no praying before meals?

by londonlady 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  exwhyzee

  Where did the notion that you should pray before every meal come from? All I can think of is the idea came from the Last Supper when Jesus prayed before they ate. I used to hate praying outloud. It seemed not only too personal but also forced and repetitive. There was always that moment when everyone was waiting to see if others were going to pray or just start eating. I used to hate meals when I'd be asked to pray. When asked, I finally just started saying " no thanks " or " why don't we just say our own prayers ?". This was just something that just wasn't done, so as you can imagine there was always an awkward silence afterward.

  You could never go on a picnic or a camping trip with JW's without someone having to do a public prayer or where a watchtower study would spontaneously break out. We were on vacation in Florida a few months ago and we hooked up with a relative and his wife who are Bethelites. They'd say their prayers in restaurants, while having a snack on the beach...you name it. It all seemed so pious and ritualistic.
• 

  Ding

  A Stone Crying Out,

  Sorry I missed your earlier posts. Welcome to JWN!
• 

  j dubb

  You could never go on a picnic or a camping trip with JW's without someone having to do a public prayer or where a watchtower study would spontaneously break out.

  Ahh! The spontaneous Saturday Watchtower studies. Camping at the state park, visiting other jws on vacation, if a number of those present hadn't 'studied their lesson,' you were at risk for the vacation Watchtower pre-study! It was like having another meeting! Praise Jah!
• 

  steve2

  The Watchtower reasoning on this is utterly shoddy:

  When you're in the company of others, unless you say a prayer out loud before eating, Jehovah concludes you are an ungrateful and unappreciative individual.

  Of course, in actuality, it becomes an exercise in acting like a Pharisee: announcing to all others in your vicinity how "righteous" you are.

  I could even imagine Judge Rutherford poking fun at the modern-day JW pray-out-loud-at-mealtimes mentality.
• 

  doofdaddy

  The judge would have preferred a pre dinner drink!
• 

  jam

  Why I can not pray. As A JW, you pray, Thank you

  Jehovah for blessing your people, screw everybody else.

  Now when I think about praying it,s so superficial, meaningless.

  What will I pray for, Thank you God for the over abundance of

  food (when there are some poor soul eating A spoonful of rice),

  Thank you God for keeping me safe(when some poor soul are

  getting there brain blown away. It,s hypocritical for me to pray

  and thank God for the blessing he is giving me, when there are

  children in this world( abused, killed, they themself are killing others).

  I think if I tried praying today, God would probably say " who is

  this guy talking too, He has lost his damn mind asking me for all

  of these things.
• 

  WTWizard

  I always viewed praying before meals as a waste of time. Besides, who is responsible for providing the food?

  First, the farmer plants the seeds. Doing this, the seeds do what all seeds are programmed to do. Unless they do this, the seed instinctively "knows" that its species will die off. No Jehovah needed for that. Given a little care and the conditions (which are usually naturally present in the climate or provided for by the farmer), the seed will provide its yield in its attempt to propagate the species. Again, no thanks for Jehovah.

  Once the farmer harvests and sells the crop, you get the processors and distributors into the act. Again, Jehovah doesn't do anything. You buy the food and prepare it--Jehovah doesn't. Jehovah doesn't even provide you with the money to buy the food with. If you are eating at a friend's place, that friend is the one that pays for the food--the earlier steps are still provided by the farmers, processors, and distributors. Jehovah has nothing to do with the food.

  Yet, Jehovah expects all the credit?
• 

  finallysomepride

  I almost fell asleep pretending to prey b4 the meal at a circuit assembly
• 

  TimeBandit

  Here's how I see it. Why in the world would I thank the invisible SKYDADDY for food I worked so haerd to pay for?

  Chris-