Hello guys,
For those guys who do not believe in God, would you play along that you do just to get a favour like say a job opportunity ?

Good question, Chrisbenogor! Personally, I believe in God, but looking from the other end of the tunnel, if I was required to feign atheism my answer would be NO.

The reason for my answer would not only be that my non-atheistic views would eventually give me away, but also that I believe everything exists to illustrate an intangible projection of God, including the scenarios I would face at the place where my presence is required, so feigning atheism would be tantamount to stepping out of an helicopter in mid-air and wishing for wings to appear and help justify my imagination.

InesQor:

Good question, Chrisbenogor! Personally, I believe in God, but looking from the other end of the tunnel, if I was required to feign atheism my answer would be NO.

The reason for my answer would not only be that my non-atheistic views would eventually give me away, but also that I believe everything exists to illustrate an intangible projection of God, including the scenarios I would face at the place where my presence is required, so feigning atheism would be tantamount to stepping out of an helicopter in mid-air and wishing for wings to appear to justify my imagination.

Even if you are at gun point?

One thing I always do is face reality, it takes extra effort to convince people who think that your lack of belief in God does makes you a bad person, so I am wondering if there is any smart answer one can give in this circumstance without really giving yourself away, eventually yes but what the person needs is the immediately no?

Of course, trying to convenience a believer that there is no God is futile . . .

Chrisbenogor:

Even if you are at gun point?

I guess the answer to this question is predicated upon the reason why you believe what you believe in the first case. Is it for the sake of convenience, or do you believe it as much as you believe/understand concrete concepts like: if your heart is taken out of your body you will die?

Chrisbenogor:

One thing I always do is face reality, it takes extra effort to convince people who think that your lack of belief in God does makes you a bad person, so I am wondering if there is any smart answer one can give in this circumstance without really giving yourself away, eventually yes but what the person needs is the immediately no?

Very true, humans tend to be prejudiced towards viewpoints that they don't easily relate to. But another question is: why do you believe what you believe, is it not a matter of convenience since you are considering "not giving yourself away" as a part of the position? I wonder if such a viewpoint does not strike you as selfish, in the entire scheme of things, since it may undermine your prospective employer's purposes and influence his/her decisions adversely?

How does this differ from tendering a forged university certificate or other falsified documents in the face of an employment process?

Very Interesting question.

It depends on what was at stake. I find it hard to pretend to be something I'm not. When I do it makes me feel wrong. Not from a moral stand point, but it's more of a pride thing. I feel like for me to have to pretend to be something else means that there is something inadequate about my person.


I would probably weigh the benefits and if it is something I can live with I would. But it would have to be a really desperate situation, or for something really really important.

Krayola:

Very Interesting question.

It depends on what was at stake. I find it hard to pretend to be something I'm not. When I do it makes me feel wrong. Not from a moral stand point, but it's more of a pride thing. I feel like for me to have to pretend to be something else means that there is something inadequate about my person.


I would probably weigh the benefits and if it is something I can live with I would. But it would have to be a really desperate situation, or for something really really important.

How I love those words outlined in blue!  Thumbs up, Krayola.

Hmmm. The substance of integrity. I guess other ways of stating the OP's question is:

How easily can you bend in any direction to save face? What do you really believe, and why?

@poster
an atheist would say whatever is needed to get the job or to save his life.
wouldnt you!?

i would even go further and say that any man who put his belief in god before his own life is a damn FOOL!!!!!
if the arm robbers had a gun at your head and told you to renounce god or die, wouldnt you renounce him that same instance?!

believe me, there is nothing more important in this world than MY LIFE/MY HEALTH, not even god!

Chrisbenogor:

Hello guys,
For those guys who do not believe in God, would you play along that you do just to get a favour like say a job opportunity ?

Of course i would. Its what we call the survival instinct. Am sure some Christians will pull down thier pants in a similar situation if the competition was tough and the salary was very good .

And if i an athiest was the boss of a big company although i would ask to know your religious background i would employ christian muslim agnostic athiests gays etc strictly on merit & set an example to the christian hypocrites who think that all athiests are bad people by being a good boss.

manmustwac:

Of course i would. Its what we call the survival instinct. Am sure some Christians will pull down thier pants in a similar situation if the competition was tough and the salary was very good .

And if i an athiest was the boss of a big company although i would ask to know your religious background i would employ christian muslim agnostic athiests gays etc strictly on merit & set an example to the christian hypocrites who think that all athiests are bad people by being a good boss.

Oga manmustwac,

How does this differ from tendering a forged university certificate or other falsified documents in the face of an employment process?

How does it also differ from advanced-fee fraud, impersonation and other forms of character misrepresentation?

well, taking yourself down a notch wont hurt you. Meaning do you think you deserve special treatment because you're an atheist? Maybe I'm reading you wrong.

Your atheism isnt the beginning and end of existence.

not everybody needs to listen to long lectures about theology or the lack of it, and besides there's such a thing as context. Is a potential employer asking you about your beliefs, or do you intend to fake being religious in order to trick someone into trusting you?

yeah religion is a sensitive issue so i most likely won't be bringing up my atheism in places like the workplace.

heh for job interview where you almost certainly do tell some lies half truths about your experience, current salary, actual age, etc ?

@inesqor
Well personally I wouldn't say its being dishonest per say, in the normal scheme of things whatever one believes in should not come up in a job interview. So I take it that when I am asked that sort of question the would be employer has changed the rules of engagement and as such I see no reason why I should at that point keep playing by those rules.
@krayola
Yes I get your point, question is would you feign belief to get maybe a recommendation that will give you a job that fetches like 700k a month??
At what point is your pride just plain stupid?

