Offended by Prayer

rngreenhorn · Dec 10, 2004

Read this entire thread???? What, are are your nuts? Who has that much time? I mean, besides me and perhaps mercyteapot. )

CCU NRS · Dec 10, 2004

Read this entire thread???? What, are are your nuts? Who has that much time? I mean, besides me and perhaps mercyteapot. )

Well possibly a non-member who is on here snooping to see what his wife is looking into. LOL :uhoh3: I guess I am just going to go and edit the original post and then we wil see what people think after they check it LOL hmmm what should I write, I was offended by prayer because while I was at Church one Sunday the preacher got up and prayed for hmmmmmmmm Church mice? That could be funny huh? The preacher prayed that God would help the mice to be strong and vigilant in their mousey duties to render the Church useless so that we the parisheners would eventually have to pony up the dough for a new church? Hmmmm wonder what people that have never looked into this thread would think about that? :rotfl:

MichaelSSSS · Dec 10, 2004

I'm a total non-believer in anything havnig to with religion and would never under any circumstances engage in any thing even remotely resembling prayer - nor would I, as a dying or dead patient, want anyone to pray over me in anyway - even if I have no idea it's going on. Keep that crap to yourslef.

LydiaNN · Dec 10, 2004

I am curious to know if you would be offended, if at church on Sunday you 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.

Well, now, CCU NRS, I am assuming that I have chosen this church of my own free will, so if I get offended over what the pastor prays about, I have the option of just finding myself a new church (perhaps one full of mice bigots) :rotfl:

CCU NRS · Dec 10, 2004

I'm a total non-believer in anything havnig to with religion and would never under any circumstances engage in any thing even remotely resembling prayer - nor would I, as a dying or dead patient, want anyone to pray over me in anyway - even if I have no idea it's going on. Keep that crap to yourslef.

Sort of like I just said to the other poster if you had read it all yep there is a lot of it you would know I no longer pray for the deceased :rotfl: LOL

rngreenhorn · Dec 10, 2004

I'm a total non-believer in anything havnig to with religion and would never under any circumstances engage in any thing even remotely resembling prayer - nor would I, as a dying or dead patient, want anyone to pray over me in anyway - even if I have no idea it's going on. Keep that crap to yourslef.

I am an agnostic... but I frequently pray to the Lord... Lord Calvert that is.

Still, I am always a little suprised with the militant non-believer posts.

Prayer is crap? OK...

There is a big difference between organized religion and spirituality. Humans by nature are spiritual beings... that is what distinguishes us from other animals (that and the fact that we have spoken language, and the ability to rationalize).

Anyway, no I wouldn't be offended by a prayer for the mice to destroy the church... as long as the little suckers leave my Lord Calvert alone.

rngreenhorn · Dec 10, 2004

I'm a total non-believer in anything havnig to with religion and would never under any circumstances engage in any thing even remotely resembling prayer

Are you telling us you never reflected, meditated, studied, speculated, pondered, abstracted, considered, ruminated, contemplated, mused, thought, wished, hoped or uttered "Holy S###" or "Oh God" These things all remotely resemble prayer...

Angelica · Dec 10, 2004

Are you telling us you never reflected, meditated, studied, speculated, pondered, abstracted, considered, ruminated, contemplated, mused, thought, wished, hoped or uttered "Holy S###" or "Oh God" These things all remotely resemble prayer...

I think MichaelSSSS is referring to prayer that involves a deity. That's not the same thing as me saying "Holy S###!! I hope that trooper doesn't pull out and cite me for speeding." After which I might be heard to say "Officer, I pray (synonym of implore) that you take pity on me and not write that ticket". There's a distinct difference.

rngreenhorn · Dec 10, 2004

You are right... I was being quite liberal with semantics. Of course praying to a diety and uttering "Holy S###!" are different. However, I think the fact that humans have the capacity to hope and wish and even ponder the afterlife (or lack there of) makes us in general spiritual beings. And this does remotely (notice the use of the word "remote") resemble prayer.

Q. · Dec 10, 2004

Are you telling us you never reflected, meditated, studied, speculated, pondered, abstracted, considered, ruminated, contemplated, mused, thought, wished, hoped or uttered "Holy S###" or "Oh God" These things all remotely resemble prayer...

Great post!

As someone else said, ALL humans are spiritual beings, whether they participate in organized religion or not.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Dec 10, 2004

CCU NRS-- I don't know how I missed before that you work in a Catholic hospital, but that makes a little difference, to me.

I would never object to people praying in a church. I would not object to the prayer over the PA you mentioned in a hospital that was operated as a mission from God. I mean, I wouldn't want to have to practice Catholicism or Judaism or Presbyterianism because the ambulance happened to take me to a Catholic or Jewish or Presbyterian hospital, but I wouldn't object to those who operate the hospital as part of their faith observing their faith. Also, I can't think of any circumstances where I would object to a silent prayer. In fact, if I wanted to mentally review baseball statistics as a patient lay dying or dead (assuming it didn't interfere with my duties, of course) I think I have a right to do that. In this, the 20th anniversary of 1984, I think we should agree that freedom of thought is absolute, even if freedom of speech has limits.

You make me wonder, though, about working in a hospital operated by a faith other than your own. I wonder if that would feel wierd. Certainly, you'd have an obligation to respect the faith you work for, but I'd not think well of a Catholic hospital (or whatever) that hired only Catholics (or whatever), though I suppose they would have that right. It isn't in my plans, at present, but a future in which I worked at Presby in Pittsburgh isn't too far-fetched. Then again, I've often thought my life might have been simpler if I had been raised Presbyterian (or Episcopalian, or Catholic) instead of fundamentalist. Maybe I would have had fewer doubts in a church where people stay in their pews and sing when they're told to...

If I were in a church where the minister prayed for the mice, I might go back, although I don't approve of the fundraising angle. If he or she was praying for more mice to feed the snakes, I'd leave. I don't like snakes. I have a standing deal with God: I'll try to be open to revelation in any form, but when they bring out the snakes, I'm outta there. (As far as I know, God's okay with that, but He hasn't actually said so.)

On a vaguely related note, I was present, once, when a pt's family member began speaking in tongues during a near-code situation. Nobody fainted, but you could see which nurses had grown up in West Virginia and which hadn't.

There's an idea for a thread: America's Funniest Codes.

Hmm, possibly a bit sick, even for allnurses.com

CCU NRS · Dec 10, 2004

OK here is what the OP says now just so you guys know I wasn't kidding

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.
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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[/quote=me]Originally Posted by me
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!

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