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In today's modern age, there has been an increasing movement in all aspects of society and culture towards secularism and relativism. In the United States of America, this trend away from any type of religiosity in the public sphere, especially in business, has become more and more commonplace. There is this idea that has silently permeated into the social conscious, and is almost now seen as a given. This idea that the modern man must choose science and rational thought over the “irrational” faith of religion. Religion has been depicted as a sort of swear word, equating close-mindedness and a movement away from diversity. In an article exploring if business and religion can learn from each other, which can be found at the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge Baker Library, Lagace (2001) stated that it is “common conviction within most Western societies that the two do not and should not be mixed—ever.” This view supports what most people in the American business world experience. That’s not to say there has not been tremendous progress in America to protect religious freedom in business. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prevents discrimination based on religion and requires employers to reasonable accommodate employees’ religious beliefs or practices. The problem, in the business world, is that religion is primarily just tolerated. It is seen as only being allowed by the employer so that his or her employees’ rights are not being infringed upon by him or her, or any other employee. Religion is seen in business, as something that can just cause problems, so the general attitude is to avoid the topic when possible. Brad Henderson (2016), in his lecture to business students, summed it up well when he stated, “In the business world, religion is taboo.” Such a negative stance on religion, from a business point of view, is inopportune and severely deflates the potential of a business. Religion in business should not just be tolerated, but nurtured and encouraged, due to the numerous benefits it gives to a business. These benefits extend to the individual or at the employee level, to the company as a whole, and to the society which supports the business and to which the business serves.
Before exploring any benefits religion has on business, it is necessary to address how modern society arrived at its current state, where religion is so ostracized from business. The movement away from religion can be attributed to the popularity of secularism in modern philosophy and sociology. As the world emerged into the modern era, there were several people whose theories and ideas contributed to the secular world view that can be seen today. The concept of secularism was first developed by the British philosopher, George J. Holyoake. He defined secularism as improving oneself physically, morally, and intellectually through solely material means. By doing this, a natural morality is revealed and a common bond of union is formed. Secularism emerged specifically to combat religion and, more specifically, as a defiance against the Catholic and Protestant theocracy that had ruled western civilization for so long. Holyoake (1871) asserted that 'secularism is a code of duty pertaining to this life founded on considerations purely human, and intended mainly for those who find theology indefinite or inadequate, unreliable or unbelievable.” Around the same time, Friedrich Nietzsche had similar problems with validity of religion and was even more critical of religion, specifically the Christian world view. In his book, The Antichrist, Nietzsche (1895) criticizes several aspects of Christian religion, saying that for the most part it was all imaginary. Concepts like the soul, grace, temptation, and god’s presence were immaterial and could not be proven or tested. Nietzsche (1895) concludes that Christianity is without a basis in reality and that it was “… the one great curse, the one great intrinsic depravity, … the one immortal blemish of mankind.”
A few decades earlier, Karl Marx had also spoke very negatively about Christianity, the predominant western religion at the time. Marx (1844) was troubles by the increasing economic disparity and exploitation of the lower working class. He reasoned that Christianity was appealing to the poor and the less well off because it promised a better afterlife. Christians accepted their poverty and suffering because it was God’s will. Marx criticized religion for making people subservient and more likely to allow society to continue functioning as it always had. He claimed that religion was used by oppressors to make the oppressed feel better about their condition in society and thus “it is the opium of the people.” As the world transitioned into the modern era, secularism was establishing itself securely into society. German philosopher, Max Weber, argued that, in the past, the majority of society had searched for answers and meaning from an “enchanted” source. He praised the new more secular society, saying that through progress, the modern world had brought about the “disenchantment” of society, a society that valued scientific understanding over belief.
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