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Bless us, oh Predator, for these thy victims, which we are about to receive, from thy social pressures to share with the tribe, through Chris our budding replacement predator for when you yourself someday find yourself amongst the hunted, most likely by something microscopic, amen
Not sure how pervasive "Bless us O[h] Lord" was among the different denominations, but that was the inspiration for the above, in case you were wondering.
Thinking about this very issue today! My husband has suddenly rediscovered his Catholicism, and now we are entering a holiday season with his new super-Catholic friends. I am an atheist and always have been. I was once asked to lead grace as a child visiting a Catholic friend's home and refused politely - the family seemed shocked and became suddenly cold towards me. I was seven! So, here I am, 30 years later, frightened of being asked, and rightfully saying "no, thank you - I don't think I can do that." And shocking the kids and grown-ups alike! How can I make sure no one asks me as we settle down to eat? I am a respectful person, but I am not a hypocrite!
Sorry to learn the news about your husband.
The answer to the bolded is you can't.
Planning on spending Thanksgiving alone but if by chance I get invited somewhere and I'm asked they are asking me for my opinion. That's them being disrespectful towards me, not the other way around. Being the honest person that I am I wouldn't hesitate giving my opinion. First I would say something like "no thank you."
If pressed they are asking for it.
If anyone wants to get hostile on me after I'm asked a question and answering honestly I get up and leave, never to return. Their loss as I know I'm a quality person.
But I'm also respectful. They can say their prayers if they want but don't expect me to take part. I'll roll my eyes to myself while looking down and quietly let them finish.
Obviously I would not do a fake cross afterwards either.
Somewhere along the line, the tradition of eating at a dining room table had to have come. I find it hard to believe poor folk would have this luxury of a separate dining room or utensils and the pizazz that goes along with it. Saying grace is obviously derived from either the last supper or the feeding of the 5000 and the 4000 or a mixture of all of these. Oh also the vision of Peter concerning that that which the lawd hath sanctified concerning what was deemed to be unclean. Really does not help at all if you choose to eat pork with measles, you still gonna get sick.
Our rote grace was something like this
Bless this food for which we are about to receive, the hands that prepared it, remember those less fortunate than us...
Insert any personal or irrelevant crap... and forgive us our sins
Amen.
A pretty self indulgent/righteous prayer.
This is again a tradition that IMO few people even question its validity or necessity or its origins.
Maybe the simple concept of the benefits of eating at an elevated surface where teh bugs and critters cannot get to your food developed customs around the act of eating.
If you look at Japanese culture, their grub is near floor level and I am not sure if they have rituals preceding actually eating.
Perhaps a lot of this came after the black plague?
A lot of the ritual I observed also gave prominence to the priestly folk who were usually asked to give thanks, out of respect or under the impression they were closer to god?
I took a lesson from some long forgotten play we watched in High School drama class whereby some guy was asked to say grace so instead of a prayer, he quoted some paragraph from the Bible that, like most of the Bible, had no relevance on anything at all.
I cannot remember the play, or the writer, but the old lady says "Quite an unusual prayer" or something to which the son replies" It's from the good book mother" SO live and learn.
Best thing is to open the book randomly, read some paragraph, which likely will have no bearing on anything or anyone but it WILL keep you from ever getting asked again. And it satisfies the request, silences everyone and counts towards their brownie points with their mythic sky daddy.
I took a lesson from some long forgotten play we watched in High School drama class whereby some guy was asked to say grace so instead of a prayer, he quoted some paragraph from the Bible that, like most of the Bible, had no relevance on anything at all.
I cannot remember the play, or the writer, but the old lady says "Quite an unusual prayer" or something to which the son replies" It's from the good book mother" SO live and learn. Best thing is to open the book randomly, read some paragraph, which likely will have no bearing on anything or anyone but it WILL keep you from ever getting asked again. And it satisfies the request, silences everyone and counts towards their brownie points with their mythic sky daddy.
Certainly you are not suggesting an atheist to bring a bible to a Thanksgiving dinner in case they are asked to lead a prayer, are you?
I took a lesson from some long forgotten play we watched in High School drama class whereby some guy was asked to say grace so instead of a prayer, he quoted some paragraph from the Bible that, like most of the Bible, had no relevance on anything at all.
I cannot remember the play, or the writer, but the old lady says "Quite an unusual prayer" or something to which the son replies" It's from the good book mother" SO live and learn.
Best thing is to open the book randomly, read some paragraph, which likely will have no bearing on anything or anyone but it WILL keep you from ever getting asked again. And it satisfies the request, silences everyone and counts towards their brownie points with their mythic sky daddy.
Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. So he prayed, "Lord, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. Now then, Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive."
(...Spain stands out in that one...translators taking some liberties with anachronisms...)
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