I sent this to a Christian co-worker and she didn't understand it. What should I do?
I accept ALL people of ALL faiths and religions in this world unconditionally. Although I differ with some aspects of some of these religions, I understand where all of them come from and I completely accept all of them.
As for me, I consider myself a student of all things spiritual.
Now, I have a co-worker who’s a born-again Christian. She is a lovely, wonderful woman. But she continually misunderstands me and my beliefs. Often she tries to explain the Bible to me. I just listen intently, without offering my true feelings about the book. I choose to keep whatever my feelings are to myself, as to respect her faith and beliefs.
I do not think she is ready to know and to grasp what I learned throughout my spiritual studies. Actually, I think she is SCARED to death of knowing what I know. She completely denies the little I’ve told her as being false. That is completely okay with me. I am not here to save her or anyone else. And I’m definitely not here to impose my beliefs on anyone else either.
Anyway, yesterday I sent some of my co-workers a BEAUTIFUL poem by Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran, from his book entitled THE PROPHET.
Now, the poem talks about a true marriage and how two people can achieve happiness in marriage.
In any case, it was a POEM! It had nothing to do with religion or anything like that. And, might I add, it was a gorgeous, wonderful piece of literature too.
She wrote me back only: "A prophet? What kind of prophet?"
Now… tell me if I’m wrong in assuming that she didn’t even READ the poem! It looks to me like she got stuck on the word "prophet" and completely missed the whole point of the poem (how to have a happy and healthy marriage).
Thanks for reading this, folks. It’s just that… I’m having a little hard time deciding whether or not to share anything else with this woman. I do like her but… her mind seems to be closed shut at this time…
What do you all think?
Thanks.
Love and blessings to all.
Priรciℓℓα ☼… yeah! That’s a great idea!
Deep Thought, I’m seriously considering that. If she doesn’t even read what I send her and completely pre-judges everything… what’s the point of trying to share anything with her…
crystal, I’ve been thinking the same thing. However, she cannot help herself and trying to "Christianize" every one of us. She gives me things to read too. I read them. It doesn’t bother me. I think Jesus Christ was one of the brightest lights to ever be born on this planet. And I love his teachings!
Sara, what you wrote is just GORGEOUS! And so true. Thank you so much for that!!!!
Ginchi, I disagree with you about Gibran. And… I don’t think of myself as better or worse than her. I just think all I know is so completely foreign to her that it would probably take her sometime to assimilate everything. How do I know this? Because it took me years to get to where I am. And I LOOKED and SEARCHED. *smiles*
Thanks for your answer, though. A little crabby, but I’ll take it anyway. 
You also make a good point, "Follow Jesus." Maybe I should have explained the whole thing to her…
But I thought it best to just let the whole thing alone for a while, while I thought about the best way to deal with it. I don’t want to hurt her feelings in any way, shape of form.
Thanks for a lovely and inspiring reply, Sherry.
Related Information:
Tagged with: all faiths • bible • blessings • Born Again Christian • Christian Co • co worker • co workers • faith • gibran • Grasp • happiness in marriage • hard time • lebanese poet • literature • marriage • People • poem talks • prophet • religion • religions • spiritual studies • true feelings • true marriage • wonderful woman
Filed under: How To Save A Marriage
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
As Christian myself, I am always willing to listen to and share testimonies with other. Sounds like she may a little too hung up on being afraid she might have to get rough with you about Her beliefs. What she and every Christian should remember is, you can stay strong and true to your Faith while listening to the beliefs of others. I would just not send e mails to her anymore until she has the courage to come up and ask you why. Then, explain it as you did here and let her be the one to accept it or not. Hope everything works out and have a Blessed Day!!
because whatever you sent must have been too long to read.
Khalil Gibran. Ah, come on! That stuff is so lame and cheesy, back in 1969 I left a Khalil Gibran book out in the sun and it melted.
Act depressed
works for me when im in a bad mood, but sometimes it backfires
Stop sending her your poems.
