Most of the training courses i've gone through , seminars i've been in ,ect. All have religious references........If listening to a lecture where someone mentions God a few times is going to boost your production........Why on earth would it matter? I went to a Brian Tracy event and he quoted the bible several times, improved my production and outlook a ton...It was well worth the $150 admission that was paid by my broker

I have my testimony on my website and every email I send out says God Bless you and your family

God is even mentioned on the money we are using to pay for these $400 courses just so we can get more of the money that mentions God.

Last I checked we had the right to free speech and as I have my right to say God Bless you you have a right to say no thanks.

When we all start trying to be so politically correct if affects our free speech there is something wrong.

By the way Merry Christmas!!

Danny

Season's Greetings OneFeePlus.com
If I was given a choice to use money with God on it or money without God that would be free speech as it is I either use it or I can't purchase anything. Would you be happy using money that says "In Buddha we trust"?

Yes, everyone has the right to free speech, but do you realize how your free speech affects others.

If your email, voicemail and website say things like "Have a blessed day" or "Go With God" do you know how many potential customers you're sending away?

Personally, I don't care if you pray at the alter of an upside down dead chicken - I don't want to know about it as a potential customer. And I have actually stopped using stores and salespeople who do "express" their free speech.

I would not take a course that had pre-printed material slanted towards a specific religeon. Yes, there may be good content, but the fact that someone felt it necessary to print that on materials and be culturally insensitive to the people PAYING for the materials makes me question what else might be weaved into the content. For example, if this particular course has follow up coaching or something like that, are the instructors going to be less likely to help me once they figure out that I'm not the same religeon, or perhaps they don't approve of my lifestyle?

You might be turning off more customers than you're turning on.

Unless you only want to do business with people just like you- which in itself is admirable, but cuts down on your pool of potential customers.

Everyone IS too sensitive to being politically correct, and saying "Merry Christmas" to my Jewish customer by accident would probably be overlooked, but I've trained myself to NOT say that, so that I appear more sensitive to cultural differences, and not an ignorant oaf who thinks that there is only one "right" religeon.

And DON'T jump on me thinking that I just called you ignorant, I didn't! I'm saying that people who don't TRY to be culturally sensitive could be PERCEIVED as ignorant.

This is slightly of topic. An agent from a new Real Estate company was sharing a certification class with me. We hit it off pretty well and things were going great. We were exchanging some ideas on marketing when he tried to recruit me while we were in class. That alone is a big no-no. In the middle of the conversation he stated: "I assume you are Christian?"

I asked him if that was a requirement of working with his broker. I also told him it was not a good idea to assume anything. Point here is religion and politics have no place in the business world. The risk of offending someone is too great. Why not just do your job and leave religion out of it.

As far as Buffini goes, I've taken the class. The only reference he made to religion was to illustrate that we should be honest and respect the client's money. I got the point and never felt a sermon was in place. All of these guys are part motivational speakers. They have to have some general basis for good and bad behavior to make a point. As long as that is all there is to it, fine.

Interesting discussion...

I'm with those who feel that religion should be left out of business. "PC" aside, there is no reason anyone should be chastised to tolerate religious content injected into training of any kind. That amounts to tacit acceptance. It is just inappropriate IMO to mix religion and business if the business isn't specifically religion-related. And real estate isn't.

The problem here isn't "PC," the problem is the kind of assumption made mentioned by alamorealtor above. If Christians are "assuming" that others are Christian (other religions in this country are FAR less likely to make automatic assumptions of common membership) then there is an impact. We are all familiar with historical (and perhaps personal) examples where there has been differential treatment based on religion. We can't be doing that in real estate...

Unfortunately there are still many who believe that if you're not a member of their faith, you are less morally upright or somehow misguided or lost. This arrogant viewpoint is so wrong...if you want to talk about "PC" then why are these people not being encouraged to accept *others* as moral equals? Such people feel that they should be accepted for every religious expression that they make, but they harbor a holier-than-thou view of non-believers. Double standard? Yep.

