how to respect without praying

[jackman]

so, not being a debbie downer at all, but i just lost my uncle a few hours ago. he was on my father's side, which is mostly jehova's witness. i don't know what to ask here, my mind is still a bit scrambled. not looking for condolences, not fishing for emotional words, he was very old and after being diagnosed he didn't suffer long (relatively speaking) - that i'm satisfied with. i just know they'll want me to pray and tho none of them are non-believers, they don't despise me. at the same time, i don't want to disrespect them. how would you handle this during whatever service or celebration of life the family will have, when it comes to prayer?

[Zen Badger]

so, not being a debbie downer at all, but i just lost my uncle a few hours ago. he was on my father's side, which is mostly jehova's witness. i don't know what to ask here, my mind is still a bit scrambled. not looking for condolences, not fishing for emotional words, he was very old and after being diagnosed he didn't suffer long (relatively speaking) - that i'm satisfied with. i just know they'll want me to pray and tho none of them are non-believers, they don't despise me. at the same time, i don't want to disrespect them. how would you handle this during whatever service or celebration of life the family will have, when it comes to prayer?

For starters condolences for your uncles passing.

But if they know you're an atheist how can it be a problem?

You just stand there quietly(or sit as the case may be) whilst they pray.

[Shell B]

Zen just described exactly what I do and I agree with him that is how you should handle it.

I'm very sorry about your uncle.

On a side note, and this is just an fyi and no problem at all, but this section of the forum is for problems and feedback with the forum itself. I'm going to move this somewhere more appropriate.

[Zen Badger]

Admittedly it isn't quite the same thing, but a while back I went for a run with a christian motorcycle club(True!!)

At the start of the ride they had their little pray session and I stood back while they prayed.

And the ride ended up at a church in the Perth hills where they thanked jesus for no one dying.

The point is, I was in their zone, they weren't pushing their religion on to me.

So I was respectful to their beliefs. And they in turn respectful of mine.(sorta).

And they were a good group to ride with.

[Minimalist]

Silence is best but if they expect you to say something then talk about your uncle....not his absurd beliefs.

[jackman]

For starters condolences for your uncles passing.

But if they know you're an atheist how can it be a problem?

You just stand there quietly(or sit as the case may be) whilst they pray.

Zen and Shell, thank you. also, sorry about wrong area, wasn't sure where to go with this.

well, that is what i do, so that's good. btw, i haven't "come out", lol. everyone knows i'm not a big fan of religion but it hasn't been said outright, that i just don't believe any religion. right now it's just jokes to them (i'm a heathen) and they don't press me on what i DO believe, so i haven't yet started the disappointment debate. they just think i'm rebelling (like i'm 14 or something).

[Zen Badger]

For starters condolences for your uncles passing.

But if they know you're an atheist how can it be a problem?

You just stand there quietly(or sit as the case may be) whilst they pray.

Zen and Shell, thank you. also, sorry about wrong area, wasn't sure where to go with this.

well, that is what i do, so that's good. btw, i haven't "come out", lol. everyone knows i'm not a big fan of religion but it hasn't been said outright, that i just don't believe any religion. right now it's just jokes to them (i'm a heathen) and they don't press me on what i DO believe, so i haven't yet started the disappointment debate. they just think i'm rebelling (like i'm 14 or something).

How old are you?

I ask because it helps put your situation in context.

[jackman]

Silence is best but if they expect you to say something then talk about your uncle....not his absurd beliefs.

they were more their beliefs than his. he was slow mentally, so he didn't have to follow anything he didn't want to. but yes, i agree.

---

How old are you?

I ask because it helps put your situation in context.

hahaha, i'm 40.

[Shell B]

Don't worry about the misplaced thread at all.

Well, given the extra information, I would still say respectful silence. If it is a Catholic church, that is harder. You have to back off when they try to feed you zombies to wash down with zombie blood and everyone does that germy hand touchy thing. *gag*

[jackman]

Admittedly it isn't quite the same thing, but a while back I went for a run with a christian motorcycle club(True!!)
...
So I was respectful to their beliefs. And they in turn respectful of mine.(sorta).

And they were a good group to ride with.

wow, i ride too, but i would certainly NOT ride with religious ones, lol. bikers always seem to be the extreme of whatever they are representing. glad you made it out safe. i'm always respectful of people's beliefs until they cross mine.