“Praise Jesus” is interesting – it’s an imperative statement, directing the listener/reader to take some particular action. It implies, but does NOT literally state, that the speaker is Christian. It’s not actually a lie – these people probably do praise Jesus, repeatedly throughout each day. IMO it’d be different if she had claimed she was Christian, or if she were to do so during the interview.

Peppering her letters with “Praise Jesus” was a deliberate act, initiated by her, with the conscious intention to give a false impression, the conscious intention to deceive. So it’s a lie.

Lying is one thing, but making curleycue rationalizations to say it’s not really lying is another. If you’re going to lie, at least be honest about it.

To be clear, I’m not condemning Amy for considering the job. Who am I to sit in judgment when I’m solvent, well fed and warm? There’s something about an empty belly and cold skin to shift our ethics from the principled side to the pragmatic side.

Avoid lying as much as you can. If you really must, minimize the severity and the duration as much as you can. Clean up your act as soon as you can. Be forgiving of others. We don’t need any saints and we don’t need any self-appointed prosecutors. We need each other.

It seems to me that what the employer is wanting is not really a believer, but just someone who isn’t going to be causing conflicts at work. That is a valid concern, although I disagree with their solution to it.

Speaking as someone who is a two-faced hypocrite right now, do it only if you don’t care. If you care about your beliefs and your moral values, it’ll wear on you. You’ll have to constantly watch what you say, who you say it to, how much of your personal life trickles into your work…. You’ll need to be on your extra good behavior at work and away from work, since they’ll probably have you sign something about representing your work outside work. Living a double life is not easy, even if you’re getting good pay (and I am not).

Can you work for a place that despises everything you are and do? Can you be the person that they want you to be, in everything except mind? Can you maintain that mental strain without breaking?

I ask you all these things, not because I’m being dramatic, but because I can’t do these things. I’m still in the situation, but it is breaking me down, and I didn’t exactly have the healthiest brain to begin with.

Split personality. Can you live with it?

People tell me to keep looking for another job. I am. I’ve been looking for the last year and a half. It doesn’t look like anything is going to fall into my lap any time soon. Can you live with your decision for several years while you try to find something else?

But I definitely agree with some others above that she should not make a positive (false) claim that she’s Christian.

“Praise Jesus” is interesting – it’s an imperative statement, directing the listener/reader to take some particular action. It implies, but does NOT literally state, that the speaker is Christian. It’s not actually a lie – these people probably do praise Jesus, repeatedly throughout each day. IMO it’d be different if she had claimed she was Christian, or if she were to do so during the interview.

A relative of mine was hired by a Christian organization some years ago, & when asked about her religion simply said that she was raised Christian (which was true), leaving out any information about her current outlook or practices. Again, they leapt to an assumption & filled in the gaps & were happy with what they thought they heard. (That job has ended up being long term.)

Per Edman…did you ever frequent the FIDO echo Holysmoke?