A Thanksgiving Prayer For The Agnostic
I love Thanksgiving, and family meals in general, but I've discovered that the pre-meal moment reserved in many homes for prayer is an awkward time for me. Raised by Christian parents, prayer was a habit prior to every meal - rote in nature. Since I left religion many years ago, I've always wanted an alternative to this pre-meal routine but had not yet succeeded in finding it.
My son remarked the other day that he realized why people pray before meals. "It brings people together in a calm, happy and thankful state of mind." (Good for the body, good for the mind!)
I wholeheartedly agree, but prayer is so tied in with specific ideologies about the word God that I don't like to use it.
In lieu of a God-centered prayer, here is a meditation of thanks for this Thanksgiving.
Let our hearts be filled with kindness,
Our minds be calm and light
May thanks arise within us
For all we share tonight.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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So then you have no viewpoint on existence ?
For a non-traditional, non-sentimental take, pop on over to Youtube and search for "William Burroughs Thanksgiving Prayer."
I'm sure lots of Indigenous Americans love Thanksgiving too. Wonder what their prayers are like?
I'm not thankful for what I have, because there's nobody to thank.
I am, however, appreciative.
That is a beautiful thanks. A a fellow traveler through life who too has left religion behind, I can see myself echoing those words in our future Thanksgiving gathering at the dinner table.
Huh, a prayer devoid of the my-God-is-
"Imagine there's no country,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
And no religion too..."
--John Lennon
Yes, well...tha
Glad it works for you, though. Each to his or her own.
That is simply beautiful!
Herein is the Agnostic's Prayer by Roger Zelazny from 1969:
Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to insure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen.
Lolling hard.
I like to thank the cosmos.
That is vague enough not to piss off too many people.
TO bring our broken economy back - remember to save your money and spend it when the US is back on its feet.
When I was dating a Quaker girl, the family ritual at her parent's house was the silent grace. You held the hands of whomever was next to you and silently gave thanks to whatever you wanted. I got into the habit of thinking about the farmers, the truck drivers, the vilified "illegals" who were doing a job no one else wanted, the produce clerks at the market, the factory workers who made the harvesters and trucks, the government employees who inspected everything for safety, in short anyone who actually engaged in the hard work of bringing food from the dirt to the table, and finally whoever actually did the cooking. This to me was much better for the soul, or maybe in our case, lack of one, than giving thanks to an idea.
NIce.
Just do what I do and petend and go through the motions.
That is what most christians do anyway.
I appreciate the thought behind this, although I rather was puzzled over why we need an agnostic prayer for Thanksgiving, never really thought of it as a Christian holiday.
But your prayer did not match my expectations. It seems like every line is asking for something to be given, rather than stating a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what we have. to illustrate what I mean, here is my own version for people to chew on:
I am Thankful that I live in the modern age where I have the freedom to think my own thoughts without persecution
I am Thankful that I have the opportunity to choose how to make the most of my time on Earth, rather than have it dictated to me
I am Thankful that I have modern medicine to cure disease, heal wounds and ease discomfort
I am Thankful that we have the internet to share our information and opinions freely
I am Thankful that most people are good hearted and loving toward each other
Congrats to all of you out there who can read this and find some measure of happiness in realizing our blessings for being alive at this time. Our worst of times is so much better than much of human history.
Aloha!
Dr. Smalley: I love Thanksgiving, and family meals in general, but I've discovered that the pre-meal moment reserved in many homes for prayer is an awkward time for me.
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Imagine if you were partaking of a thankgiving feast with some aboriginals in the Amazon. Would you feel awkward and uncomfortable if they began the meal with a prayer to the River God?
Of course not. You'd bow your head (or whatever), and be a perfect guest, and then dig into the pickled ants, or whatever was up for grub that day.
So why not here, at your own family dinner?
It's because you haven't yet completed your own separation from your family of origin. You're still attached to asserting to these people that you are your own person, and not just part of their tribe.
These are thoughts and feelings that are all about YOU - and not about those who are hosting the meal - or about your particular beliefs as opposed to theirs.
Well, the more conservative members of families do sometimes use religious expression to dominate and control other family members. It happens. You just have to let it roll of your back, like water off an otter.
Exactly so. It's called DETACHMENT.
Right, because it's the job of the enlightened agnostic to indulge the poor, stupid believers, right? "Oh, you poor simpletons, worshipping your river god, I wouldn't want to disturb your savage superstititions, so I'll just hold my tongue!" If, after the meal, they wanted to sacrifice you to that same River God, would you "hold your tongue"? Hell, no, you'd get the hell out of there!
Yes, it's an awkward thing to decide to bring up your agnosticism right there at that moment at the table... which is why you bring it up at some other point. You don't just leave it there to fester.
Religious people seem to think they have the right to (in effect) attack the beliefs of non-believers 24 hours a day. When's MY hour coming?
Clavis: Religious people seem to think they have the right to (in effect) attack the beliefs of non-believers 24 hours a day. When's MY hour coming?
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YOUR hour can come any time you like. Just don't whine about the consequences.
To use my metaphor: If you were at a thanksgiving feast with some aboriginals in the Amazon, and you use the occassion to inform them that their belief in the River God is foolish and naive, you might end up with a beating, or worse.
Most people would tell you you'd been a fool to argue with your hosts over their OBVIOUSLY precious beliefs - and wouldn't indulge your whining about your mistreatment.
See Ed and Deb Shapiro's Profile
Happy Thanksgiving to you Susan Smalley. You are a big heart to me. I enjoyed our interview with you for our book. It was spot on! Your blog is special.
Enjoy the day, Ed
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