Anyway....in business one ought to avoid encouraging subcultural favoritism, IMO. Whether religion of any kind is "part and parcel" of anyone's life is irrelevant. Bringing religion into business with no regard to what DIFFERENT beliefs clients or co-workers or customers may hold is disrespectful at best, and proselytizing at worst.

Quote:

[I have my testimony on my website and every email I send out says God Bless you and your family

God is even mentioned on the money we are using to pay for these $400 courses just so we can get more of the money that mentions God.

Last I checked we had the right to free speech and as I have my right to say God Bless you you have a right to say no thanks.

When we all start trying to be so politically correct if affects our free speech there is something wrong.

By the way Merry Christmas!!

Danny ]




This is a mistake. The public does not need or want to know THAT you pray or TO WHOM you pray.

A good portion of the public looks down on people who are TOO religious. Meaning people who feel a neurotic need to display their affiliation for public observation.

Religious "testimony" on a business website is a terrible idea. It completely distracts and detracts from your purpose, and weakens your perceived character and intellect.

I think religion needs to be a PERSONAL issue. Like personal hygiene, it need not be displayed or discussed.

Remember, ethics is a SECULAR topic and should always be discussed in the context of rational behaviour and perfecting ourselves as social animals. It should be discussed and debated NOT in the context of mysticism or emotionalism, but as we discuss biology or engineering.

I don't need or want any "blessings" from your website or e-mails. Just a professional and personal pledge to act ethically here on Earth in the only world that counts, the real world.

Thank you.

I do not think it is amy more appropriate than talking about sexuality or po;itics. It is extrememly personal and if someone brings up references to religion in the course of doing business, I get offended.

I think SeattleMetal must be a devil-worshipper. You know how those Seattle Metalheads are. Hork down some lattes, then put on the flannel shirt and go do some devil-worship!

(I'm just kidding SM. I'm an athiest myself, so I'd be uncomfortable if there was an excess of Jebus in a business presentation too. And I'm a rock-n-roll guitarist.)

-jeff

Political correctness: the notion that it's possible to pick up the turd by the CLEAN end.

-jeff

Cool. My brother in law is the lead guitarist for Dream Theatre.
Unfortunately he's religious. Oh well, nobody is perfect...

Troy you summed that up nicely. I was told when I was first in the business by my trainer to keep all religious reference's out when putting together a bio or any other marketing material.

Troy I might care about praying at the alter of an upside down dead chicken but only when it comes time to listing the house and they have a personal alter set up in the living room! Past that I don't care if they howl at a full moon, dance naked in the town square or pray to a dead chicken. That said you don't have to do business with someone that makes you uncomfortable but if you can do business with someone who has antlers over the fireplace what's wrong with a little dead chicken alter?

Business and religion really don't mix. Let it be your guide for how you run your business but it can be a quiet one silently working in the background.

Wow. This topic really hits a lot of people. I too believe that religion, sexuality and politics should be left out of the business world.

I would imagine that belonging to a large church would be an excellent networking tool... sometimes I feel that the fact that I'm not a churchgoer hamstrings me somewhat in the rural community I live outside of. Everybody sort of knows what everyone else is and does out here. On the other hand, we have two of the brightest, most well-behaved kids in the schools... my wife volunteers at the schools a LOT... and we are basically raising our kids straight and true. So screw anyone who feels I'm not a good person because I don't go to church- they are WRONG.

It's tough on my kids though, being told they are going to hell. I grew up in a small town in New Mexico, very Catholic, and so I know exactly how they feel. Christians, and I pick on them because they are by far the dominant religious paradigm in this country, have NO IDEA how oppressive they are, as a group.

-jeff

Jeff I can't even begin to tell you how much I understand. I may be in a large NM town but trust me is still the same. I have actually been told that because I am not a Christian I am a bad mother who shouldn't be homeschooling my children. Oh and my husband and I must have martial problems due to our difference's in religion. This of course coming from the Christians.