Question for Atheists/Non Praying

[Philagoofy]

I believe a person who doesn't believe in God or isn't sure, can still be a good, loving, caring person who wants only good things for everyone.

If a friend or relative who knows your religious standpoint, knows that you don't believe in God or that you don't pray, asks you to pray for them or a loved one who is in poor health or about to undergo a risky operation or is depressed, how do you respond? Of course you wish them well and want them to become physically/mentally healthy but praying is not something you do. When they specifically ask you "Will you pray for me" & they know you don't pray, how do you respond?

Why would they ask? I don't know, perhaps they are so depressed that they hope you'll do it anyway.

 

[freckles and boo]

"I don't pray but I will send many good wishes your way. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

 

[PK Disney Dork]

"I don't pray but I will send many good wishes your way. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

I think that's a very appropriate response!

 

[Uncle Remus]

I believe a person who doesn't believe in God or isn't sure, can still be a good, loving, caring person who wants only good things for everyone.

If a friend or relative who knows your religious standpoint, knows that you don't believe in God or that you don't pray, asks you to pray for them or a loved one who is in poor health or about to undergo a risky operation or is depressed, how do you respond? Of course you wish them well and want them to become physically/mentally healthy but praying is not something you do. When they specifically ask you "Will you pray for me" & they know you don't pray, how do you respond?

Why would they ask? I don't know, perhaps they are so depressed that they hope you'll do it anyway.

Bein' an atheist gives me the option of lyin' 'n sayin' I'll pray for ya, Brother 'n they thank me.

 

[edwardsfire]

The way i look at it...and i AM a Christian....is this:
Just be polite and pray to the Father,Son and Holy Ghost, the Trinity as the vast majority of Christians believe. Or,
Remember also that, Jewish and even Muslims pray to the same God as Christians, there is just some "other" differences and Jesus being one of them..I always joke with my Jewish friends that if it werent for Jesus, we'd have pretty much the same religion..
I have always thought: "Well, what IF there is nothing to pray to? Am i wasting my time? But in the end, we NEED Faith. It is all we have. That and salvation.
I can honestly say i HAVE had prayers answered and i am close to God.
But i would NEVER judge one who isnt. That IS your right and i hope that someday you DO end up a believer but if not...Again, You have your individual rights and no one can take them away.
But to answer your question....Just be nice and do it. Even if you dont feel comfortable. Remember, this person needs HELP. Just give him/her some.
Also, YES i do believe a non praying person can be GREAT, both inside and out. And care and be decent and loving.

 

[TheZue]

"I don't pray but I will send many good wishes your way. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Yup or I'll be crossing my fingers, you'll be in my thoughts, etc. Also I don't know any really religious people that would ever ask that so it's never really come up.

 

[freckles and boo]

The way i look at it...and i AM a Christian....is this:
Just be polite and pray to the Father,Son and Holy Ghost, the Trinity as the vast majority of Christians believe. Or,
Remember also that, Jewish and even Muslims pray to the same God as Christians, there is just some "other" differences and Jesus being one of them..I always joke with my Jewish friends that if it werent for Jesus, we'd have pretty much the same religion..
I have always thought: "Well, what IF there is nothing to pray to? Am i wasting my time? But in the end, we NEED Faith. It is all we have. That and salvation.
I can honestly say i HAVE ha prayers answered and i am close to God.
But i would NEVER judge one who isnt. That IS your right and i hope that someday you DO end up a believer but if not...Again, You have your individual rights and no one can take them away.
But to answer your question....Just be nice and do it. Even if you dont feel comfortable. Remember, this person needs HELP. Just give him/her some.
Also, YES i do believe a non praying person can be GREAT, both inside and out. And care and be decent and loving.

I respect your perspective but I won't be praying just to be polite. Like Uncle Remus, I may tell a little white lie if it would be too distressing to the loved one. If my husband's 95 year-old grandmother had asked me to pray there would be no reason to engage her in a conversation about my beliefs. I would hold her hand and listen to her prayer.

 

[Planogirl]

You can say "I will keep you in my thoughts and hope for the very best". It's simple and shows that you care IMO.

 

[edwardsfire]

You can say "I will keep you in my thoughts and hope for the very best". It's simple and shows that you care IMO.

That is pretty good.

 

[mrs_hower726]

I tell people that they are in my thoughts and if they ever need a shoulder to cry on or somebody to listen to them, I'll always be there.

 

[Soarin08]

You can say "I will keep you in my thoughts and hope for the very best". It's simple and shows that you care IMO.

Excellent response PG. I'm a Christian but I think I respond this way more often than by saying I'll pray. It's pretty neutral but also lets a person know you care.

 

[GoldieSaysMeep]

"I will keep you in my thoughts"

should suffice. And I always do.

 

[LukenDC]

I wish them well and let them know that I will be thinking of them. I do not tell the individual that I do not pray. I want to support them, not correct or debate them.

 

[LisaMommy]

I'll usually just say that I will pray for them, because I'm doing my equivalent of a prayer, and it usually makes them happy. I believe a positive attitude can do a lot, so if the thought of me praying for them gives them that, then I'm all for it.

 

[sameyeyam]

I have no problem speaking to anyone's "God" for them if they ask. I am not an overly religious person, but I understand that religion is extremely important to some people, so I have no problem joining them in a prayer. It doesn't hurt anything and it doesn't offend me. If it makes them feel better and it doesn't hurt me, why not?

