by caspian 58 Replies latest jw friends
Once in a while i will pray; looking at the potatoes, i thank the potatoe plants for growing. Looking at the chicken, i acknowledge the horrible conditions in which they are forced to grow, and i thank the great chicken spirit (or whatever) that it still allows bits of itself to be incarnated in those bodies in those conditions. Then i look at the bread ... and so on. But, i only do this once in a while. What's the point if a person doesn't feel like doing it?
SS
But I don't collect taxes Ozzie,
I don't even like paying them...
Cas
I think some JWs think that their prayer in a restaraunt has to be at least as big a deal as those birthday celebrations the "worldys" sometimes have where all the waiters and waitresses gather around and sing.
Tammy
I think God would be more impressed by us trying to feed those starving by donating money...time...and food to those agencies in a position to feed the poor.
That's a great start Yeru. Now shut the hell up with the namby pamby thanks crap, God sees it as a lack of appreciation for the reality of the food situation. If you keep it up, he's going to kill you, and I don't want that to happen.
Six~ hey, you anthopomorphise, I can anthropomorphise right there with you.
After I left the cult, I took my mom and grandad both in the truth. to main.
At a cracker barrel their was a dubber bunch that sat down and started praying, after they ate, they came to our table to give us a watchtower. and before my grandad and I call him that loosely. could say anything I stood up and said No thanks I am an atheist.
the blood drained out of ol grandads face.
the dubbers took a step back and made a circle and started to pray for me. My mom started to laugh uncontrollably.
and ol grandad[bill clegg] mouth hit the table. I thought he was going to have a stroke right thair.
they finished praying for me and asked if I would still read a tower.
I told them that I already knew more about their religion than they did. and did not need to read any more propaganda.
they left.
grandad never forgave me for that or several other stunts I pulled.
would I do it again.
I would carry it further.
screw um if they cant take a joke.
Because my winter home is in the Bible belt so-to-speak many people pray openly at meals. I've always thought it to be a bit of a show. We ve always had our prayer in the car beforehand. But what is really wrong with praying over your meal at the table if done tastefully and not so loud as to offend others?
Its not just dubs that pray in restaurants, I have seen others do that. There is a fellow here that I work with after we get our order he will bow his head and say a quick pray.
Like Bart Simpson once Prayed, "Dear God we bought all this food, so thanks for nothing".
Will
I was eating alone late one night in LaCrosse WI and I noticed a large multi-generational family sitting together. One of the men stood up and gave thanks and I listened for any tell tale phrases that I might recognize. Not JDubs... but they looked kind of cultish as they were dressed kind of smart -- dress shirts without ties and all the women wore dresses.
I never say or said prayers in public places. Like Andi though, we do pray as a family at meal time and take it in turns to say grace. (I tried to get Mrs Thirdson to wear a kleenex on her head but she won't have any of my nonsense.) Its the one time all three of us are together and sit and talk about the day's events. And though its a small thing I feel it is appropriate to express gratefulness for what we have in life. We don't force our grace saying on everybody but when other famliy members are present or friends acustomed to "grace" are with us we will "give thanks."
Thirdson
I always found this annoying, especially when people make a big scene about it, like I remember families where the husband would say a prayer at McDonald's, give me a break.
Living here in the South (bible-belt), I think the Southern JW's are even worse than most about the public prayers in restaurants. It was bad enough when several families would go together, everybody bowing their heads and praying as a group. But, as I think someone already mentioned, just wait until you're with a group and the CO is there as well....Some brown-nosing Elder would always stand up and pray for the whole group. Geez, at the Pharisaic showiness!!!!
I used to get in trouble for the way I did it. So as not to bother others around me, I would pray silently, without bowing my head or even closing my eyes. In my teens, it was a running joke with all my friends to try and detect when I was praying.
Brandon
