Rude comments on Catholic faith

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A coworker who does not like me is extremely rude and makes comments on how much they do not like the Catholic faith. Today, they (knowing that I am a devout Catholic) were talking with myself and a few others and went on about how they “Hate” the Catholic religion, hate the mass which is long and boring, hate the repetitive rosary, etc.

Almost every day a comment that is just plain mean is made about my faith, and this person says these things not just to express an opinion but to deliberately make me feel uncomfortable.

When these things are said, they honestly hurt me and make me feel deeply sad (even to the point that I feel like crying) – it feels like, when such horrible things are said about my faith, that they are being said about myself since my faith is at the core of who I am.

I don’t ususlly say much when these comments are made – I have tried to inform the person of what Catholics really believe in the past but it leads nowhere, therefore I have found that I am probably better off not saying anything at all, since the person mostly says these things to get under my skin.

I just want to ask for suggestions on how to not let this person and the rude things said about the Church bother me so much, because it has gotten to the point where I am thinking about it too often and feel very alone in how I feel.

Am I right to feel so offended? I know I would never say such mean things about this person’s protestant church. But then again, I know the truth of the Catholic Church and so maybe I should stop letting my coworker’s words get to me. It just really hurts my feelings, I don’t know how else to say it.

Thank you for reading, any comments would be much appreciated.
 
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Whatever the cause of their hostility to the Church, you are just a convenient target.
What redbetta said,
and in the meantime please try to conceal your hurt from them.
While they feel they are causing you distress they will continue to target you.
May God bless and protect you
 
In Danish we have a term called “adult bullying”.
Some children grow up to be better versions of themselves, but some grow up to harness that fear and hate into a sharp tool, dare I say sharper than any kid’s tongue.
I would inform whomever is in charge. This is unacceptable behaviour on so many levels.
If you feel you have the strength some days (don’t do it if you feel like crying or if you’re letting out your anger) but you can try and tell him he’s wrong. To his face. While he’s in front of your co-workers.
Best of luck, I’m praying for you. ❤️
 
redbetta

16m

1.Report them to HR. This is unacceptable.

Yes!
Smile to yourself and remember

“ [11] Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: … [12] Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. … [13] You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men. … [14] You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. … [15] Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house.”

Douay-Rheims Bible Chp 5: 11-15
 
Don’t forget that our reward for being persecuted will be great in heaven. 😀

God loves us who are persecuted with a special love.
 
I am leaving the choir. My choir brought me great joy, and the choir (an all boys secondary school choir) won a medal at a national competition. It is so enjoyable, but I cannot cope with how the director treats me, so I am leaving.

I attend a public school, so reporting it may not have done very much unfortunately. It’s just a shame that I’ve been driven out because of him.
 
It’s still worth a try. Especially if he badmouth your religion directly to you instead of just going on tirades in class. If it’s not acceptable in the workplace, then it’s definitely not acceptable in school. At least in the workplace, you are getting paid to put up with these people.
 
Have you tried bringing this up with your boss or with human resources? If this coworker is intentionally creating a hostile work environment for you then you have recourse.

If he says these things about your religion around other coworkers make sure beforehand they’ll testify on your behalf if you call them as witnesses. You might even want to record the rude coworker if you live in a state where it is legal to do so.
 
My parents promised they would report him, but now they won’t. I don’t think I’ll be able to convince them to. It’s very annoying but I am in a bad situation. A priest told me to stay away from the director, and my only choice if I want to be free of the insulting choir director is to leave the choir. It’s a shame because I love singing and I enjoy being in a prestigious choir, but I can’t stay with him. He has insulted everything I believe.

You are right, it would be best to report him. But unfortunately I am in a situation where it will be impossible to do this without disobeying my parents.
 
They said that they themselves won’t report him. That does not necessarily mean you can’t.

You are being forced out of something that can look really good on college applications due to religious discrimination. Please do report. You’d also be doing other students a favor.
 
I might have to think about your suggestion. You’ve given me some good encouragement, God Bless you.

I will pray about it, and hopefully come to the right decision.

Thanks for the advice.
 
You have a duty to report this director. If you do not then he will just mistreat any other Catholics who join his choir after him. Find out if any other fellow choir members are willing to be witnesses on your behalf, and perhaps record him in secret if you live in a state where it is legal to do so.

Public school or not, he has no right to treat you this way. I don’t know why your parents won’t report him, perhaps they don’t know how bad it is. But regardless you will only get your respect if you fight for it.
 
No problem. I’ll pray you will be able to stay in the choir. It’s just so unprofessional for a teacher to bully a kid like that.
 
Thanks everyone for your (name removed by moderator)ut!

I will only have to deal with it for a bit longer as I will be leaving.

I would say that part of the reason they think they can say all of these things about the Catholic church might be because the person thinks they are in the “right” for talking against Catholics as if God would approve, since Catholics “aren’t Christians.”

The coworker simply does not care about how anyone feels about her harsh opinions. We are in college as well, so this would most likely be taken lightly in the workplace.

I just wish she’d show more respect for the church – she wouldn’t insult another religion in the same way.
 
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Some parents fear retaliation against their child for standing up to instructors. Maybe that’s the case.
 
It is especially inappropriate at a public school. Stay in choir and report the director.
 
Please don’t take me wrong but what time is there to bring up religion or conversations during rehearsals?
When does this kind of interaction take place?
A choir director is supposed to be working and students rehearsing and as many as there are in a choir , what is this ??
 
I live in a very secular country (New Zealand), so laws on recording may be different to the US. My best friend, an Evangelical Protestant witnessed everything, so his witness may be helpful. The director is originally from the US, and was raised Southern Baptist so despite his same sex ‘partnership’ he still has anti Catholic southern views on Catholicism.

Believe me, if I told you some of the other things he had done, you’d be very shocked. He scares me with his rhetoric and with some of the very strange things he has done.

It’s been around 9 months since he had this huge argument with me at school camp, so it may seem strange to report him so long after. I just hope he learns a lesson.

He thinks he can mistreat me because I am a teenager and he is an adult. It’s a terrible situation, and I hope I make the right decision. I’m just worried that reporting him may alienate me even more. The music department at school puts pride flags everywhere so I don’t think that they would do much about it.
 
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