I don't pray. Like Reborn said- I paid for my food, clothing, and shelter so why would I thank some imaginary being for the things that I worked for? Bart Simpson is on the right track.
Do You Ever Say Prayers At Mealtime Anymore?
by minimus 40 Replies latest jw friends
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RAYZORBLADE
I worked for my meals: with my own sweat and blood.
I do not pray at my meals.
If there's any thanks: it's being given to myself.
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minimus
Ha! Like we should thank God for our food! Now to those that don't believe in "God", I can understand, but if you do believe in "God", do you still feel that since you cooked it, you should only thank yourself?
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Big Tex
I still pray mainly because I still believe in God. If I didn't believe, I wouldn't pray.
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gitasatsangha
I've tried it different ways.
I was in the company of the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, once, and had a meal with he and his monastics. During this time they gave something resembling a prayer of sorts over the food only it was the food itself. They asked everyone to take their time with the food, be mindful of its texture, its taste, the people who were involved in getting it there, the pickers, the growers, even the earth and sun. It was a method designed to produce mindfulness. Its difficult to really do by oneself. Sometimes I still do.
Sometimes I make a prayer of thanks for food, honestly more then I did as a Witness. I was afraid of the god concept the Witnesses expoused and honestly it wasnt natural to thank this murderous jealous monster for anything. Anyway that is how I thought about it. Now, yes I do try to. It makes the meal go better, and you are more mindful of it all. Eating unconsciously is not good for me because I will eat to much, or just snack around.
This is a sort of tongue-in-cheek prayer by Swami Vivekananda when he was trying to show people that in order to have inner divinity, it needed to be practical. Vivekananda felt that religion had to be practical or it was completely useless. The concept was worship of god in man, and of realizing (and acting upon that realization) that we human beings are powerful creatures capable of doing just about anything:
If I ask, "Why is it that there are so many wicked people?" they say, "We have to work more." Trust in God, but keep your powder dry! Pray to God, and let God come and help you out! But it is I who struggle, pray, and worship; it is I who work out my problems--and God takes the credit. This is not good. I never do it.
Once I was invited to a dinner. The hostess asked me to say grace. I said, "I will say grace to you, madam. My grace and thanks are to you." When I work, I say grace to myself. Praise be unto me that I worked hard and acquired what I have!Swami Vivekananda,
San Francisco, 1900
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Jennie
Yes I do, but their short prayers. Example: Thank you Jehovah for this food, and in Jesus name Amen.
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Mulan
My husband does. I never pray.
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Double Edge
Most of the time ....
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ikhandi
When I feel like it do, especially when I am on a spiritual kick
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JH
No I don't anymore.
But when I did pray before meals as a dub, the prayers lasted about 7 seconds.
I wanted a hot meal...