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Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

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Re: Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

#42

> experience with hiring or working with "Jesus lovers"? The profile is Ned Flanders! Solid character, diligent employee, mostly a joy to manage. Relative to intellect-- Assuming you value diversity of thought, a differing worldview can be refreshing and helpful.

This is essentially my childhood best friend. If you looked at his FB, you'd see a giant list of Catholic posting as if he has no other part to his identity. He's also far and away the most career successful person from my cohort of college friends who studied Biochem, recently got picked up for a lucrative position at Amazon of all places, all while being the only person my age I know with a wife and a kid. Diligent is definitely the keyword.

Re: Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

#44
post #39

So you wouldn't have hired Alkhawarizmi, who was a pious muslim? after whom Algorithm is named and who is considered the father of Algebra. You are reducing people to binary 0 and 1's. Humans are far advanced and complex creatures than you believe them to be.

I think the poster's point is that people are reducing themselves to 0 or 1. That's essentially the problem with identity politics, people are complicated with many facets; why would you latch on to 1 identifying trait?

Re: Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

#45
post #39

So you wouldn't have hired Alkhawarizmi, who was a pious muslim? after whom Algorithm is named and who is considered the father of Algebra. You are reducing people to binary 0 and 1's. Humans are far advanced and complex creatures than you believe them to be.

I think the poster's point is that people are reducing themselves to 0 or 1. That's essentially the problem with identity politics, people are complicated with many facets; why would you latch on to 1 identifying trait?

And that is where the issue is. Just because you have a specific belief/views, doesn't make you more/less stupid or more/less intelectual. Having a specific religion doesn't suddently turn off your brain and tells you not to become a good developer, a good person or good scientist.

Re: Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

#46
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the poster's point is that people are reducing themselves to 0 or 1. That's essentially the problem with identity politics, people are complicated with many facets; why would you latch on to 1 identifying trait?

And that is where the issue is. Just because you have a specific belief/views, doesn't make you more/less stupid or more/less intelectual. Having a specific religion doesn't suddently turn off your brain and tells you not to become a good developer, a good person or good scientist.

You're completely correct but I'm not sure that negates the point.

What a person's specific religion is isn't interesting, just like their hobbies aren't interesting. They just don't say a lot about the person.

What _might_ be interesting, is if you only have one interest in life. e.g. Bubba Blue (from Forrest Gump) isn't someone I'd want to spend a lot of time with, even though I like shrimp.

Re: Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

#47
post #35

Not only it is illegal[1] to discriminate based on religion when hiring people, it is also unproductive because you're stopping yourself from hiring people to do a job based on their beliefs not their skills. Your username is "sciencelover". I assume therefore that you are opposing Christianity to science. Let me help you reconsider this position by suggesting you to look at this article listing Christians in science…

I love this comment. Something that I, as a christian, believe is often misunderstood about religion and science is that they are not opposed to one another. If you talk to many Christians today they will agree that science and religion build off of one another and support each other greatly. I would recommend the books "God and the Astronomer" and "I don't have enough faith to be an Atheist". Both touch on this comb…

This encyclical is very interesting too: http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/do...

FIDES ET RATIO (Faith and reason) [..] Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves [..]

Re: Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

#48
post #33

This post reflects more poorly on you than it does on the so called 'Jesus lovers' and I say this as an atheist. You are unambiguously in the wrong rejecting candidates for their religious affiliation unless there is something else more problematic in their twitter profiles.

Would you feel OK hiring someone whose first choice of describing themselves is "Jesus hater" or "PROUD ATHEIST"? The point is not that they love Jesus, it's that they are projecting it in the most publicly visible way.

I would not have a problem with hiring someone describing themselves as a "proud atheist". I would have issues hiring someone describing themselves as a "jesus hater" just as I would have a trouble hiring someone who described themselves as an "allah hater". I think most reasonable people would feel the same. Any self professod "* haters" would elicit negative responses from followers of * and hurt team morale. On the other hand "jesus lovers", "allah lovers" and "shiva lovers" work together everyday without issues.

Re: Ask HN: Hiring “Jesus lovers” for your tech/science startup

#50
post #49

I'm an atheist. Don Knuth is a devout Lutheran. Has he not progressed intellectually?

FWIW, the first thing Don Knuth introduces himself as on his website is "Professor Emeritus of The Art of Computer Programming at Stanford University", not as a Jesus Lover.

The question, as the inquirer has clarified, is not about religious people, but about applicants that are ostentatiously and obtrusively religious.

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