Just inform her Khalil Gibran is a Christian… maybe she would like some of his poem dealing with Christianity?
Actually, she sounds very conservative so she probably would not consider him a Christian… I guess it’s just better to be strictly secular at work.. even being sensitive to the point of not sending poems that might appear even a little religious
His poems are awesome though
The woman is a closed-minded ignorant self-righteous little prig, that’s what I think.
You just keep doing what you’re doing and don’t worry about her—she’s asleep. Pray that she wakes up someday and spend your time with people who appreciate your magnanimity.
Yeah, I think she thought you were trying to teach her another religion or something.
I think that she simply got stuck on the title, I wouldn’t worry about it.
There are some subjects not appropriate for the work environment unless you know the people well enough that they wouldn’t be offended. I would stop talking to her about it.
I don’t doubt that she truly believes in her faith and is a lovely woman as you say.
Unfortunately, it also sounds as if she has a closed mind and possibly even feels threatened by anything outside of her understanding.
My advice would be not to discuss anything of a spiritual nature with her and to change the subject when she starts preaching to you.
I am sure I’d rather live next door to you than her.
If you want to keep the friendship remember that there are two things people shouldn’t talk about in family’s and workplace. Politics and Religion. Remember you spend more time with her than you do your own kids…if you have any.
Talk about everything and anything but religion. There’s nothing worse than having unnecessary tension in a work place.
Some Christians are just like that–a little bit suspicious of things.
But while I’m at it, she may have been considering your opinion of accepting all faiths and religions.
Logically, not all faiths and religions can be true. Many are contradicting. There are various bits of truth in some religions, some more than others, but truth is truth, despite our knowing about it or our opinions.
Therefore, not all faiths can all hold true because they would be contradicting each other.
Sad. Unfortunately, many people with dogmatic religious beliefs are close-minded and fearful.
You sound like you are on the right path- I know it’s hard when someone you care about is closed.
I think she has DADDY issues
SAY to her: "Jane, I understand that you have strong religious feelings, as I do, and that perhaps you inferred something religious in the poem I gave you. I assure you that the book from which the poem came is not a secular book; I merely found the piece interesting and thought I’d share it with you. I certainly didn’t intend to offend or insult anyone by it. I hope you understand that."
If Jane doesn’t understand, then it’s her problem, and I’d stop sending poems around. Seems these days EVERYONE’S looking for subliminal meanings in everything we do, say, or send….
Nice question. I enjoy K.Gibran as well.
Religion shouldn’t be discussed in the workplace.
Well, rest assured that if she had never heard of The Prophet or Khalil Gibran, she is uneducated.
Whether sending that poem did her any good or not we won’t know. Perhaps she will share it with someone else, complaining that it must be some kind of heathen thing, and that other person will explain it to her and show some admiration for the poem.
Sometimes seeds of knowledge take the right conditions to grow, like the high prairie flowers. They wait for the season that has the right amount of rain, even if they have to wait two years.
I think that Krystal is correct.
Be nice , be polite. But, when she brings up religion, change the subject or make yourself unavailable.
You sound like a considerate and intelligent person. This is a subject best avoided with fundamentalist type Christians. She won’t understand your take on it at all, no matter how hard you try.
Luke warm.
She probably thinks that you are worth saving, and doesn’t exactly know how she should approach you. I have read Khalil Gibran. He was at best a mediocre philosopher, and a very poor writer. I didn’t even know that anyone read his material any more, much less quote from him. It is presumptious of you to imagine that she is actually afraid of knowing what you know. Do you really think that if you transfer your intelligence to her that her head will explode or something? You are right about one thing. You are probably BOTH wasting your time.
I’ve read The Prophet by Khalil Gibran & it’s wonderful poetry.
New born Christians are often very narrow minded because of what they are being preached by their pastors. It’s always "we’re right & everyone else is wrong". Best that you avoid religion altogether with her. She will prove not to be as tolerant as you are. Sorry.
just because she mentions prophet does not mean she did not read it.