When I know that people are religious and it is appropriate (ie, family death, serious illnesss, etc.) I tell them I will keep them in my prayers. Then I say a small prayer to their God for them.

 

[bumbershoot]

I say I'll think positively for them, and if they need help to let me know.

 

[disneydance]

I'm agnostic but I ask others to pray for me when I'm going through hard times
Just to test if there is something up there or not
But when someone asks to pray for them I say I'm agnostic so I'm not the very best person to ask
But I'll send my good thoughts to that person and keep them in my thoughts
I also ask if theres anything I can help with...

 

[Robindianne]

Mmmmmmm. No. I am methodist and athiest (and gemini) and if I'm not comfortable I will just say I'm sending you good thoughts or I'll keep you in my heart or even I'm puting it out to the universe but I won't pray to Father,Son and Holy Ghost or even presume to know what the vast majority of christians believe.

I may pray to buddah or mother earth or krishna or someone else though Sorry but it's silly to me for someone to tell me I should
"Just be polite and pray to the Father,Son and Holy Ghost, the Trinity as the vast majority of Christians believe. Or,
Remember also that, Jewish and even Muslims pray to the same God as Christians, there is just some "other" differences and Jesus being one of them..I always joke with my Jewish friends that if it werent for Jesus, we'd have pretty much the same religion..
I have always thought: "Well, what IF there is nothing to pray to? Am i wasting my time? But in the end, we NEED Faith. It is all we have. That and salvation."

And in the end, what someone tells me we NEED isn't necessarily what we need. JMO. That's where organized religion goes wrong with those who question: it tells them what to think. The mother earth made us to think or we would not have brains. Yes we can have faith but not because someone interprets a book for us or acts as a conduit to a higher power and tells us we must believe what they do.

If the person asking for prayers needs you, give what you can but don't give up you. Actually, do, or don't based on your own beliefs, not mine and not edwardsfire's and not anyone else's.

(stepping down)

The way i look at it...and i AM a Christian....is this:
Just be polite and pray to the Father,Son and Holy Ghost, the Trinity as the vast majority of Christians believe. Or,
Remember also that, Jewish and even Muslims pray to the same God as Christians, there is just some "other" differences and Jesus being one of them..I always joke with my Jewish friends that if it werent for Jesus, we'd have pretty much the same religion..
I have always thought: "Well, what IF there is nothing to pray to? Am i wasting my time? But in the end, we NEED Faith. It is all we have. That and salvation.
I can honestly say i HAVE had prayers answered and i am close to God.
But i would NEVER judge one who isnt. That IS your right and i hope that someday you DO end up a believer but if not...Again, You have your individual rights and no one can take them away.
But to answer your question....Just be nice and do it. Even if you dont feel comfortable. Remember, this person needs HELP. Just give him/her some.
Also, YES i do believe a non praying person can be GREAT, both inside and out. And care and be decent and loving.

 

[dementia412]

If they ask me to I say sure and don't do it. They can't know and that way I don't hurt their feelings or get into a pointless argument with someone who is already feeling bad. If they don't ask I just say I'll be thinking about you, or keeping you in my thoughts or some other phrase.

 

[smartestnumber5]

I've never been personally asked to pray for others, so I've never had to give an answer. Most of my close friends are non-religious or know of my lack of religious beliefs and wouldn't ask me to pray in the first place (except maybe in a forgetful or overwhelmed moment).

My family is Catholic and has tons of medical problems, but I don't think any of them have ever asked another person to pray for them. They see to turn much more to doctors than to religion at those times. I have been very surprised, actually, when looking at the carepage of a friend's family member who was very ill at how much more talk about praying and faith and help from God there was than I'd ever heard from anyone in my family. (Actually when my mother had breast cancer a few years ago, she started getting extremely angry every time a person tried to comfort her by bringing up God--"God has a plan" or "God will see you through" or whatever. So she certainly wasn't about to ask people to pray for her.)

I think the kinds of answers others have given are what I'd say if asked though.

The way i look at it...and i AM a Christian....is this:
Just be polite and pray to the Father,Son and Holy Ghost, the Trinity as the vast majority of Christians believe. Or,
Remember also that, Jewish and even Muslims pray to the same God as Christians, there is just some "other" differences and Jesus being one of them..I always joke with my Jewish friends that if it werent for Jesus, we'd have pretty much the same religion..
I have always thought: "Well, what IF there is nothing to pray to? Am i wasting my time? But in the end, we NEED Faith. It is all we have. That and salvation.
I can honestly say i HAVE had prayers answered and i am close to God.
But i would NEVER judge one who isnt. That IS your right and i hope that someday you DO end up a believer but if not...Again, You have your individual rights and no one can take them away.
But to answer your question....Just be nice and do it. Even if you dont feel comfortable. Remember, this person needs HELP. Just give him/her some.
Also, YES i do believe a non praying person can be GREAT, both inside and out. And care and be decent and loving.

There are other ways to be polite and comforting without asking for things from a being you think doesn't exist. I assume if a friend asked you to pray to the flying spaghetti monster, you probably wouldn't do it no matter how good a friend s/he was because a) you don't believe in the FSM (I assume) and b) you would feel you'd be denigrating your own religious beliefs by pretending that this being exists (and possibly c) that you think the whole idea is absolutely utterly ridiculous in the first place). Those are the same reasons that I wouldn't pray to any supposed higher being even if a friend asked me to.