The Human Rights Commission has started another discussion on religion - this one about religion in the workplace. The discussion was launched at the recent Religious Diversity Forum in Wellington on 24 August, the same day that the final version of the Religion in Schools and the revised Statement on Religious Diversity documents were released.

Discussions about how to accommodate other religious beliefs in New Zealand can be uncomfortable for some people, but are necessary and Christians should be leading the way.

The Bible shows that we have a duty to welcome the stranger. Also, we advocate for justice in countries where Christians are marginalised, so we need to be careful that we are not guilty of the same conduct in our own country.

The process for the religion in the workplace discussion was not explained at the forum, but visionnetwork is encouraging Christians to be proactive in their own churches and workplaces in talking about the sort of issues that could arise. Read more...

Martien Kelderman, CEO of the Fountain Institute and leader of visionnetwork task force on faith in the workplace, has begun inviting Christian business leaders to consider what sort of issues may be involved. These could include such things as whether people from other religions should be able to take off different holy days rather than Easter and Christmas; whether special breaks should be permitted in the workday for prayers; whether employers ought to reserve special areas for prayer rooms and how to deal with religious dress codes.

Obviously, issues of safety and efficiency need to form part of these conversations, as well as a clear understanding of the purposes of business.

Some other considerations involve legislation (employment, human rights, and constitutional issues, and the sometimes confusing interplay between these).

There are also historical considerations, including the particular role of Christian faith in New Zealand over the past 200 years and the increasing religious diversity over the past 30-40 years that has led to situations in the workplace, education, health and other areas which did not exist a generation ago.

An important paper on religion in the workplace was presented by Professor Paul Morris at the Religious Diversity Forum in Wellington on 24 August. Click here to read the paper.

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