What do you do when expected to participate in public religious ceremonies such as prayer?
Sit or stand silently...eyes open, head unbowed.
I always ask who the sacrificial child is going to be, but everyone knows I’m atheist. One time I was asked to say prayer at dinner and it went “ all this food brings the boys to the yard ,that’s right it’s better then yours ,that’s right it’s better then yours, amen “
One time, at a committee meeting, I was asked to lead a prayer. Instead, I tried reciting a blessing and it freaked 'em out. Last time I was asked to lead and that was like 8 years ago. Problem solved.
I must ask, how did trying to recite a blessing affect them? What did you say?
Depends on you. Might depend on the venue. If prayer is inappropriate, I may voice an opinion on it.
I don't pray. I won't hold your hands. If you go to put your hands on me, I'll tell you quite directly to get out of my personal space. If you make a scene about my non participation, you will regret it.
If you go about your business and respect my non participation, I will stand there respectfully until you're done wasting my time. Everyone's time really, but only care about mine in this instance.
Who would expect that of me?
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No one that knows you!!!!!
@DavidLaDeau No one at all, whether or not they know me. I can't think of a public place i would be where that would happen.
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I walk away if possible!
I do not infer my beliefs on others, hence I do not let others beliefs interfere with my beliefs and way of life!
Evangelicalism has become a accept form of Fascism on this planet!
It is beyond time to let them continue their rampage against those who do not want to be enslaved by religion dogma and their phony family values platform!
After all that is the reality we now have, trump and the obstructionist republicans are destroying our culture and way of life wholesale with much of a whimper from the rest of us!!!
I don't attend such events...
Me neither
One of my favorite neighbors is an Orthodox Jew, we talk religion/life a lot. On bowing heads during prayer he offers. If you bow your head towards god it is disrespect and it is never done. One should face god like you face your parents. I asked about "DOVING" that weird spasmodic jerking like weird sex, that some jews do whilste praying. He said that is worse then bowed heads. You are never to do that. He would not hesitate to ask if they were jerking off.
He is a lot older them me, and I will miss him when he is gone. When there is something happening in my world that is insane , say with family and religious crap, I ask how jews view it. His lens is as cracked as mine and he constantly reminds me Italians more then any other group, are really jews gone astray. I remind him "christians are jews who don't follow the rules"
So when a born again gets testy with me, as it does sometimes, I remind him of his cheeseburger consumption and love of bacon. I chide if you are going to look at olde Teste ments, the same part that you like (leviticus) also says no pork, no mixing, nothing with a sciatic nerve, follow all the rules or stop eating that stuff.
That does not fly well...
I would have given a better response but I need to cook some brats!
The sad thing is that you pray to god but he appears to be totally deaf; or maybe he has a wicked sense of humour so it's a bit like having three wishes from a djinn. You may get your wish but the cost is greater than the benefit. For example, you may wish for money and you do get it but that is because someone you care about deeply passes away and leaves an inheritance from which you benefit...
But it was all gods plan. You know, to kill someone for our benefit!
@DavidLaDeau The universe is driven by Entropy to disorder. Life is an ordered state. When it ends, Entropy takes charge. The processes which take place then are, in my opinion, quite irreversible. Maybe Jesus wasn't dead - just drugged. The same argument could also be applied to Lazarus.
@jamesthered The story is a retelling of Elijiah bringing a man back from the dead. Tha Author of matthew used Elijiahs story and updated complete with messiah. It is possible that neither Jesus or Lazarus ever existed.
@DavidLaDeau I have to concur with you. It's curious that the writers who were around at the time when Jesus was supposedly walking upon the Earth don't even mention him. Surely, if somebody was performing all these miracles then these authors would, at the very least, have written about him, even if he did live in some provincial back-water?
Smile and wave... We are social animals, it is childish to think you will only do things you like.
But I don't pray or go along, I simply am there, mostly to support the ppl that invite me for their moments. Or due to work (most of workers are religious in previous companies I worked)