Should I Whore Myself to a Church?

[Vitotamito]

Okay, maybe the title is a bit extreme, but here's the story:

Today I got offered a small, part time job to make some animations for a church. I wouldn't get paid much, but it's experience, and it's money.

The bad thing? I'm most definitely anti-religion and pretty much an atheist. So my problem is, of course, do I do stuff for a church and go against everything I know and love? Or do I respectably decline a job offer, experience, and money because I don't agree with the content I'd be making? My other issue is, if I took this job, I'd want to put it on my resume, right? But would a company look at this poorly, thinking that I'm some really really religious guy because I worked for a church? Would that negatively impact my chances at getting a job? (they always say that they accept all races, religions, etc. but we all know that they aren't 100% impartial)

I'm just having this huge internal battle right now...

[Erdgeist]

If you're already viewing this experience/job as 'whoring' and are really anti-religion, there's a good chance that your attitude about the job is going to show when you're working there/dealing with the clients, especially if you don't agree with/dislike the content.

I personally doubt a company would look at this poorly and think you're 'super religious' unless the people in charge of hiring really hate the church. From what I hear, many view it as more of a community service thing!

I'd say not to go for it if it's going to make you feel uncomfortable to this extent.
But good luck with the job search!

[absol25]

Depends, I may not be as old as most of you, and not as experienced, but I' atheist too, and it wouldn't hurt to go on google and slap something together about it. Plus, it's good experience, you may get things to do in life, that you don't want to, but you'll have to do them if you want to keep your job. plus you get money...

[mosama]

A job is a job- and experience is experience. Regardless of what religion has to do with it. I'm awfully nonreligious myself but if I could get a job making money for a church or mosque I would go ahead and do it. You gotta be open minded enough to let your moral/religious differences not conflict with work. I say take it! And then in the future when you have more experience and more opportunities, thats the point where i would refuse to whore myself, but at this point in your career being a whore is going to be a risk you'll have to take. A favorite inappropriate quote ive heard, dont open the spoiler if your young and easily corruptible ->

Spoiler! :

"Everyone you know has sucked a dick to get where they are today- the only difference between me and them is i swallowed."

[Apostatus]

If you would feel really bad about this don't do it, I most definitely wouldn't take a job when I was morally opposed to the aims of it. And if your bad feelings would interfere with your performance taking the job wouldn't make much sense anyway. On the other hand not everything churches do is utterly bad, so you might take a look at what exactly they want. I for myself might support a well-organized charity but nothing with strong or primarily missionary intent.

[blankd]

Since you are atheist it may help to simply view the church as another organization. (ie: Being vegetarian would not necessarily mean you feel ill about animating characters eating a steak dinner if you were part of an animation project, right? [I could be wrong about this....]) However if you personally feel adverse to doing it, don't do it. But if you are hurting for money and/or experience, I say take it.

UNLESS this chruch is akin to Westboro and their ilk. Then reject that job as that WOULD look bad on a resume. But if they're just an "average church" that simply provides services to others, I don't think future employers will think ill of it! (If anything it could help more as it is a project you worked on that was used!)

*Do you know what kind of animation you're making for the church?

[Sonic-ock]

Do it, and put subliminal penises and stuff in the animations.

[Piano-kun]

Like the others said, you should consider the outcome in a job dealing with something that makes you feel uneasy. If you know that you're able not to let personal feelings get in the way and view it as "this is just a job; here is what I have to do", go for it. But if it's something that you know that will soon get to you, then keep looking for a job that you're completely comfortable with. Write a list of pros and cons on each side and see what outweighs the other as well as think about the results.

[SuperBiasedMan]

Weigh up your morals.

How much of an atheist are you, and more importantly why?
Do you disagree with religion altogether, or certain aspects of it? Because if it's only certain aspects, then it really only matters if these are coming up in the work they asked you to do.

Also, depends on how badly you need the work and experience. As harsh as it might sound, you'll need to consider if you can actually afford to have morals right now.

