Why do people say "I'll pray for you"...

[SHRED]

...or "I'll keep you in my prayers" without checking to see if you're religious or not?

I think that is so fucking self centered.

My buddy lost his 18 year old son last year and expressed to me how it doesn't do a thing for him. In fact it made him feel worse.

Fucking religious freaks.

Yeah I know they mean well but still...come on.

[ret5hd]

1. Well, it's easier than actually doing something.

[SHRED]

2. Good point

[JBoy]

3. Yes, praying for someone is the least they can do

Literally, the LEAST they can do.

[mountain grammy]

4. Prayer circles, prayer chains, prayer warriors...

yada, yada, yada. It's so pervasive, on every post, in every conversation.

When someone says they'll pray for me, I say, thank you, but I'm a non believer, but you can pray for President Obama. He's a Christian and I'm sure he will appreciate it.

[Arugula Latte]

5. And what kind of a dickhead deity determines outcome based on the amount of prayers received?

The omnipotent of the universe being needs to see how popular a person is before it lifts a finger? What an asshole.

[Cartoonist]

6. What makes it worse is that they are lying

Oh dear all powerful God, I am praying on behalf of one of your subjects. He's very sad now because you allowed his child to die. Please get off your ass now and cheer him up. Amen.

[AlbertCat]

7. Most people are religious....so they assume you are like most people.

They're trying to show sympathy....to whom they think are likeminded.

[SHRED]

8. I like your explanation best....

....not that the others weren't valid in their own right.

Peace

[Warpy]

9. Partially slacktivism

and partially they don't know what else to do.

[progressoid]

10. And they actually think they are being helpful.

For people that agree with that sentiment, it may actually be helpful. But for us, it's just irritating and presumptuous.

[kdmorris]

11. I never know what they are supposed to be praying for

I mean, it's well-meaning if they say they will pray for someone to get well, maybe, but after someone has died, what the fuck are they actually praying for (if they even do it)? To cheer you up? To have god make you OK with the death of your child?

[onager]

12. Related and really disgusting example of this arrogant BS...

I like to relax on a Monday morning by watching the newest "Air Disasters." Yes, I'm weird. You knew that already. The show airs on Sunday night and I DVR it to skip the commercials.

This week's show was about Air Canada Flight 797 in 1983, which made an emergency landing at Cincinnati after a mysterious fire broke out on board.

Months after the crash...MIRACLE! Air Canada returned a paperback Bible to one of the passengers! And it was HARDLY BURNED AT ALL! WOW!

Interviewed on the show, the passenger claimed this was evidence that "God was looking out for me."

And what happened to the people God DIDN'T look out for that day?

Twenty-one Canadians and two Americans died. Many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition. Almost all of the victims were in the forward half of the aircraft between the wings and the cockpit. Some bodies were in the aisles, and some bodies were still in the seats. Two victims were in the back of the aircraft, even though the passengers were moved forward after the fire had been detected; the disoriented passengers moved beyond the overwing exits and succumbed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Canada_Flight_797

Sorry for the lengthy vent. But I see this kind of obtuse, hurtful stupidity exhibited by Xians just about every day. A tornado kills 99 people. One survives. Because I AM SPECIAL AND GAWD WAS LOOKING OUT FOR ME!

Do they ever think about what the loved ones of the dead might feel? No, of course they don't. They're special.

[Auggie]

13. My mother still says that ...

she's 87. I just say, "thanks."

The day will come when she'll no longer be around to say it. And then I'll probably miss it. A lot. It's no big deal.

[Iggo]

14. They're last-wording you. Tell them, "I'll think for you."

(Credit to a guy I saw on Samantha Bee's show.)

[Major Nikon]

15. Religious privilege goes away if it isn't continuously reinforced

The biggest fear the fanatics have is losing privilege.

[Jim Lane]

16. I disagree with your solution of checking

When I had cancer I experienced this both ways. One person said she would pray for me. I accepted that as her way of expressing sympathy, of doing what she could (or what she thought she could) to help me with a bad situation, etc.

Another person, who also meant well, asked me about my religious beliefs. I wasn't angry, precisely because I knew she meant well, but I found this annoying. I'm coping with cancer and I have to get into a theological discussion? On top of that, I know that praying for me, even if does nothing for me, will very probably make her feel better. Why should I deprive my religious friends of that solace?

Obviously, nonreligious people aren't a uniform bloc and we don't all react the same way. For my part, I prefer the people who just say they're praying for me. You prefer those who check first. I guess our religious friends must first check to see if we want them to check... no, that way madness lies.

[DetlefK]

17. "I'll pray for you." means "I really hope you will spontaneously become religious."

[Freelancer]

18. "I'll pray for you" is the swiss army knife of social interaction for the religious

Last edited Thu Mar 31, 2016, 12:23 AM - Edit history (1)

It's universal -- like potato salad -- and can mean any number of things. A lot of times, it just comes out when people are at a loss for better words.

[Bay Boy]

19. Worse yet...

Worse than "I will pray for you" upon the loss of a loved one, is "God must have needed another angel".