>>>Reminds of my very first programming job back in like 1981 when I was 16. I remember there was some huge problem and the programming staff (all 4 of us) were sitting down to try to figure out the problem. One guy - all this guy wanted to do was "pray about it". The boss cussed him out and told him to snap out of it - that 'god' was not going to swoop down an repair the source code for us. It was really quite funny to watch.
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>>Still, that boss could have done something lessening the productivity of that prticular guy.
>>I know that Ihave to snap out from being glued to the screen if facing a particular problem for to long -
>>which took me to exploring multiple identically looking corridors when working on location for insurance
>>(was bad when working high security areas) - but that gives me an edge.
>>Similar to the first cigarette when I was still smoking - it was often a solution.
>>If praying worked for that guy, why not ?
>
>Right - however this guy was convinced that if we all "had enough faith" that "god" would fix it for us. I certainly don't care if someone wants to take a few min of their work day to pray or whatever - but expecting things to magically fix themselves was a bit much. We did fix the source code problem - and also a few days later fixed the employee problem too (boss got tired of his crap and fired him).

My best friend when I lived in the city of Chicago was a neighbor who lived three doors down the block. He was born Jewish and then became a born again Christian. We quickly learned to steer clear of the subject of religion. Many, many lunches together and discussions out in the alley on every other conceivable topic. I decided that if you have a friend who is basically simpatico, an auto mechanic who owns his own shop and has an engineering degree, don't let religion mess it up.

The one time I had to bite my tongue was when his older daughter was a senior in high school and they were visiting a lot of colleges. I said it must be worrisome. He said I'm not worried at all, God will figure it out. I thought maybe that was a bridge too far but kept my mouth shut.

PS -- he got a lot of business from me, including the $1800 repair of a blown engine. He charged me at his straight rate and I never tried to put an arm on his shoulder in classic Chicago style. I gladly paid it because his work was good and an auto mechanic you can trust is a prince among men.