Do you explain in the poem you sent that the marriage had to do with nothing spiritual?
In christianity the relationship with Jesus is compared to a marriage.
What you thinking was not spiritual to christians may be spiritual.
The jewish marriage is related to our relationship to jesus and his second coming.
So it is possible she saw a religious connection especially when it was from a man and the word Prophet was used. A prophet in christianity is a man proclaiming a message no matter who that message is from.
A prophet declares a message from the true God or a false God or thoughts of men.
That is why she asked what kind of prophet he is.
Aside from having Christ as the center of your all; you walk and talk more like a christian than most christians !
Two of the most important things we as christians are supposed to do is Love everyone unconditionally; and commanded Not to Judge !
Unfortunately the folks that call themselves "Full Gospel" christian seem to break those two laws more the most ! They have a tendency to be very zealous in claiming they are completely right, you are totally wrong and judge the heck out of everyone else in a very closed minded unloving attitude!
I know what I’m talking about. I used to be one of them !
Now here comes the real clincher ( I’ll get a few judgmental thumbs down) ! I became a Mormon and found that there really is a christian faith that doesn’t condemn others for believing what they will. We are taught from our scriptures that very thing and are commanded not to judge others !
The problem with your friend is that she has been taught that if she opens herself up to really listen to what you are saying, that she’ll be taking a chance of maybe receiving what you say and could possibly betray Christ in doing so. She’s simply closed minded because she’s afraid.
Don’t fret over her closed mindedness, simply look as her as a child.
- Once more!
- Eu moro em Piracicaba. E ocê?
- Why?
- Ah! É mineiro…
Your friend is a part of yourself. She is no more different to you, essentially, than your thumb is to your hand. You can choose to feel this…this permanent soul2soul hum between and in you…or you can focus on the different theological beliefs.
She will have her longings, her fears and her loves…just like you do. She bleeds, picks her nose, farts and goes to the loo just anyone else.
We humans have so much more common ground than we ever do differences.
So emotionally, physically and at soul-level you are in complete synergy…what’s a few theological differences between friends?
Most of my friends have nothing whatsoever to do with faith of any kind, and if they do, it’s of the more traditional or fundamental kind…from JoHo to Islam. Quite a few don’t ‘do’ feelings…not overtly anyway…they do the (not untypical British) repressed thing. They feel safer and more comfortable being ‘doers’ and ‘thinkers’…and feelings are just too unpredictable and messy! But so what?
The Actuality of existence is that these same people complete me. I cannot have resonance and full being without their existence. They are part of the ‘We-Am’ dance.
They, at the root, are me…as they are you.
Just look into your friend’s eyes and see that you are looking at more of yourself. Look at your friend with those eyes and just see what happens…and watch them unwind…feel accepted…no matter what.
You may well find yourself exploring your friend’s Christian faith from her eyes, her point of view…and you will do it with complete joy and interest, without denting your own ‘knowing’ in any way.
Who knows where this unbounded love will take you…?
In other words, let Tao move between you…as you…realise/experience/feel the Tao is being you both.
Celebrate the Toa-motion of It knowing and loving Itself…one motion…one heave! YOU!
I have similar spiritual understanding as you do. I suspect that your friend is caught up in the fear that this world creates. She is choosing to believe religion, which is a human creation. Belief is an interesting concept. When we substitute belief for Truth we are destined to wander in the wilderness. Religions are belief based.
Probably what is most important here for you is your wonderment at your friends reaction. It bothers you. What is it that bothers you and why? Focus on learning through this and you will grow more in your understanding of Truth.
Hey Im a christian born of the spirit of God aka born again, i got that book ya talkin about, it was on the film \\\’walk the line\\\’ bout johnny cash, anyway sweetie i also think some people are 2 heavenly and no good 4 nothin on earth, ha we are in the world, not of it, yet again Jesus said we are in the world and He is our biggest example of how we should live our lives…sorry bout that, i pray 4 your spiritual eyes to be enlightened with the truth of who Christ is peace and love 2 u xxx