We prayed at lunch!

[Beanieboy]

No offense intended, but I don't quite understand the need for people to make their work or public school affirm their religion. I would never ask my school to all meditate with me. I find that very personal and private. I would also feel uncomfortable having someone ask to lead in an out loud prayer, even if it was a "pray to whomever", because there is no point in it. I don't think it is loving one's neighbor to lead a prayer to Jesus, knowing that someone might pray to Allah or be Jewish.

By the same token, I never asked my pastor in my Lutheran Church to give us sales reports.

 

[flicka]

Group prayers like this annoy me becasue they only guarentee that a number of "participants" are just wishing they were somewhere else and waiting for it to be over. Their silence allows the active participants to feel good that "everyone is praying" when really "everyone is listening to some of us pray" is more like it. Nothing about that to feel happy about.

 

[Freodin]

I guess such an "official" prayer touches a very human condition: the need to be part of a group.

Of course, this also has the negative effect of excluding everyone who is not part of the group.

 

[BreadAlone]

Giant group prayers in settings as described in the OP are not good for a variety of reasons. For one, it may confuse the participants in the prayer. A Christian might be leading the prayer, with a Jew and Muslim beside him, and give a fourth party pray-er the impression that they are all united in belief, or at least in deity. This is a misrepresentation of truth, and from a Christian perspective, can lead people into a misunderstanding or confirmation in unbelief. Certainly a Christian wouldn't want to do this. Nor would a Christian, by the same token, want to join in a prayer to a "generic" God, further giving credibility to the *false* notion that the monotheistic relitions worship the same God.

Finally, a prayer in a setting such as this may cause offense to many present, specifically unbelievers and atheists. While we don't want to compromise our faith for the sake of unbelievers, we don't want to beat them to death with it. The Spirit does the convincing, not us.

 

[quatona]

If they respectfully didn't participate, then no. If they caused a ruckus I would consider that disrespectful.

Personally I find it a bit disrespectful to engage in rituals of any ideology or superstition without warning and then expecting others to be "respectful".

I´d prefer there to be space for that on the schedule, something like "9am - 9.30am: non-mandatory performance of everyone´s religious rituals of choice", so I can decide whether to expose myself to it or not.

However, if the company/organisation would be explicitly Christian (Muslim, Buddhist, Satanist,...) I feel I´d have to accept being exposed to their rituals without previous note.

 

[b&wpac4]

Personally I find it a bit disrespectful to engage in rituals of any ideology or superstition without warning and then expecting others to be "respectful".

I´d prefer there to be space for that on the schedule, something like "9am - 9.30am: non-mandatory performance of everyone´s religious rituals of choice", so I can decide whether to expose myself to it or not.

However, if the company/organisation would be explicitly Christian (Muslim, Buddhist, Satanist,...) I feel I´d have to accept being exposed to their rituals without previous note.

What I really find interesting is her comment about others being respectful, but then saying if the prayer was to another deity, she wouldn't be respectful. Respect is no longer a two-way street, I see.

 

[angellica]

What I really find interesting is her comment about others being respectful, but then saying if the prayer was to another deity, she wouldn't be respectful. Respect is no longer a two-way street, I see.

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me. Someone asked about what if they prayed to some goddess or whatever and I said I wouldn't respect that but the reason I wouldn't is that I thought they were just making up a goddess to pray to. If it were someone seriously praying to Mary or whoever else they pray to and they were serious about it, of course I'd be respectful. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[geekgirlkelli]

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me. Someone asked about what if they prayed to some goddess or whatever and I said I wouldn't respect that but the reason I wouldn't is that I thought they were just making up a goddess to pray to. If it were someone seriously praying to Mary or whoever else they pray to and they were serious about it, of course I'd be respectful. Sorry for the confusion.

I mentioned specific deities that some people do pray to. Diana, as the Lunar Goddess, is very common in modern paganism. Still others like to simply address Deity or Goddess. It was never my intent to imply that I was thinking about someone just making something up, I was referring to actual deities that people really do pray to.

 

[selfinflikted]

We had our department-wide "christmas" part here at work yesterday. That morning, we all exchanged presents and walked around chatting with everyone. Then we had a wonderful lunch of turkey, ham, dressing (which I made and was possibly the world's best), several casseroles, and cake for dessert. My boss called everyone into the back room (where we all eat) and lead the group in prayer. I did not participate in the prayer. It was great!

 

[b&wpac4]

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me. Someone asked about what if they prayed to some goddess or whatever and I said I wouldn't respect that but the reason I wouldn't is that I thought they were just making up a goddess to pray to. If it were someone seriously praying to Mary or whoever else they pray to and they were serious about it, of course I'd be respectful. Sorry for the confusion.

Understood, and I can respect that viewpoint. You want it to be sincere, and that's certainly a good thing. I myself wouldn't sit through a prayer to "my most holy napkin, Sir Dingly Dan".

 

[angellica]

I mentioned specific deities that some people do pray to. Diana, as the Lunar Goddess, is very common in modern paganism. Still others like to simply address Deity or Goddess. It was never my intent to imply that I was thinking about someone just making something up, I was referring to actual deities that people really do pray to.

Ahh, that is my fault then because I didn't know Diana was someone people prayed to. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[levi501]

Way to sound a trumpet before you.

 

[angellica]

Way to sound a trumpet before you.

Dang it, I really did come off the wrong way about this : (. I was truly happy that we were able to pray like we did. It was a humble, sincere prayer, but I'm afraid I made it sound like we were being boastful. I just wanted to share the story to fellow Christians in the hope that they would find it inspiring because in this day and age, things like this don't happen as much.

 

[sidhe]

That happens more often than I hear a public pagan prayer. It also doesn't seem quite right that I have to use vacation days to be off on holidays, honestly. But so it goes.

 

[angellica]

That happens more often than I hear a public pagan prayer. It also doesn't seem quite right that I have to use vacation days to be off on holidays, honestly. But so it goes.

Our offices are closed on Christmas and all other major holidays.

 

[cantata]

Our offices are closed on Christmas and all other major holidays.

I think Sidhe's point was that zir religious holidays aren't catered for.

 

[b&wpac4]

Our offices are closed on Christmas and all other major holidays.

I think the poster meant they have to use a vacation day to take one of their holidays off. Not one of the "major" ones.

 

[angellica]

I think Sidhe's point was that zir religious holidays aren't catered for.

Oh, my bad.

 

[sidhe]

Our offices are closed on Christmas and all other major holidays.

So is mine. We're closed from the 24-26 next week, close early on the 31st, and are closed Jan. 1. I mean that I have to use vacation time to be off for Beltane, Samhain, Imbolc, Mabon, Ostara, Lughnassadh, Midsummer, and Yule. I get all your holidays off by default (and, as an odd coincidence, I usually get a long weekend for my birthday, if my birthday is on a weekend).

 

[b&wpac4]

Oh, my bad.

Despite disagreeing you with a few times, I think you're a pretty good person. Just letting you know.

It's good you got to feel good about an event that happened at work.