Chrisbenogor:

Yes I get your point, question is would you feign belief to get maybe a recommendation that will give you a job that fetches like 700k a month??
At what point is your pride just plain silly?

I dunno about for a job. I've turned down 2 pretty good job offers from my family in the past few months simply because I want to do other things. 

But I may for say a solid record deal, or a chance to molest Vida Guerra  . But it would be because I was almost certain i wouldn't be able to get it on merit, and really desperate, and it would really really bother me.

InesQor:

How I love those words outlined in blue!  Thumbs up, Krayola.

haha Thanks. But I should say that while I believe one should be principled, one must also be pragmatic IMO. Sometimes u gotta swallow your pride and do what u gotta do. One just has to weigh out every situation. So in response to some of the questions u asked, YES. If I was broke, homeless, or in some really really desperate situation, I may forge a certificate to get a job. But it would be because of my situation, and I would be less than happy with myself.

Krayola:

haha Thanks. But I should say that while I believe one should be principled, one must also be pragmatic IMO. Sometimes u gotta swallow your pride and do what u gotta do. One just has to weigh out every situation. So in response to some of the questions u asked, YES. If I was broke, homeless, or in some really really desperate situation, I may forge a certificate to get a job. But it would be because of my situation, and I would be less than happy with myself.

I admire your honesty in the way you presented your perspectives, Krayola. Na you biko!

This topic has inspired me to make another topic. In Nigeria Atheist have to tell lies almost all the time about who they are so that people will accept them. . . .Nigerians on the average because of ignorance, strongly and very stupidly believe that atheism = evil. In places like Nigeria where a lot of people pray in their offices or places of work before the days proceedings begin, an atheist will most definately feel left out or out of place if he tells people that he does not share their beliefs. So yes, I play along most of the time only because of the stupid and ridiculous believe that Nigerians have that atheism= evil. I don't want people loooking at me as an evil person all the time.

Krayola:

I dunno about for a job. I've turned down 2 pretty good job offers from my family in the past few months simply because I want to do other things. 

Yeah I guess depends on what the job means to you, so you go "hey you know the other day I was talking to this manager ready to offer me a job worth 700k a month and he says well lets trust God to put things in order" and I went "sorry sir I do not really believe in God"

Maybe I should have modified what I wrote because in naija you do ot go about rejecting job offers. . . . . . except you have run the silver abi na golden spoon shows . . . .if you know what I mean

Well like they say, man must wack. . . . infact in all my official documents, it reads christian-pentecostal.

Tudór:

Well like they say, man must wack. . . . infact in all my official documents, it reads christian-pentecostal.

you talk am well well my sister man must eat man must survive so man must wack

Tudór:

Well like they say, man must wack. . . . infact in all my official documents, it reads christian-pentecostal.

My thoughts exactly!

I think I get it.

So ya'll are atheists except when its inconvenient, right? I must say, strong convictions you all got there.

My motto, "Do what you must to survive".If a company allows religion to influence who they employ or how they employ, then it deserves to be lied to.It deserves no honesty, whatsoever.

you people must be living in Nigeria because in most western countries, your religion is not considered for employment. Like race, the information is optional.

so i dont see what the big deal is here.

^^It seems to be a big deal in nigeria, which only signifies how backward the state of the nigerian society is.

tpia.:

you people must be living in Nigeria because in most western countries, your religion is not considered for employment. Like race, the information is optional.

so i dont see what the big deal is here.

Religion is a VERY big issue in nigeria, but here it isn't, because most of the people here have no religion. . . . . .

mazaje:

Religion is a VERY big issue in nigeria, but here it isn't, because most of the people here have no religion. . . . . .

in the west people are religious and follow it too but the difference is that they are not FANATICS like in 9ja.
desperate 9ja folks will hang on to the belief that a pastor will make their dreams come through if they keep "giving"!
more than half of the population in Nigeria lives in poverty or close to it, so to them, religion is their only hope (as well as crime)

religion is a lucrative business in 9ja and these pastors will tell followers exactly what they want to hear to stay brained washed and keep on giving the little they earn to the pastors so that he can live his lavish lifestyle.

the rich will also be brain washed because they want more, so they go to their pastors to ask for more wealth, more houses, more success in whatever business they are in. . . . . . . . . . . for the religious scammers,its a  win win situation and thats why many people can wake up one morning and decide that they will be preachers/pastor, open a shack and start preaching.

jagunlabi:

My motto, "Do what you must to survive".If a company allows religion to influence who they employ or how they employ, then it deserves to be lied to.It deserves no honesty, whatsoever.

Ah very well said.

Chrisbenogor:

Hello guys,
For those guys who do not believe in God, would you play along that you do just to get a favour like say a job opportunity ?

atheists are supposed to be decent honest people unashamed of their beliefs. . .right?

noetic16:

atheists are supposed to be decent honest people unashamed of their beliefs. . .right? 

Yeah, they are , plain dumb is not part of it 

i swear I have no idea why atheists like making a big deal about their atheism?

If you have your proper qualifications even in Nigeria, who cares what religion you are?

abi you dey find work for inside church organization ni?

Chrisbenogor:

Hello guys,
For those guys who do not believe in God, would you play along that you do just to get a favour like say a job opportunity ?

Hey Chris,

this question is relevant in places where it's not illegal to ask of one's religious, or irreligious leaning when jobs are concerned, right?

The Utilitarian response is what's relevant; and heck, it's not necessarily unbiblical.

Abraham and David, friends of the Hebrew tribal God, knew to go utilitarian when it was necessary/convenient. The admonition to tell the truth all the time could easily be showed to be unChristian.

But, of course, we go get really serious with this importnt question. . .
.