Secular Folk: How do you react when someone says they'll pray for you?

And the Tag-of-the-week award goes to...."and god willing farts by pg 3"

It makes absolutely no odds to me. If that's how people want to spend their time, then so be it.

Having said that, I'd imagine that a lot of the time "I'll pray for you" carries a pretty judgemental undertone- ie, "what you're doing is sinful" - which might annoy me... but in truth, no-one's ever actually said that to me.

I prayed for Joyrex once. It worked.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

  On 8/31/2011 at 2:05 AM, jules said:

what do you guys say when someone sneezes?

when my daughter sneezes i say "aw the sneezle weasel!!" and she pisses herself, then i go "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTCCHHHH...... AAAAAOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!" and she really loses her shit. i don't do this at work or anywhere else though.

ps. i think only people who are ordained or whatever should be allowed to say "bless you" when someone sneezes. if a minister or priest said "bless you" when i sneezed or "i'll pray for you" when my family was ill at least i'd know they have the correct authority for such things.

  On 8/31/2011 at 2:05 AM, jules said:

what do you guys say when someone sneezes?

prost. however i've noticed everybody says nothing at all in the uk these days. so generally i say nothing, er, when someone sneezes.

  On 8/31/2011 at 4:59 PM, keltoi said:

  On 8/31/2011 at 2:05 AM, jules said:

what do you guys say when someone sneezes?

 

when my daughter sneezes i say "aw the sneezle weasel!!" and she pisses herself, then i go "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTCCHHHH...... AAAAAOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!" and she really loses her shit. i don't do this at work or anywhere else though.

 

that's the best thing I've read all day

  On 8/31/2011 at 4:42 AM, Braintree said:

  On 8/31/2011 at 2:05 AM, jules said:

what do you guys say when someone sneezes?

 

Gesundheit.

guy at work says this and makes my skin crawl.

when someone sneezes i act all offended and go well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuse you and wait for the studio audience to laugh.

but they never laugh.

they never laugh.

i used to do that. i would laugh

  On 8/31/2011 at 4:59 PM, keltoi said:

  On 8/31/2011 at 2:05 AM, jules said:

what do you guys say when someone sneezes?

 

when my daughter sneezes i say "aw the sneezle weasel!!" and she pisses herself, then i go "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTCCHHHH...... AAAAAOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!" and she really loses her shit. i don't do this at work or anywhere else though.

 

ps. i think only people who are ordained or whatever should be allowed to say "bless you" when someone sneezes. if a minister or priest said "bless you" when i sneezed or "i'll pray for you" when my family was ill at least i'd know they have the correct authority for such things.

fucking lol.

yooooooooou're soooooo goood lookin...

when I was born I had a heart condition that required quick medical attention. the cardiologists said I had about a week to live if it wasn't corrected. I was baptized with a dixie cup right in the hospital at my mom's request. my dad and his father were both convinced that they could correct the condition by simply laying hands on me and casting the demons out with prayer - that there was no need for surgery. my mom fought them over the decision, paid for the surgery herself, and divorced my dad that year. he died a few years later from poor health, go figure that praying about demons doesn't correct physical ailments. texas, man.

the moral of the story is that prayer damn near killed me. literalists, aye

but in general, it doesn't bother me if someone says they're going to pray for me - encey put it quite well.

When someone sneezes, I usually just make a Sloth face-- you know, Sloth from The Goonies-- and then scream until they scream and then our screams reinforce each other, and soon the whole room is screaming, and then the town, and then you pull back to a slightly enlarged version of the famous "pale blue dot" image and you hear a muffled scream.

edit: this only happened once tbqh

  On 8/31/2011 at 6:32 PM, baph said:

When someone sneezes, I usually just make a Sloth face-- you know, Sloth from The Goonies-- and then scream until they scream and then our screams reinforce each other, and soon the whole room is screaming, and then the town, and then you pull back to a slightly enlarged version of the famous "pale blue dot" image and you hear a muffled scream.

 

edit: this only happened once tbqh

it's a shame no one had a baby ruth do diffuse the situation.

Would just like to clarify one thing. You don't need to be religious to believe in God or partake in prayer.

  On 9/2/2011 at 10:57 AM, abusivegeorge said:

You don't need to be religious to believe in God

think you might need to clarify your clarification george.

if you believe in god, even though you might not be devout, you are still...

