Monday, November 5, 2007

My atheism and my job...

So it's been quite awhile since I last posted...in my defense, I started a new job in August and it's left me exhausted. I don't want to get too specific--I'd just rather not have my employer read this--but allow me to explain my conundrum and how I've dealt with it.

I work with moderately to severely impaired autistic and mentally retarded children. My employer is a non-profit christian organization that works with social services, adoption, and alternative educational settings for kids that public school's can't handle. I love my job dearly and I really can't imagine doing anything else, even though it's exhausting and I question my sanity almost every day.

So...what's the issue? Well, like I said, my employer is a christian non-profit, which I struggled with at first. There's no way I would quit my job over that, but it's something I had to reconcile for myself. Ultimately, I decided that regardless of the discord between my philosophy and that of my employer, we were working towards the same goals. My employer does great work and has for many, many years...I honestly feel honored to work for the organization. I really feel like I'm making a difference in my students' lives, and I know that the whole organization has that kind of impact every day.

So, what do you think? I think the good that my employer does--and the good I can do working for them--far outweigh the religious/philosophical differences. Does anyone else have experience with this?