Bow Your Head? Close Your Eyes? How to act when saying grace 101.
My guess is that this has been covered in another forum but I wanted to throw it out there;
So who among us has been the following situation: You are sitting at a friends or even a family's dinner table and everyone gets ready to say grace. Everyone bows their heads and or closes their eyes. What do you do? Do you close your eyes and or bow your head out of respect and think to yourself "omg this is such bs", or do you hold your atheist head up high with a kind of "suck-it" mentality I am not going to coddle you just because you expect me to, I'm an atheist dammit and proud of it!!!
Would love to hear your thoughts and stories!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robert Karp on -
I love the thought of leading a secular prayer! Like a preemptive strike!!!!! They wont know what hit them!!!!!! I love it.
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Permalink Reply by Ray Simmons on -
On occasion, when we have had religious people over for Thanksgiving, I said something simple like, "Thank you Mother Nature for our food today and thank you for our wonderful friends and family". The more religious people will look startled at first and then smile. It seems to satisfy everyone somewhat.
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Permalink Reply by Will on -
I always say.....WE bless the plants and animals that have given their lives so we may sustain ours.
No mention of god.
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Permalink Reply by Will on
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Honor and extend gratitude, for the most part. I think people can bless all life, even their friends and family, without involving the notion of god. In fact, It is only US that can bless anything, since we are the only real beings. And I guess I think we should claim that role.
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Permalink Reply by Southern Skeptic on -
Someone I know does that. Everyone joins hand and then he intones "We are very grateful for the food we are about to eat", or something like that.
I like that, but I would never do it.
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Permalink Reply by IEatDinosaurMeat on -
Okay, I understand and like what you have to say.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Danilowitz on -
Being gay at an orthodox wedding is great. I prefer dancing with men anyway.
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Permalink Reply by Robert Karp on
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lol!
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Permalink Reply by Southern Skeptic on
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Somehow I don't think that they would approve :-)
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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on -
"I recognize it like someone asking you to use the coaster on the coffee table, it's just the motions that matter..."
I don't think that analogy works for me. Using a coaster has a practical function. If the host asks me to use one, I'm not going through the motions; I am respecting their property. Prayer and bowing one's head has a symbolic function. It shows deference to God. In not bowing my head, I am respecting my property, that is to say my body and mind.
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Permalink Reply by IEatDinosaurMeat on
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Yeah, someone made a better analogy below that I wish I had thought of. The national anthem one works great for this.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Danilowitz on
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Just as I want others to respect my wishes & opinions, so I respect theirs. I can't see anything wrong in sitting quietly during their cermeonial garbage (thinking about the meal, a movie I just saw, or the host's great collection of cds - anything pleasant) while they do their thing.
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