I am curious to know if you would be offended, if at church on Sunday your Pastor got up and said a prayer for Church Mice?
I mean he prayed that the mice be strengthened and given the ability to carry out their mousey duties and to eventually render the Church unusable, so that the Parisheners would finally have to pony up the dough to pay for a new Church.
ok I am kidding here is the original post but hey if you are just now reading this thread there have been many twists and turns and I no longer say a prayer over the deceased and yes largely due to many of the points made in this thread. Also NO i would not be offended if anyone of any belief Satanist, TO Catholic said prayers or whipered chants or whatever in my ear that said it was and is an interesting thread but please read about 5-10 of the current posts prior to posting
Now The
ORIGNAL POST
I am curious to know if you would be offended, after death if someone were to say a prayer over you.
I would really like to hear from as many Agnostic or Atheist as possible.
I recently began saying a prayer over anyone that dies in my presence. Many times I do not know if the person had a religious preference or not. I am curious to know if people would be offended if they knew someone was going to pray over them when they die.
here is the prayer
Dear Lord not our will but yours. Into thine hands we commend the spirit of this peaceful child of God. Prepare a place for him/her Now in Your Heavenly Kingdom![/Quote]
Gee whiz, that's the first thing I look at on a patient's chart when they code - it is absolutely critical that I know their religious affiliation or lack thereof before proceeding with any type of care.
It still amazes me that people are offended by a selfless act offered in a caring, compassionate manner, spoken or silent. And if you don't have any religious beliefs, how can we disrespect them?
Why is it so critical to determine religious affiliation if you're just going to disregard it???
O.K....Now that I've reread your post I can see the sarcasm. I guess as an atheist it is too much to expect that my beliefs are respected. Forgive me for my ignorance.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
Yes, if I were agnostic or atheist, I would take offense to your prayer. You are asking that a place be prepared in a heaven they don't believe in! That goes for your Seventh Day Adventist patients, too, and probably a number of other religions. I would probably not find another type of prayer offensive, one that asked your God to help my family find comfort or that I may rest in peace, for example.
If I am dead and you are praying you are praying for yourself, I have already met my maker.
Also 'thee' is used by the quakers as well as the mennonites, amish and a few other fundementalist christian beliefs.
Anyone who believes they will care, does not believe in heaven. And if they are agnostic or atheist they won't be around to care either, they'll simply be gone.
As an atheist, I believe that when you are dead, you are dead. Oblivion. Nothingness. Nul and void. Negated. So, I wouldn't know if you were praying for me, and wouldn't be able to care if you did.
However, would you pray over someone who is not dead and has not requested you to pray? I hope not, In which case, just because they are dead, does not mean you can apply a different set of standards. I find this very disrespectful.
Unless you have the patients specific request to pray after they are dead, you should not do so. Many people would be highly offended.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
By the way, I don't usually pray for the dead, but a lot of Catholic nurses I work with do the sign of the cross before perforning post mortem care. I'm not sure whether it is prayer, superstition, or a sign of respect. Perhapse all of the above.
The answer, I think, is all of the above. I've been away from the Church for a lot of years, but I almost always make the sign of the Cross and say a silent prayer before taking care of the body of a patient who has passed away. I do this privately, however, as it's my own ritual and not something I necessarily need to share with the family or other staff members.
Angelica
262 Posts
Why is it so critical to determine religious affiliation if you're just going to disregard it???