Thanksgiving Prayer Without God
Offline My son and I have been deconverted for a few years now but we haven't told my wife or any of her family except for some of the young adults who had deconverted as well. In Canada thanksgiving is in October and my son was volunteered to do the blessing. Luckily he had advance warning because my wife wanted him to write something inspirational. When the time came he started a two minute harangue thanking the farmers and the food preparers and how this food is going to nourish us and dining together would bring us closer as a family. When he was done several people yelled out amen and we started to eat. No one noticed that in that whole long speech he never mentioned God or Jesus or any other deity. He got away with it cold and everyone thought him very eloquent. Me I could hardly keep from laughing.
- Login to post comments
Isn't it hilarious that the prayer ritual is so engrained in those that believe that they don't even pay attention to what is said? I surely wouldn't care what was said if I had a giant mountain of food spread out for all to see, begging me to eat it.
Your god's silence speaks loud and clear
THIS THREAD has a discussion along these lines. I don't know why people get their panties in a twist wondering what people would do for rituals without religion behind them. Your anecdote is a great example of how little the religion actually has to do with it.
There was a scene in a movie called The Ice Storm. Christina Ricci is a rebellious daughter (nah.. she's not a type cast...) who is forced to say grace at thanksgiving. Here is her memorable quote:
"Dear Lord, thank you for this Thanksgiving holiday. And for all the material possessions we have and enjoy. And for letting us white people kill all the Indians and steal their tribal lands. And stuff ourselves like pigs, even though children in Asia are being napalmed."
One of my favorite movie lines of all time. Doesn't really have anything to do with the OP, but it gives me a chance to be grouchy about thanksgiving.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
I refuse to wait through a prayer. When the food is hot, I eat. It is only a side benefit that the sound of my silverware is grating in the relative silence.
"Tis better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." -Lucifer
Sometimes my fundamentalist father likes to treat me to dinner when we go somewhere together. It usually goes that we both sit down, he starts saying grace, and I start eating.
It's little hints like these that allowed me to tell him I was an atheist without ever explicitly telling him. He got the picture after a while. =)
A place common to all will be maintained by none. A religion common to all is perhaps not much different.
I don't really mind the idea of acknowledging other sources (besides God - such as farmers) for food.
I used to babysit a girl who one time before dinner said "Thank you chicken for giving your life so I could have nourishment." Now granted, the chicken didn't have a say in giving it's life but I don't see a problem with taking advantage of the dinner table as a time to acknowledge where the food came from.