Question

Is it possible for corporations to have religious beliefs, or can only human beings have such beliefs? If corporations can be said to have religious beliefs, are those beliefs the same as the beliefs of the owners? What if there is not a single owner, but a number of different stockholders? What about the religious beliefs of the managers or employees—are they relevant to determining what the corporation believes?

Answer 1

Is it possible for corporations to have religious beliefs, or can only human beings have such beliefs?

Corporation cannot have religious belief, because corporation is set of individuals and individuals have different beliefs if they are recruited independently. Corporation is non-living entity it doesn’t have choice to adopt religion.

Individuals can only have religious belief because it is matter of individual choice.

If corporations can be said to have religious beliefs, are those beliefs the same as the beliefs of the owners?

Given the hypothesis if corporation can have religious belief then corporation will always have enforced religious belief by one individual who is leading or controlling the activities of organization. Hence, that personality would be owner itself.

What if there is not a single owner, but a number of different stockholders? What about the religious beliefs of the managers or employees—are they relevant to determining what the corporation believes?

If ownership is in discrete hands then having one single religious belief would be not possible and there will be secularity in organization.

Managers and employees have limited control over culture of the organization. Culture flows from the top of the organization and if owners don’t want religious belief to be part of culture then managers and employees would not be able to manipulate the culture because 100% consensus will not be formed among all managers and employees over same religious belief. Hence, managers and employees have limited control over the corporation religious believes.