An anonymous Walmart employee emailed Gawker Tuesday with a problem: Walmart management forbade him from praying out loud for customers and colleagues.
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The gentleman, who says he is an ordained minister and chaplain in the Christian Chaplains Corps of America, said in his job as a maintenance associate that he regularly prays for customers and co-workers but isn’t overbearing in his approach.
“I do pray for people at work but only with their permission. I do NOT (sic) force my religious reliefs upon anyone,” he said in an email to Gawker.
One day in mid July, says the author, he openly prayed for a customer and friend who had approached him after exiting the checkout.
“Every time we see each other, at Wal~Mart (sic), while I am working, he always stops to talk. He always has an encouraging word for me and, likewise, I for him. After we have finished speaking, I offered up prayer for him. I did pray for him. I anointed him with oil and we prayed. We did NOT cause, nor did we, a seen (sic) or a disturbance,” he said.
A colleague who witnessed the interaction complained the incident caused him trauma, according to the minister, and that the colleague now sees a psychiatrist as a result of the encounter.
The associate in question received a verbal warning from two members of management and was instructed to never openly pray for customers and colleagues but told he could keep a prayer book and pray silently for others.
Those at Gawker asked their readers to offer up suggestions for the frustrated employee.
“We must admit that it is a bit outside of our heathen expertise,” said Gawker staff writer Hamilton Nolan. “Can any of you give our friend the most valuable gift of all — advice?”
So, what’s the man to do? Should he comply with management’s instructions? Should he defy their instructions and risk losing his job? Should he petition people to support him in his ministry as a Walmart prayer warrior? Should he endeavor to persuade management to allow him to pray openly?
An overwhelming number of readers sided with Walmart.
“He’s not getting paid to pray and/or proselytize. He’s getting paid to stock shelves and help customers,” said “Yukon_Kizmiaz” on Gawker.
Another Gawker user concurred.
“Agree, he should be taking service requests and not prayer requests,” said “Rod Strickland Propane.”
Another thought the employee’s complaint was silly.
“I just find it stupid as hell to be offended enough to make a complaint. See prayer, roll eyes, carry on,” said “rumpelSYLPHskin.”
One woman flat-out disagreed with those protesting the man’s use of his time on the clock.
“This person seems earnest and, unlike most perceived Christian persecution, has a legitimate point to make. Praying in Walmart should not even be a thing that people should be concerned about,” said “whocarestom.”
That Walmart is rejecting the gentleman’s personal flair is surprising coming from a company that finds it necessary to hire employees whose job is strictly greeting customers. A company with a history of philanthropy and feel-good marketing, Walmart — one would think — rejects the notion its employees are robots meant to stick to their job descriptions, no questions asked and no room for discretion given.
But recall the the Walmart employee who in April returned $20,000 he found in a Federal Way, Wash. Walmart parking lot. It’s not likely returning lost property is in the man’s job description, yet no one in management complained he took time away from rounding up carriages to run after the woman who had dropped the cash.
Furthermore, how many appreciated the man’s prayers but didn’t publicly verbalize that appreciation? As the old saying goes, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Perhaps the gentleman’s friends need to speak up in his defense.
And perhaps Walmart’s managers need to be more tolerant and patient with the minister, as one never knows the impact his prayers may have on Walmart regulars.
Related articles
- A Wal-Mart Worker Asks: Can I Pray Out Loud at Work? (gawker.com)
- Wal-Mart wants disabled greeter to return to work (kansascity.com)