Does Religion Affect Your Job?
I’m a freelance writer, and I regularly visit Deb Ng’s blog to check out job links and read discussions. This past week, Deb asked a very interesting question: What won’t you write about? At first, my response was “nothing!” However, after thinking about it for a few minutes and reading the responses already posted on the site, I realized that yes, there are certain things I won’t write about.
For example, I won’t write a favorable review for a product that is useless. If I’m paid to write a review, I insist on being honest, and I prefer to have a note alerting readers that I was paid for the review.
I won’t write about any morally cloudy topics in a favorable light. One time, I was approached by a client to write a book called “How to cheat on your wife.” I respectfully declined.
I also would have a problem writing anything anti-god. Although I believe atheism is a valid life choice, it is not one with which I agree. (We can debate that matter for hours, but that’s for another day).
Religion definitely affects my work. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, because I do know where to draw the line. I don’t preach in my writing or attack every job with a clearly Christian world view. If I did that, I’d be out of a job fairly quickly. However, I do let my Christian morals be my guide. If I don’t feel good about a project, I’ll pass it on and wait for another one. After all, there is always another project.
You can read more about writing over at Jaime’s blog.
Writers, does religion affect how you work? What about non-writers…does religion affect your job? Leave a comment!
July 20th, 2007 at 9:43 am
I followed your link here from Deb’s blog. I have to say, I am very impressed with the way you handle religion and writing. I totally respect your decision to not write about anything that goes against your beliefs. However, I especially respect the diplomatic way you put it:
“Although I believe atheism is a valid life choice, it is not one with which I agree.”
I like how, with this statement, you set your own boundaries while refusing to dictate what anyone else’s should be.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:50 am
As a conservative Christian, my religion definitely affects my writing, my work, and my school. (I’ve switched colleges this summer because the one I was attending required reading that was against my religious beliefs.)
I write fiction, too, as a hobby at the moment. Like you, I don’t preach at people. But my worldview affects my thinking, which affects my writing and how I approach topics.
Does that mean I won’t write a story where someone gets drunk, murders someone, has a kid out of wedlock, etc.? No. But it does mean that the way I write those things will be different.
-Misti
July 20th, 2007 at 10:32 am
It definitely affects my writing and work. Any contractor I work with knows upfront that I will not write overtly sexual material or for sexual sites (unless from a Biblical/marital view), and I will not write student papers, although I will edit them (i.e. helping someone cheat through school). So far, I have not been approached for anything else I turned down for religious reasons.
July 21st, 2007 at 11:38 am
My writing experiences are pretty head on with April’s, as I don’t feel comfortable with explicit subjects nor cheating. However, the more I think about it, while I value my own religious beliefs, I think a part of me refuses such work encouraging others religious beliefs. No you shouldn’t be obscene or no you shouldn’t cheat. I guess it’s really a “passive preaching,” which I never really recognized before. Although I don’t believe pressuring others to my faith, I don’t believe in encouraging others against it either.
July 21st, 2007 at 11:50 am
I am not a religious person, but I do believe in a power greater than myself. That power just doesn’t happen fall into any kind of organized religious category. I can appreciate and understand the value/importance of the thousands of religions in the world, and I certainly do my best not to judge others (lest I be judged).
That said, my answer to this question of does one’s religion affect his or her work would be “Of course!” Religion is only one piece that makes up a whole person, but it is a piece and it does make up a variety of lifestyle choices. In the same way that someone who is a vegetarian makes different choices than someone who is not, a religious person would make varying and different choices than someone who is not, or even someone who subscribes to a different religion. At that point, it becomes a question of are you making these choices because your religion dictates as such, or are you making the decisions based on who you are and how you choose live your life?
I’m not sure if I’m making this distinction clear, or if a distinction even needs to be made… it just seems to me that religion makes up part of who a person is, but that religion is not the person him or herself.
July 21st, 2007 at 11:09 pm
I am a Christian, and that affects every aspect of mt life…including my job/writing. I have set boundaries that I will not cross in my writing. I can, and do write without including references to the Bible, but my writing always lines up with my faith in one way or another.
I can write factual pieces, and do it well- but I can only write along with what I am in agreement to as far as my human knowledge and faith go.
I enjoy writing most when I have the freedom to include my faith in any way I choose, but I can and do write without preaching or quoting scripture.
If asked my opinions, or advice though, it almost always turns out that I share some part of my beliefs. I think that would be true of anyone sharing their opinions though.