  Quote

of, relating to, or concerned with religion

I can't say that anyone has ever said anything like that to me. At first viewing I thought it was said when you've done something irreversable. Maybe that's "may god have mercy on your soul"??

Thinking about it I don't know a single person who is religous. No reason really, I just don't.

I am not concerned with religion in any way. The program I practice actually states that it is not a religious program. It's the AA program. I'm not interested nor desire to be part or a religion in any way, shape or form. It's not for me, I've been to Church, I've given it a go. Spirituality is totally different to religion, and God can be anything. God for me is anything that I feel is more powerful for me, and for me, that's the universe. God is a spiritual for me, he doesn't come with a set of guidelines or principles.

Not sure where that statement comes from keltoi, but I don't believe it.

Although of course spirituality and religion definetly come hand in hand, they are also two seperate things.

More powerful than me*

i always feel a tad awkward, but i accept it with good cheer. it's a nice thought and i don't want a difference of theological opinion to ruin it.

I guess the relation is that God is a part of religion. God may be, but I am not, and God does not have to be part of religion.

  On 8/30/2011 at 8:28 PM, disparaissant said:

my partner is christian in a vague sort of way and says she's praying for me occasionally. it started off weirding me out but it's just her way of showing she cares so w/e. also she will make jokes about it, like im moving back in with my mormon parents for a few months and she was like "i just want you to know that i will be praying for you. to the REAL, NONMORMON GOD. tell your folks." but yeah with her it doesnt bother me at all, it's just a roundabout way of saying "good luck"

 

my parents, on the other hand, will say they are praying for me, and it creeps me out. because i know they are praying for weird shit like that i'll become a mormon again and go straight or something. that's ooky.

they are preying for the real nomnom god to bring their baby home

It's as simply as this (for me): There is no proof that God exists, there is no proof that he/she/it doesn't therefore there is no way that anyone can tell us what God is or isn't. That means that God can be anything, to anyone.

  On 9/2/2011 at 11:47 AM, abusivegeorge said:

I am not concerned with religion in any way. The program I practice actually states that it is not a religious program. It's the AA program. I'm not interested nor desire to be part or a religion in any way, shape or form. It's not for me, I've been to Church, I've given it a go. Spirituality is totally different to religion, and God can be anything. God for me is anything that I feel is more powerful for me, and for me, that's the universe. God is a spiritual for me, he doesn't come with a set of guidelines or principles.

 

Not sure where that statement comes from keltoi, but I don't believe it.

 

Although of course spirituality and religion definetly come hand in hand, they are also two seperate things.

it's from the dictionary.

you've obviously got your own definition of 'god' then, which you say is 'the universe'. if you'd said you believe in the universe i wouldn't have said a word. you say you're not religious. and you don't believe in god (as most people understand the definition - a deity). although i personally don't see the difference in praying to god or to the universe. both seem pretty pointless apart from maybe channelling some positive energy. each to their own, of course.

  On 9/2/2011 at 12:22 PM, keltoi said:

  On 9/2/2011 at 11:47 AM, abusivegeorge said:

I am not concerned with religion in any way. The program I practice actually states that it is not a religious program. It's the AA program. I'm not interested nor desire to be part or a religion in any way, shape or form. It's not for me, I've been to Church, I've given it a go. Spirituality is totally different to religion, and God can be anything. God for me is anything that I feel is more powerful for me, and for me, that's the universe. God is a spiritual for me, he doesn't come with a set of guidelines or principles.

 

Not sure where that statement comes from keltoi, but I don't believe it.

 

Although of course spirituality and religion definetly come hand in hand, they are also two seperate things.

 

it's from the dictionary.

 

you've obviously got your own definition of 'god' then, which you say is 'the universe'. if you'd said you believe in the universe i wouldn't have said a word. you say you're not religious. and you don't believe in god (as most people understand the definition - a deity). although i personally don't see the difference in praying to god or to the universe. both seem pretty pointless apart from maybe channelling some positive energy. each to their own, of course.

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head with the channelling positive energy. Religion didn't create God. Or did it? We don't know. I'm pretty sure religious sects won't agree to having created God. They'll tell you God has always been there. Pretty much my point.

  On 9/2/2011 at 12:09 PM, abusivegeorge said:

It's as simply as this (for me): There is no proof that God exists, there is no proof that he/she/it doesn't therefore there is no way that anyone can tell us what God is or isn't. That means that God can be anything, to anyone.

We are asked to find a God of our own understanding/definition yeah, as then it doesn't single out anyone who is adverse to religion.