Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As a Pagan I could careless if they told me that however I’m not big when your at a place like work and someone is ill, etc and they feel the need to have a group prayer.
In today's world I'm surprised that's even allowed, but hopefully you don't feel the need to participate.
In today's world I'm surprised that's even allowed, but hopefully you don't feel the need to participate.
Worked on some military bases here and there it can be an issue, off bases it’s never popped up. I tend to stay busy doing whatever or head to the bathroom, etc.
I’ve let it slip here and there that I’m not a Christian and for the most part it goes unnoticed, every once in a while I get a look but not so much depending where I’m at.
Then there is the fact that the god to whom most of you pray has, by any reasonable metric, done a miserable job of stopping mass murders and unprecedented forest fires. Either you guys aren’t praying and thinking hard enough, or your god isn’t as omnipotent as you think (S)he is.
Worked on some military bases here and there it can be an issue, off bases it’s never popped up. I tend to stay busy doing whatever or head to the bathroom, etc.
I’ve let it slip here and there that I’m not a Christian and for the most part it goes unnoticed, every once in a while I get a look but not so much depending where I’m at.
Unless you run into preachy types, I don't think most people are going to care.
I have noticed more and more on news sites that allow comments to articles, anytime someone offers prayers to something bad happening , like right now the California fires there are a certain amount of commenters who get hostile and call the other commenter foolish and and say *********your prayers and your fake "sky god" and on and on.
So what's up with that hostility? Someone in good heart just wants to offer prayer on behalf that things get better and they get pounded in hostility for it?
If you don't believe fine, but is there a need to get in someone's "face" and tell them how they are stupid and so on? Seems like those that do so have a chip on their shoulder.
I've always likened it to those who aren't so sure about their non belief. If you feel the need to go around and attack people who leave comments like 'God Bless her" or "Praying for their safe return" or whatever, then it's you (not you OP) who has the problem, the person leaving the comment.
I've seen downright vitriol towards those who might say something like "I'll keep you in my prayers", etc, and it makes the vitriolic person look like they are extremely insecure and have serious self esteem issues.
The excuse is always, "I'm sick of people shoving religion down our throats", except no one does that. That's always been a bald faced lie. It's a lame excuse to use as a crutch because the people who declare that they know exactly the truth (despite the thousands of years of scholars and scientists still debating the subject) don't actually know, and they hate the idea that they might be wrong.
A true atheist wouldn't give a toss if someone else left a comment that said, 'God bless' or "God wills it" or "God was looking out for them that day" or whatever. The reason is because they are not threatened by others believing in a God that they don't.
Also, this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pogue Mahone
People see a tragic story and they're not in a position to do anything about it but they still want to express sympathy. They don't always quite know exactly what to say so they fall back on the standard lines. "Thoughts and prayers" is thought to be the least controversial because it offers thoughts to secular people and prayers to religious people. It's simple, really, and no reason for anyone to get triggered. The people who get upset over that sort of thing are probably pretty miserable in the rest of their lives as well.
Especially the part I bolded. "Waah, I don't want to see it". Pick up the shattered pieces of your life and move on, buncha cry babies.
"Waah, I don't want to see it". Pick up the shattered pieces of your life and move on, buncha cry babies.
That's easy for you to say... but if the presidential candidate you voted for had lost two years ago, which turned your world permanently, unequivocally, and completely upside down, well... you'd feel differently!
A true atheist wouldn't give a toss if someone else left a comment that said, 'God bless' or "God wills it" or "God was looking out for them that day" or whatever. The reason is because they are not threatened by others believing in a God that they don't.
This is some subpar armchair psychology. I'm pretty sure they're not "threatened," they just think it's nonsense, like attributing the rescue to Santa Claus or something. Plus, it's often got potentially disturbing implications when you think about it, like God was all "uhhhh, no" to the prayers of, say, all the other people with dying babies or whatever. Like the Lord said to himself, "I'm gonna keep a close eye on little Becky here, but young Mark can go die in a fire. Literally."
See how angry people get? As though any of us are in a position to do anything about the fires in California or a number of other things out of our control.
When I lost my wife, prayer and faith were the only things that got me through it. I always appreciated people who said they were praying for me/us. Of course they were doing other things to help, but also praying.
People do what they can do AND offer prayers. When they can't do anything and can only offer prayers they'll do that, and if you don't believe then the classy thing to do is to say thank you and move on.
But I get that faux offense /outrage and confrontation are in right now.
My "faux outrage" comes directly from my experience going through cancer. Prayers were a way for the person speaking to me to center themselves in the situation and make themselves feel better while doing precious little to help me in a time I desperately needed help, and often simply didn't get the support I needed. Friends in California right now express similar opinions, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Saying thoughts and prayers is similar - it's performative.
We can all do something about huge tragedies. We can give to causes that speak to us, share resources to give time or money, or just keep our mouths shut.
(I'm not anti-prayer in general, btw. There are plenty of forms of prayer that don't sound like they're directed to a wish-granting genie.)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
