A lot of professional programs of study require classes over the philosophy and ethics of that specific field. If you are going to be a doctor, you take a class over the ethical issues of what it means to be a doctor. This covers a lot of what is discussed in the oath that doctors take and it should serve as a guide to how they conduct their professional lives. Honestly, I think there are a lot of professions that should require classes like this.
Above all professions that should do this, however, you would think that spiritual leaders would try to work within a certain code of ethics and behaviors. After all, they are there to not only serve their deity and their followers, but also act as an example of how people should live and behave. Is this always possible? No. It's something to try and keep in mind though. This is especially true when other people may get hurt in the process.
Working as wait staff is never easy. More often than not, you get paid well below minimum wage and depend on tips to make up the difference. When you are stiffed on a tip, there is very little you can do about it. However, when the person who stiffed you leaves some asshole message, at least you can get a little revenge by posting their stupidity on the internet.
A waitress at Applebee's had this happen to her. She had to deal with a party of 8, which means that there is an automatic gratuity of 18%. She goes to get her tip and finds this written on the bill.
Okay, first of all, the Bible says you should tithe 10% of what you have. That is very different that tipping a waitress 18% of a bill. She has been serving you drinks and getting you bread and answering your questions and dealing with you the whole time you were there. The two things have absolutely nothing to do with each other. And, as always, if paying a tip is a hardship for you, then it's probably best that you stay home and eat a sandwich or something. Save your money.
The madness doesn't stop there though. The pastor found out about the waitress posting the bill online and got angry about it. The pastor, Alois Bell, felt all hurt and insulted that this had been posted. She said it made her heart ache and she called the waitress's manager to complain. The poor waitress got fired over this, though I'm not really sure why.
So, this pastor not only wrote a shitty note to someone who was just trying to do their job and get compensation for it, but she also caused this woman to get fired. She did harm. She caused ripples that will probably have a lot of negative affects on this woman's life. If she didn't want to tip her, she could have just NOT tipped her. She didn't have to write snide stuff on the bill.
The worst part about this, at least as far as I am concerned, is that Bell represents this entitled religious professional that seems to believe they are exempt from the rules that apply to every day people. "No, I don't have to pay that tip, I'm a pastor." "No, I shouldn't have to park in the back, I'm a pastor." "No, I shouldn't get called out on my behavior. I'm a pastor." When things don't go as they expect, they take it as an attack against their religious beliefs. Listen, get a clue. People aren't annoyed with you because of religion. People are annoyed with you because you're being an asshole.
There is a part of the oath that doctors take that I think should be in the ethical considerations of most professional people. "Do no harm." Whatever you do, when you make decisions about how to conduct yourself and how to portray yourself as a professional, make sure that what you are doing isn't harming other people. Pastor Bell would have done very well to have this as part of her code of ethics. She did harm to her own reputation, to her cause, to her ministry, and to this waitress. She did harm. She did needless harm.
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