The living will have plenty of time to express themselves after I experience the most profound moment of all. It should be specified in ones final directives.

My wishes matter most in any scenario regarding religion being shoved down my throat! Why do Christians think they have a right to force their shit on the rest of us? All the time! This infuriates me. I would never force my beliefs on another person- NEVER. Particularly in the case of someone who is about to die...or already died...my ex mutha in law disrespected her husband’s wish for no wake. He wanted cremation, was not religious, wanted no wake. She had him embalmed, displayed in a casket, which he specifically said he did not want! And she had to have the wake so she could dramatically throw herself on the corpse and wail! Would not have been as dramatic on an urn ‍ Honor people’s wishes please. Always.

Yours, because you are the one who is dying. Not sure what you mean by "alternative religious belief"? Regardless, you decide what is it that you want, not them.

If I'm able to communicate, I'd be telling them to take that delusional bullshit outside and away from me. Even if I'm not able to communicate, they'd have known already anyway.
My wishes absolutely matter more.
Always.

As the patient, you should get the death of your choice, meaning your choice of sights, sounds, interactions should take precedence over the visitors and their wishes. Let them pray in the waiting room if they need to.

"Everytime a person dies, it proves God is a myth".

I'd say, "I wouldn't be dieing of a terminal illness if that crap worked!"

Ask them to play a Richard Dawkins lecture as you are going. And pick a song to overplay. They can pray tomorrow. Stairway to Heaven is a good choice.

Smile for a bit, and then - if I have the energy - LEAP off the bed and attack! Raw animal stuff - teeth ripping the arteries on necks, fingers in eyeballs! Screaming "For Jesus!! Glory!"

Your wishes matter, however you will die but they will still be here. If it really worries you that much if they pray, ask them to do it outside or after you have carked it.

I have always made it clear that what they were doing was bull shit, and that would not change.

I’d tell them that if they actually valued me as a person then they should keep their religion to themselves.

While they are praying watch the TV

I would be a bit forward. Pray of you wish but don't bother me with it. If your prayers did work I would not be here. Luckily, the family that has staues with me since I came out as an atheist would never think of such a thing out of respect. That being said of they askes me to pray for thwm in the same situation I would do so to comfort them. It is not a time to teach reason but a time for empathy.

They'd feel enough sadness and helplessness that I'm about to pass. Why would I want to cause them even more by telling them that their probably futile efforts are not going to save my 'soul' from an eternal state of condemnation. Those who grieve suffer more from death than the person who's life is ending.

That said, there is an assumption that ALL atheists have something against praying. We reject gods and theologies. Anything beyond that is 'up for grabs', or at least is additional rejection. Some atheists seem to fear tolerance of prayer as somehow threatening the foundations of their 'non-belief' in similar fashion to the faithful who are terrified of even trying on the possibility for discussion sake, that gods don't exist. You can see it in their eyes.

Praying was, like many natural human inclinations, hijacked and modified by male dominated theologies as supplication to, usually, some specific deity, saint, etc.

Groups of people have for ages chanted and sung into the unknown in hopes of affecting the course of events. They were exercises of hope that expressing united sentiments of love might render results. There were dances and songs for rain, for abundant crops and other fertile outcomes. Pre-theological notions that rhythmic, even magical, human behaviors might resonate with the music of the vast unknown and bring benefits sometimes had visualized human and animal gods presiding over this or that kind of phenomenon. Those kinds of behaviors, based on true, united love and compassion, effective or not, do no harm. People can at least console themselves that they did their best in the worst scenario and take great joy and reinforcement of common bonds when 'miracles' happen.

If that should happen to me, I know I have family members who will be praying for me. I wouldn't stop them, but I would do like I do now when they pray and repeat la...la...la...la...la in my head until it was over.

I should add, they will know when I die that I died NOT believing as they do. And, if they continue to believe the way they do, they will have to believe that I will be in hell, suffering for an eternity, simply because I did not hold their beliefs.

Yeah let the get on with it but only for five minutes, then everything goes back to normal. And they can only do it twice a week; Sunday and Wednesday

I'd remind them that I have no religious beliefs but if they want to pray for me, be my guest. They mean well and they're just trying to keep me out of Hell, after all. Their intentions are good.

Atheism doesn't mean I have to be a dick about it.

Of course your own wishes matter more. If it is how you feel that these prayers not be said in your room , then you should let it be known, Some people don't mind the prayers even if they don't believe in them.

My family surround and pray over me ? Hahahahah. That's a picture that isn't going to coalesce. If anyone did I'd ask them to take that act down to the chapel.

If you are going to pray over me, do it quietly...

"If you don't shut up, I'm taking you with me (wave purloined scalpel).... not like they have time to throw me in jail for murder."

Good question. My immediate family knows (Husband, daughter) that I am a vocal and staunch Atheist and they would never, out of respect for me, would pray out loud or near me (because they know how I feel about prayer in general). But, in private, after I have fimally surrendered my mortal coil, my Husband, who is personally Christian, would pray for his sake and his way of comforting himself. Which I wouldn't mind, if people kept their prayers personal, inside of them. But, yes, I'd be offended and give them the finger if I heard them praying out loud.

When my time comes, I sure hope I’m not in a hospital or any other building. Wherever I might be, however, I don’t want the moment spoiled by someone else’s spiritual claptrap.

Just as I would go to a religious funeral of a believer, out of respect to the deceased. I would hope they would refrain from prayer, out of respect to me. If not, I'd rather they not be there. When it's all said and done, we die alone anyway.

Mine do I am dying I don't even want them praying outside of my room unless the first line is blessed be the sugar that created this rum. If I am dying and you come to visit there had better be rum.