Accommodation vs. Disruption

We have been recipients of the grace of God, and we are called to put that grace on display, to allow
Christ to live through us and show grace and love to others. Titus 2 says:
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...

We praise the name of the Lord because of the love of Jesus that has been shown to us.  And, out of grateful hearts and a dependence on the Holy Spirit, we can live in a manner that pleases Him.  That lifestyle, fueled by His hope, is on display for the people with whom we connect.  We have to ascertain that our thoughts and our deeds bring honor to His name, so that the love of Christ is expressed in a manner that can win people to Him.

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The Bible exhorts us in Colossians chapter 4:
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Cargill Meat Solutions has been in the news recently, because it terminated some 190 employees at its plant in Fort Morgan, Colorado.  These former employees are Muslims, mainly from Somalia, and who wished to pray at work and perceived that a policy offering accommodations had changed.  The Denver Post reports that a company spokesman, Michael Martin, said, "At no time did Cargill prevent people from prayer at Fort Morgan." He added, "Nor have we changed policies related to religious accommodation and attendance. This has been mischaracterized."

Cargill also said while reasonable efforts are made to accommodate employees, accommodation is not guaranteed every day and depends on changing factors in the plant.

The Post said that Cargill provides a "reflection room" at the plant where observant Muslim workers are allowed to pray, something that has been available since 2009.

But, apparently workers perceived that the prayer policy had changed, and   The Council on American-Islamic Relations has become involved and is attempting to get the workers reinstated. CAIR spokesman Jaylani Hussein said depending on the season, the workers pray at different times of the day, typically taking five to 10 minutes away from their work. The time was carved out of a 15-minute break period or from the workers' unpaid 30-minute lunch breaks.

Martin said, "There has been a desire among some employees to go in larger groups of people to pray. We just can't accommodate that," adding, "It backs up the flow of all the production. We're a federally inspected, USDA inspected plant. We have to ensure food safety. We have to ensure the products we produce meet consumer expectations."

So, there were accommodations for prayer, but there may have been an adjustment in the schedule, so a group of workers, about a third of the Somalis at the plant, walked out - and they did not return for three consecutive days - that is the reason for their firing.  To me, it's less of a situation of religious freedom as good workplace management.  They walked off the job to protest, and they found they no longer had a job.

There are Federal laws against religious discrimination in the workplace, and, to me, it appears Cargill was attempting to uphold the law.  Were these Somali Muslims being persecuted for their faith?  I don't think so.  I believe that a person of faith has the right to practice his or her faith in the workplace and should be accommodated to do so.  But, when the accommodation is perceived as insufficient, or a person's religious practice results in a disruption, then, yes, then action should be taken - not because of the religious expression, but because of failure to meet the standards of an orderly workplace.

I think this is a good word to all of us.  Now, you may be in an office, or an assembly line, a classroom, or a cubicle.  The good news is that we can come before the Father at any time.  We can communicate with Him within our spirits and perhaps using words in privacy.   We don't have to go to a special place in our workplace in order to commune with God.  

Finally, we have to make sure that we are not guilty of spiritual overreach.  We have freedom of religions and freedom of expression - we have our rights to practice our faith.  But, we have to make sure that we are not allowing our right to practice our faith to repel those who do not necessarily acknowledge that right.  Remember, you are to love God AND love your neighbor.  If we are so intent on living out our relationship with God to the extent that our neighbor, our co-worker, is not won by our display of love toward God and toward him or her, then our actions are counterproductive.  We must make sure that our actions are covered in the love of Christ.