[Nymine]

Trying not to repeat everyone else here, so here's one of those 'similar experiences' things.

I work designing stuff(banners to brochures to logos) for a private company whose owners are very religious. More than once I've been asked to do 'spreading the Word' type pamphlets for many many different churches on many occasion, and, while not an atheist myself, a lot of the Messages I've been proof-reading and spell checking and assembling in exquisite design I don't approve of(funny story, I actually let some of my own beliefs slip at work in casual off the clock convo and immediately got a talking to about devil-worship; fun times). BACK TO THE POINT, I do these designs anyway, and I give it my best shot. I don't see this as whoring, and I'll admit, this could be just rationalization, but I see it as thus:

If I seek to be a professional designer, then a part of being professional is removing personal beliefs from the job and making something that stands out. Why? Because the customer is seeking a service, and I've been tasked with making whatever message they want get out there above everyone else's(kind of tough in Va too; churches are a dime a dozen). So, each one of these jobs are a challenge to remain detached and focused and make the best looking pamphlet imaginable despite belief difference.

With that in mind, no, if you put this on your resume, I doubt it would reflect on you poorly. If anything it could show how well you can work on a project despite being a subject you're not 100% behind. What I should have simply said, if you can muster the gumption to stomach the rhetoric, do it. If you can't, no regrets, no worries, you'll find other work. Don't push yourself if it's causing a big battle with you.

[The_Hankerchief]

I agree with Nymine, in the sentiment that, for the sake of being professional, sometimes, you have to ignore your own personal feelings toward a certain belief or task. (I imagine the Supreme Court justices often get put into these situations in many of their court cases, on all sorts of things, not necessarily about just religion.) If you're trying to get your reputation off the ground, you gotta take any chance you can.

[Vitotamito]

I've talked it over with a bunch of people, including read your guys' remarks, and I've decided to look further into this. I read a little on their website and it said to be a full time staff member at the church, you need to be a registered member of the church. So I might have to ask if I can simply do this as volunteer work, for no pay, but still gain the experience and the resume slot. It's something I can probably laugh about at home, but not in public, you know?

One of my friends brought up a good point in that on my resume it already says that I'm an Eagle Scout, which implies religious right off the bat. My only problem I'll run into is when they ask me to make something on a specific story, I probably won't know what story they're talking about. This will require research. That means reading stories from the Bible in my off time. Ick.

My big hope is that if I play it cool and just don't mention my lack of religiousness, they'll be cool with that and not ask. But I'm worried that it won't be that easy.

[KonaTobennh]

Here. If they ask you to make something out of a specific story, I can help you out a bit.

I spent 8 years at a private school, and you hear a lot of Bible stories and parables in there.

If you want to know the overall plot or premise or whatev, you can just message me.

[corruption]

There is a third option I can think of in addition to make a religious webcomic or don't make a comic for them; make a comic that promotes the ideals of the church, if you believe in the ideals, if not the religion.

It will be better then making a comic about something you do not believe in. If you make a comic about something you do not believe in, you will not be able to properly convey it's message, and it may come across as a half arsed attempt, which will actually be bad for you.

Even if they try to find someone to give them a comic based on their teachings, you will still of made the comic and can give it to them as a donation you can put down in your portfollio. Since they are not paying you anyway, can you see a problem with this?

[xkrazydog]

You were offered the job, so i doubt they expect you to be enrolled in the church as a member just to have it, that's not how church's (as an organization) should be built, its not like every janitor or the company who built the church's construction was a devout member of the church or anything so you don't have to worry about that. As for whether you should take it or not: Deffinitely. People go to church's just to rake up community service and no one when reviewing your resume will ever question you about it, and if they do, what's the harm in clarifying it? Should they judge you that's unprofessional on their part (so don't call it "whoring" either) if your an atheist, that's fine, but to say slander like that is equally unprofessional and immature.

If they're using your animations as advertising for the church, it's still just a job. you don't have to believe it to do it. and if they're writing and directing it, your job is to just to make it under their guidelines.