and my Baptist friend and I were cleared. But it
did not end there. To get away from the pressure
put on me and others in the group we disbanded (though
we still meet after work), and several transferred
to other departments, with decreases in salary.
In the end I am proud that I stood my ground as
a Catholic Christian. If a similar group formed
again I would join in. I believe we have an obligation
to speak the truths of our faith, even if they are
not popular with our audience. Jesus did not make
all He came into contact with happy with His message,
and neither will we.
To make a long answer short, don't be afraid to
confront those who do not speak the truth. Short-term
consequences are far outweighed by the fruits of
remaining faithful and vocal.
Via email |
Sophia
should join the Bible study group and defend the
faith from the Catholic point of view. As for disturbing
the Christian atmosphere at work, it has already
been disturbed by anti-Catholic rhetoric at the
water fountain. Her being a professional manager
should also make her opinions respected by the other
employees. There would be no further wayward words
at the water fountain.
If I heard anti-Catholic conversation, I would first
research the actual source of the information and
defend my faith in the Catholic Church. I am currently
reading Karl Keating's book Catholicism and Fundamentalism
and I recommend it to all the "Sophias"
out there in a similar situation.
Adriana Renaud, via email |
Sophia
should feel free and open to share her views just
as much as any other Christian. However, the worst
thing she could do is to charge into the Bible study
(which she doesn't attend regularly and doesn't
know anything about really) announcing her status
as Catholic and righteously defending the Catholic
Church. Even if she corrected their mistaken views,
that would only make them feel attacked and may
lessen their opinion of Catholics, while increasing
their belief that Catholics are self-righteous,
misled, etc. Plus, even if it worked, it would only
be a temporary change of attitude toward Catholicism,
when there is the opportunity for a long-term change!
If I were Sophia, I would pray for my coworkers
to be more open to the Catholic faith. (Rosaries
or novenas always help, I find!) Next, I would not
be afraid to let others know about my faith, and
without attacking I would share it with them when
the issue comes up. Why be quiet about the best
faith on earth set up by Jesus Christ Himself?
Finally, I would wait till the next time this subject
(or similar subjects) came up in conversation. Issues
she hears about in the Bible study will probably
show up in other daily conversations. Study up on
Catholic apologetics for times where you might be
left unclear about Catholicism, and let God do His
thing. After all, this is His church, and if you're
asking Him to use you to defend it, He probably
will.
But remember, a humble faith is stronger than a
defiant one! Let God's love work through you, and
it will. (More time spent in prayer will give you
a greater understanding of this as well.) If anything,
Sophia will find that her coworkers will begin to
question their stereotypes of Catholicism, based
on Sophia's love of Jesus and her ready answers
to their questions.
Amy Labataille, via email |
Next
Scenario:
John and Marilyn are committed homeschooling Catholics,
well acquainted with the apologetics of their faith.
They've just moved to a sleepy little town in the
Bible Belt. Marilyn has been an active member of a
Catholic homeschoolers group for years and was looking
forward to joining the local support group. But the
only group in town requires that members sign a "Statement
of Faith" that includes assent to "the inerrancy,
sufficiency and authority of the Holy Bible as the
only inspired word of God."
Their new friends all know they are Catholic and are
encouraging John and Marilyn to go ahead and join
anyway. They're not sure what to do. What would you
do?
Email your two-hundred-word-or-less suggestion to
caroline@envoymagazine.com,
or send it to What Would You Do? P.O. Box 640, Granville,
OH 43023.
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