Do you pray at meals?

[lemondog]

Do you pray before dinner and other meals? And beyond that, if you go out to lunch with someone (a co-worker, a friend), do you ask to pray for the meal, pray silently to yourself or just skip praying altogether?

We pray when we eat dinner at home together, but not in restaurants. My kids pray before every meal at school (older DD goes to Catholic school, younger DDs are in a Christian preschool). I don't pray when it's just me sitting down to eat, although I know I should.

 

[Buckalew11]

I'm not an atheist, but I do so hate the linked hands thing. It always strikes me as a shallow, holier then thou, type of gesture. I feel it is more designed to impress people with their religious awareness and high ranking religious status then anything even closely resembling humility and mass sincerity.

For those of you that honestly feel spiritual by doing that, I apologize for my opinion and hope you don't get upset by it, I just cannot accept that the gesture that makes so many uncomfortable, is genuine. It's all for show, in my opinion.

I'm not upset by your opinion, your entitled to it. We all judge others sometime or other.

I think you can see from the answers to the OP's question that most people who pray before a meal do not do it for any type of show.

 

[Belle1962]

Depends on the group I am out with--some are comfortable with public prayer some are not.

 

[luvsJack]

I don't see any other reason for it. Do people that join hands feel that there is some extra power in the prayer if they link hands and show a display of solidarity to God? God then will have no choice but to grant their requests because of it? As I said, I wasn't intending to judge others, I was just trying to say how I feel about it. You have to admit though that if you are in a group of people and just one person makes the move to link hands the others, being of herd mentality, will feel forced to do the same, if for no other reason then to not feel outside the group.

I can assure you that no one I personally know joins hands in a prayer to "show" that they are religious. Anyone with a personal relationship with God does not have a need to prove anything to anyone else. That does not mean I (or anyone of any religion) is better than you or anyone that does not pray; it just simply means I have no reason to prove anything to you.

For me, holding hands during a prayer just simply brings us together as a church or a family or a group of friends. It doesn't show God anything or prove anything to Him, He already knows.

I am not judging you either and respect your choices. I cannot imagine anyone looking down on you if, when a group starts to join hands, you just step quietly back to signify that you do not want to join the group. I have done the same thing myself for several reasons. And yes, I did feel outside the group, but I had to admit to myself that I felt outside the group because of my feelings not their actions or feelings toward me.

 

[Aardvarks]

I'm an atheist, so I don't pray at meals or any other time. If I'm at a meal and the other people do, I just sit there quietly until they are done. It is a little awkward, but oh well.

Same here, but religion isn't all that over here in blighty. I cant remember ever seeing anyone pray at a meal since I left primary school 40 years ago.

I wouldne be offended if anyone did want to pray though....its a free country.

 

[Charade]

Depends on who's cooking.

 

[Tantor]

Depends on who's cooking.

 

[Demosthenes]

yes

 

[suzimar57]

nope - no prayers at mealtime here.

 

[GeorgeG]

Just curious here...

For those who must pray before a meal, how do you handle a situation, outside your own home, of course, when dining with non-believers object to prayer?

Again, this is just out of curiosity and I suspect the answers will vary.

 

[jimmiej]

Just curious here...

For those who must pray before a meal, how do you handle a situation, outside your own home, of course, when dining with non-believers object to prayer?

Again, this is just out of curiosity and I suspect the answers will vary.

Pray silently.

 

[crazelion]

Pray silently

 

[ckoncurat]

Always at home. Silently or not at all in restaurants.

 

[Bluestars]

Depends on who's cooking.

Hey, my meatloaf isn't that bad. Well, maybe a small prayer wouldn't hurt.

I don't pray before meals, but I will join others in prayer if they like to do that sort of thing before the meal.

 

[VickiVM]

Just curious here...

For those who must pray before a meal, how do you handle a situation, outside your own home, of course, when dining with non-believers object to prayer?

Again, this is just out of curiosity and I suspect the answers will vary.

To be clear, I personally never said I must pray before a meal, just that our family does. If I'm out having a meal with friends or co-workers, believers or not, we generally don't.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I pray in the morning when I'm driving the kids to school and I pray at bedtime. No dinner prayer though. By the time I've served everyone and finally get to sit down myself, they are already licking their plates. In any event, I don't consider myself to be very religious. I am very spiritual though.

Interesting comments about the hand-holding thing. I can recall only a few times when I've held hands to pray. At our church service after 9-11, the entire congregation held hands. Before walking into the funeral home for my father's wake, my family held hands and prayed. In both instances, I felt that the hand-holding was more to give us a feeling of strength and to tighten a bond between us. I didn't see it as a way to make our point more clear to God.

 

[yeartolate]

Just curious here...

For those who must pray before a meal, how do you handle a situation, outside your own home, of course, when dining with non-believers object to prayer?

Again, this is just out of curiosity and I suspect the answers will vary.

Idle curiousity, have you ever had non believers object to prayer at mealtime?

I ask this because I have been in this situation many times and the "non believer" usually just stays silent, and possibly bows their head.

I would have to wonder if the person objecing was a rude in general.

 

[kristilew]

Just curious here...

For those who must pray before a meal, how do you handle a situation, outside your own home, of course, when dining with non-believers object to prayer?

Again, this is just out of curiosity and I suspect the answers will vary.

We generally spend time with other believers, but if by chance are out with someone we don't know that well, we will ask "Do you mind if we say grace?" We have had some people say that they'd rather not and we just skip it. Then in our evening prayers, we'll give thanks for that meal (and pray for those people )

 

[jimmalru80]

Alone only.

 

[C.Ann]

Every meal when I was a kid.. Not as an adult..

I do pray every night though - and sometimes during the day as well..