Your logic appears totally, totally inappropriate, too.
Let's not shift the subject -- we all know that sexual comments are inappropriate. But religion.
Since when is your idea that religion is a private matter, the norm for everyone to follow -- that's pretty intolerant of you, much the same as me saying that everyone should only express their religious beliefs in private and never at the work place -- why don't you just ban me from wearing any religious garb or emblems of my faith at the work place -- it might offend someone!
I happen to agree with privately praying and worshipping out of the public eye. But if someone wants to wear a cross, star of david or religious headware, why should I impose my private religious practices on that person?
who's shifting the subject? You just switched from public, essentially "captive audience" displays of religion to personal expressions and acted like they are the same. They are not.
If you can't see the difference between someone wearing a cross or the star of David etc. from a public prayer, then I'm not sure how to respond.
Let me say a better analogy would be a company memo requesting that Friday is "let's all wear crosses to work day." Would that be appropriate? Seems closer to everyone having to be seen bowing their head in prayer together.
Or if someone want another to say a prayer at the cafeteria table before they eat lunch, why should your views dominate the wishes of others?
Are they at a microphone and expecting everyone else to participate, or doing it privately on their own? Makes a big difference, I'd say.
It's not rude and insensitive for anyone to profess their faith in front of the world, including at the workplace; it's rude and insensitive for you to demand that they not do that -- a little tolerance would be nice; maybe, next time when it's Ash Wednesday, you ought to tell all those Catholics to wipe away their forehead markings when they come back to work after noon-time service!
I think you are confused about what tolerance is. I am very tolerant of anyone's belief, so long as it doesn't require them to kill me to enter heaven. But it is not a display of tolerance for me to have to be preached to when I don't wish it. That would be a display of lack of assertiveness.
Personally, I think it IS rude and insensitive to try to make people listen to your unprovable opinions about religion unless they have expressed an interest and desire to do so. But I'm not aware that I demanded that people cease being rude and insensitive. It sure would be nice, however, if they just did so on their own
Look, I admit, I'm an atheist. I don't spend my time trying to "convert" believers. In fact, for the most part, I try to leave people's belief systems unmolested (I do admit to having a weakness for a good argument but that is true regardless of the subject matter). If believing that stuff is a source of comfort to them, then I don't want to try to take anything away from them. But, in the same way that I don't care for cigarettes and don't appreciate someone trying to thrust them on me, I find it inappropriate for them to push their belief systems on me. I find it ESPECIALLY inappropriate when done under any sort of official mantle be it governmental, from an employer, or just someone who has ahold of a mike at a non-religious event.
It seems you refuse to make a distinction between a private display of faith, whether a personal prayer, piece of attire, or discussing one's faith in a private conversation (none of which I have a problem with) from a captive audience when said display is given the aura of official sanction, say by an employer.
I don't know about you, but it would irritate me if I went to a public assembly, say a town meeting to discuss policy matters and had to spend a bunch of time listening to someone discuss their faith. If I wanted to listen to that, I'd go to church. If I'm in a church, whether for a wedding or a funeral or whatever, then I expect it. Other places I do not.